Succulents Made Simple

Assortment of succulent plants/Image licensed to CCMGA®

by Jim Binnings, CCMGA Master Gardener

Growing houseplants can be a very rewarding form of gardening. Indoor plants can add color and can make a room feel warm and inviting. Houseplants are grown in a climate-controlled, generally insect-free environment. It is hard to go wrong with peace lilies, corn plants, ficus plants, and snake plants. Bromeliads, African violets, and ferns are also excellent houseplants. A new plant that has caught my eye recently is a succulent. This past fall, while strolling around the nursery at my local big-box store, I ran across a display of succulents. They were compact, had subtle colors of green, gray, and chocolate, and the rosettes of the Echeveria succulents were beautiful.

Succulents are easy to grow and require very little maintenance. But like all plants, there are “dos and don’ts” for maintaining healthy succulents. As a reward, you might have these beautiful plants for several seasons or even several years. Many of them will also produce pups, allowing you to expand your collection.

Potting

As you would assume, succulents like dry soil. The best type of pot to use is a terra-cotta pot. Terra cotta pots will draw moisture away from the soil, which is then absorbed by the clay in the pot. Whereas a plastic pot will tend to let the soil hold more water.

Think of the desert when you think of soil. The soil doesn’t need to be nutrient-rich. There also needs to be a significant proportion of coarse sand or other well-draining material in the soil. I have found that the big-box store I shop at carries a cactus potting soil mix. I am going to use one-third to one-half regular potting soil, with the balance being cactus mix.

Your pot must have drainage holes to let the soil dry out. Do not let the pot sit in a saucer of water. Again, think desert!

Water

Always check the soil moisture before watering. I have a moisture meter, but going old school and using your fingers works just as well. When in doubt, wait a few days before watering.

Water the soil, not the leaves. Wet leaves may start to rot.

Water more during the warm days of spring and summer and less during the cooler months of fall and winter.

If you water your succulents too much, they can develop root rot. Look at the point where the plant meets the soil. If the plant stem is dark and mushy, rot is starting to set in. On the other hand, if your succulents pucker or start to draw into themselves, you need to water.

Lighting

Your succulent needs at least 6 hours of strong indirect light. Six hours of indirect light from a south- or east-facing window is ideal.

When you are moving succulents to a significantly brighter area, move the plant in and out of this space for a week to let the plant adjust.

If you move your succulents outdoors for the summer, they could benefit from shade from the late-afternoon Texas sun and heat. Ideal growing temperatures for succulents are between 60 and 80 degrees. They will grow fine up to 90 degrees. But like many plants, temperatures above 90 degrees tend to slow the transpiration process down. Most succulents will not do well in temperatures below 40 degrees.

Succulent plants can get sunburned from too much sunlight. If your succulents develop small blisters, the plants are getting sunburned. They need to be moved.

Other Tips

Succulents like to be warm, so keep them away from a drafty window if growing them indoors in the winter.

Like most houseplants, they will do better if you rotate the pot every week or so.

Succulents have evolved to grow in poor soil. If you want to add some fertilizer to encourage blooming, use a diluted general-purpose fertilizer during the active growing season.

This year, I am looking forward to learning more about succulents and experimenting with combinations of succulents in a planter. We all know that to have a planter “pop,” you need a thriller, a filler, and a spiller. You can absolutely do that with succulents. Because of their unique shapes and compact size, finding thrillers and fillers is easy. Try a sedum as a spiller. So, if you are looking for a new plant to learn about this year, give succulents a try.

References:

Houseplants and Succulents for Dummies, Steven A. Frowine.

Hardy Succulents, Gwen Moore Kelaidis.