How to care for your succulents
Since quite some time succulents have been the new “it” decorative idea for any indoor/outdoor space, your local coffee shop and even events like weddings. From small arrangements in tiny pots, to decorative dividers in your outdoor space, green walls and DIY arrangements…the list seems to be endless. Even though succulents are known for their easy care and drought resistant tendencies, there are still some important aspects to know and to keep in mind when deciding on planting and growing these beauties.
Light: Succulents are desert plants and love a good amount of sunlight, from more than half a day to a full day in direct sunlight. If you live in a very dry and hot area, some shade at parts of the day is still a good idea. If your succulent has too much shade though, it will “stretch” to try to reach the sunny areas. if your plant has the right amount of sunlight it will show you all its beautiful colors.
Soil: This is an important aspect that is often forgotten. Succulents like well drained soil. If you plant them outside make sure that the area drains well and wont have sitting water. If you decide to plant the succulents in a flower pot, most gardening stores sell cactus soil. You can also mimic your own desert like soil by adding sand to it, volcanic rock or gravel. Any container that you pick should have a drain hole so that the soil can drain well and not overwater the plants.
Fertilizer: Succulents are low maintenance plants and need very little fertilizer. You can use a well balanced fertilizer once a month to make sure your succulents will grow as beautiful and healthy as possible.
Watering: After you planted you succulents, either in pots or directly in the ground, water them well and let the soil dry slightly between each of your waterings. Once the succulent is established in its new home, you won’t need to water them as regularly.
Succulents are amazing plants and fairly easy to be re-grown from their cuttings or leaves. Most species can be propagated with either one of them. Gently twist off a few of the leaves from a grown plant and make sure that it is a clean pull. Make sure you get the leaf all the way from the stem, otherwise it might not be able to grow roots and die. Let your leaf or cutting dry off a bit, depending on the sunlight and heat for about 3 days so that it can scab over. Full-grown succulents don’t need to be watered every day, leaves and cuttings on the other side do. You should avoid giving them too much water though, which will cause them to die.
If you’re working with leaves, set them on top of the soil, making sure their ends don’t actually touch the soil at all, and water them each time the soil dries out.
The cutting or leaves will take about 2-3 weeks to grow roots. Once the roots grow make sure to cover them with soil.
Happy planting and growing!
