Admit it: Succulents are having a moment. And whether you're a gardening rookie who wants to overcome your plant-killing tendencies, or you're well-known amongst your neighbors for your green thumb, you can rely on succulents to be a versatile, low-maintenance plant. But a quick search on the internet reveals that there's a lot more to succulents than you might think. What type do you get? Can you grow them yourself? How little care do they really need?
For those that are ready to take the plunge, consider this your guide to all-things succulents. Here's everything you need to know about growing these cutie-pie plants.
Best Varieties for Beginners
No matter what climate you live in, it's easy to get succulents to grow and thrive inside your home. While you want to avoid keeping them near vents, electronics, and dark corners, they're relatively easy to keep alive just about anywhere else as long as they have sunshine and good soil.
Beginners should start with easy-to-care-for plants: Haworthia varieties like Zebra plants (Haworthia Fasciata); Jades like Elephant Bush (Portulacaria Afra) or Gollum Jades (Crassular Ovata); Gasterias like Gasteraloes, or Vicks plant (Plectranthus Tomentosa). They're all beautiful options that are versatile, drought tolerant, and thrive indoors.
Containers
If you bought your succulents from a nursery or online store, the first thing you'll want to do is repot them ASAP (or at least within 24 hours). Why? The small plastic pots and highly-absorbent planting soil that come with most succulents are not ideal. You'll want move them into larger terra cotta containers with drainage holes and surround them with soil that dries quickly (more on that in a bit).
Succulents don't thrive when they sit in wet soil, which makes a drainage hole very important. Cassidy Tuttle, the blogger behind Succulents and Sunshine and the author of Idiot's Guides: Succulents, says terra cotta pots are the perfect options for beginners because the vessels dry quickly, they pull out water from the soil, they're breathable, and they prevent water from building up. You can also plant succulents in ceramic, plastic, or metal containers—as long as there's some sort of hole for drainage. Glass containers are okay too, but they're not as easy to work with. "The quickest way to kill your succulent is to trap it in a glass bowl without drainage," Tuttle says. "They do need water, but they like their roots to dry out really quickly. Being in a typical terrarium or glass bowl doesn't really allow that."
The size of your container should also be considered. You can control the growth of your succulents by planting them in a pot that encourages or discourages growth—they'll "bonsai," or take the shape and size of the container in which they're planted. Cool, right?
Soil
Succulents do best in soil that doesn't hold water, and you can give that to 'em in three ways. First, if you already have gardening soil at home, you can add pumice or perlite to your mixture, both of which you can buy at your local nursery. Alternatively, you can purchase succulent-friendly Gritty Mix soil, which mimics the natural soil they prefer to grow in. Your last option is that you can try making your own succulent soil at home by combining pine bark fines, turface, and crushed granite. These options ensure your succulents are growing in materials that pull the water away from them.
Lighting
You can grow almost any succulent indoors as long as you give it enough access to bright light. Ensure their health and growth by placing them next to the sunniest window in your home for at least six hours per day. "South-facing windows are going to give them the most sunlight, all day long," Tuttle said.
Watering
Knowing when and how much to water your succulents is one of the trickiest parts of caring for these plants. "Ninety-nine percent of taking care of succulent is watering," says Darren Irwin, the founder and owner of The Succulent Source in Southern California. His rule of thumb: Water when dry; never water when wet, damp, or moist. "If they dry out completely in five days, you can water them every five days. If they dry out completely in two weeks, then water every two weeks." When you water your plant, drench the soil with liquid by using pitchers, cans, or even pipettes for teeny varieties; you'll know you've watered the plant enough when water exits through the drainage hole. Let the succulent dry completely, then wait a few days before watering again. We repeat: There should be no moisture or water in the container before you water again!
While growing succulents inside your home is always an option, they flourish when they're outside. "They do best outdoors because they're getting the air, the ventilation, and the sun that they need," says Mimi Hong, owner of the I Dream of Succulents Etsy store. This is where you'll see the plants truly thrive. Here's what you should keep in mind when growing succulents in your garden or in outdoor containers.
Ideal Climate
Succulents thrive in temperate climates, but they will grow outdoors in almost any region at some point in the year. If you live in an area where the temperature drops below freezing or surpasses 100 degrees, you should pot your succulents in moveable containers and be prepared to relocate them during extreme weather conditions.
Best Varieties
Before you begin growing your succulents, evaluate your growing zone to determine what will and won't survive in your region based on your climate.
Beginners who live in climates that experience cold weather should opt for cold hearty plants like sempervivum succulents, which include Houseleeks and Common Houseleeks, or sedums like Glowing Fire and White Stonecrops. Gardeners who live in warmer climates can work with Echeveria 'Perle von Nurnbergs' or Blue Chalksticks.
Soil
Succulents don't require special fertilizer to grow. In fact, they can grow in most outdoor soils, except for ones that are clay-like or compact. If the dirt surrounding your succulents is retaining too much water or moisture, you can mix in some soil with quarter-inch particles, or add crushed granite, coarse grain sand, or perlite.
Watering
Succulents planted outdoors will experience more sun exposure and their soil will dry quicker, so they'll need more water than succulents grown indoors.
Lighting
Succulents bought online or at a nursery are often stored in shady areas and must get acclimated to their new outdoor conditions when you bring them home. If the plants aren't used to the amount or strength of sun in your outdoor area, they can become sunburnt and even die. "The skin on a succulent is delicate," Hong tells CountryLiving.com. "When you bring one home, you have to mimic the growing conditions where you got the plant from. You want to slowly acclimate it to where you want it to grow." So position your plants in a shady area or somewhere they can consume indirect sun exposure when you bring them home.
If you want your plants to eventually live in an area with direct exposure to the sun, acclimate them early in the springtime when the sun and temperatures aren't as strong. "You'll want to monitor them and back off the length of sun exposure," Irwin says. "And put them in the shade for the hottest part of the day."
Seasonal Care
If you live in an area with more extreme weather changes from season to season, you'll want to take some extra steps to ensure the health and vitality of your succulents. According to Emily Smith, the Order Fulfillment Specialist at Mountain Crest Gardens in Fort Jones, California, you should grow your succulents in transportable, lightweight containers so you can easily move them indoors and care for them all year. On chilly winter nights, protect your succulents from the cold by covering them in frost cloth. If the temperature drops below freezing during the winter months, bring them inside.
In the summer, when the temperature goes above 100 degrees or the sun is more intense than usual, you'll want to prevent them from getting sunburnt by moving them to a shadier area.
During the winter months, when the days are shorter and there is less sunlight for your succulents, they may become dormant or experience slower growth rates, which is perfectly normal (even in warmer climates), according to Smith. Sedums may lose their leaves, or even recede underground to their root systems for the season. Sempervivums may grow into a tight bundle and close their leaves. Both will experience a resurgence of growth in the spring when the dormancy period is over.
Unlike many other pieces of vegetation, succulents are a relatively low-maintenance plant that do best when they're given less attention and water. In fact, many gardeners care for them too much. "Some folks tell me that they find succulents tricky to care for," Melanie Harrington, the farmer behind Dahlia May Flower Farm, wrote on Instagram. "The truth is, a lot of people kill them with kindness. These plants like to be left alone and watered only once every few weeks. They thrive on neglect."
If you happen to run into problems, or notice the health of your plant declining, refer to this list of trouble spots and red flags.
The Most Common Problems
Overwatering: When it comes to watering, less is always more. The plants will rot if you water them too much. "Succulents don't like to be in water for too long—that's one way you can kill them," Hong says. Only water your plants when their soil has been completely dry for several days.
Bad soil: "Soil is the number one killer of succulents," Tuttle says. "Most soil that succulents come in is too dense. It makes it so they don't dry out very quickly, and then the succulents rot." The best soil for these plants is full of quarter-inch particles and drains quickly.
Poor drainage: Succulents do best when their roots can dry out quickly. If you move your succulents to containers without a drainage hole, they may sit in water for too long and then rot or die.
Lack of lighting: When succulents don't receive enough sunlight, they'll experience etiolation, which leads to long and weak stems, gaps between petals, color loss, and a leggy look. Position them near a window that receives direct sunlight for at least six hours each day, or invest in an indoor grow-light.
Sunburning: While many succulents grow well in the bright sun, some varieties prefer partial shade or sunshine from the less-intense morning sun. If you notice black spots on the leaves, or a white-ish hue all over your succulent, then your plant may be experiencing too much sun exposure. If you want to grow them outdoors in the bright sun, acclimate them early in the season or around springtime. Once the plant endures any sort of damage—sunburning, scraping—the scar won't go away, but the plant can continue to grow and thrive despite the injury.
Watering with spray bottles: These watering devices encourage shallow, thin roots because the water isn't sinking down far enough in the soil. "You want the water to go all the way down, so that the roots grow deeply—a spray water bottle will never reach that deep," Irwin says.
Spray bottles can also lead to mold growth, especially if you spray water on top of the leaves, rather than directly into the soil. "The bottles also put a lot moisture on top without doing anything for the root," Irwin says. "You don't want humidity for succulents, which is what spray bottles do." Drench the soil with water directly by using a pitcher or can.
Red Flags
Mushy leaves: If you notice mushy, spongy, or swollen leaves, then you're watering your succulent too often, or there isn't proper drainage in your pot.
Rotting succulents: If you notice your succulent begin to rot and die, then your soil is probably too dense and it's not drying out quickly enough. Save the healthy leaves and propagate them.
Shriveled leaves: If you notice wrinkled or contracted leaves, this is a sign of dehydration and that you're not watering your plants enough. However, if you notice leaves falling off or simply dying, this is completely normal.
Color loss: If your succulent starts to turn a light green or lose its color, then your plant isn't getting enough light. Move it to a bright window, which receives at least six hours of sunlight everyday.
Mold: This is caused by overwatering, watering accumulation on the leaves, or watering with spray bottles. Succulents don't thrive in humid settings, and their health will decline when they sit in puddles of water, or when water sits on their leaves for too long. Ensure that the soil is drying out completely before you water your plant again, avoid spray bottles, and use a pitcher with a spout to water the soil directly.
Etiolation: If you notice that your plant is starting to stretch, look leggy, or display large gaps in between the petals, then your succulent isn't receiving enough sunlight.
Sunburning: If you see white spots or black masses on your plant, this is a sign your succulent is getting too much direct sun. Move these plants to a shadier area, or slowly acclimate them to direct sun. Sunburnt leaves and stems can't be healed, and succulents will continue to grow despite the damage.
To view all of our stories on succulents—including the best ways to care for and creatively display them—go here.
