There is nothing I love more then live plants in my house. When I first got married, I couldn’t keep a plant alive to save my life. Now, there is just something about watering, and nurturing a plant that makes me happy. If you don’t love worry about or remembering to water plants often, then a succulent might be the plant for you. They really don’t need a whole lot of nurturing or a whole lot of water. You really don’t have to think about them much at all.
I have had a few friends mention that they have a hard time keeping their succulents alive.
Here are a few secrets I have found, although I am no expert!!
Secret #1: GREEN!! Succulents really do prefer to be outdoors, because they do like the sunlight.
So if you are buying succulents for your house stick with GREEN succulents.
Succulents that have bright colors such as reds, purples, and oranges need more sunlight, and will not do as well. However, if you really like colorful ones, just make sure you put it in a place where it will get up to 6 hours of sunlight.
(I really love this purple succulent. I put it on my bookshelf in my room. It gets light from about 6 windows most of the day, and it has been alive for 9 months!)
Secret #2: Light!!! Succulents do need sunlight, but don’t feel like they have to be right up in a window. I don’t put very many of my succulents in windows. However, I have a house with 74 windows and really no blinds. My house gets so much sunlight so my succulents are getting the light they need.
(Look at how this succulent grows to the light?)
So you need to take that in to consideration when you decide where to put your succulent. Don’t put your succulent in the darkest part of your house. Also, don’t put it in a room, and then never open the blinds. It needs sunlight every. single. day. and a good amount of it.
Secret #3: Soil! If you feel like your succulents have withered really quickly in the past, a good trick is to add pumice to the soil. It soaks up the water quickly, and If you ever need more soil then what your succulent came with, I always go to my local flower shop and ask for a bag of what they use and it has never failed me!!
The best soil for succulents in pots will hold enough water for them to absorb what they need, but still dries out quickly so the roots won’t rot.
Succulents absorb water from the air around them, not through direct contact.
Constantly sitting in wet soil makes their roots rot, because they get too much water and eventually the cells in the roots and leaves fall apart, causing the plant to die.
Secret #4: Water!! When you water your succulents is the most important part.
That is why succulents can be so easy to take care of. They really don’t need a whole lot of water. I water my succulents every 7-10 days. I have even gone as long as 2 weeks. If you over water, that is when your succulents tend to die. Funny huh!! Other plants die when we don’t water them. Check your soil with your finger after about a week, and if it feels really dry it is a good sign it could use a little bit of water.
When I say a little bit, that is what I mean. A succulent does not need a cup of water. A succulent just needs a small tiny drink. Like I said, it can’t sit in wet soil. Also, you can use a spray bottle and spritz it with water every now and again if you want to give it a small drink!!
Secret #5: Containers!! Indoor Succulents should not be boring.
I like to find the most amazing, interesting containers I can find, and plant them in fun finds. It just adds to the space. Some of my favorites have been; these copper mugs:
or these antique wooden boxes I found at an antique store:
I also just pick up coffee mugs I like at TJ Maxx for interest:
You can really plant them in anything!!
It’s super easy to plant in a new container. Just pick your container. Then pull your succulent out of the plastic planter.
Once you have pulled it out of the container, then you gently place it in the new container you have picked.
It might not fit perfect with all the soil…
So just do your best to just gently tap it down into your container. You can even remove some of the soil from the bottom if you need to, without removing any of the very important root system that has been created.
It was probably recently watered at the greenhouse it came from, so it probably won’t need much, but you should check just to be sure. Then add it to your space!!
…..and did you know, that succulents will keep on producing for you? Once you have bought a few succulents you can propagate them and just keep making more without having to buy them? Yep!! It’s awesome. Here is a video that has helped me learn more about how to do that!! I hope you learned something and I hope it makes you want to have some live succulents around to make you happy!!
