A Beginners Guide to Grow Succulents- How to care Your Succulent Plants?

Succulent plants are rising in popularity among gardeners both as houseplants and as outdoor garden statements. They are eye-catching plants that flaunt splendid foliage. They store water in their dense, shapely leaves, making them drought-tolerant and relatively self-sufficient plants. One of the most appealing aspects of succulent plants, other than their easy maintenance, is that they can be discovered in a wide array of shapes, textures, colours, and heights.

What are succulents?

A succulent is any plant that stores water in juicy leaves, stems or roots in order to withstand periodic drought. All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Succulents do not belong to one plant family but are represented in over 40 botanical families that are spread around the world and include close relatives of the poinsettia, geranium, lily, grape, amaryllis, crassula, daisy, milkweed.

Varieties of Succulents?

There are over 60 different succulent families and about 10,000 plant variants that differ in colour, texture, and size. Most popular among them are Echeveria, Sedums, Kalanchoe, Aeonium, Sempervivums, Agave, Aloe, Crassula, Euphorbia, Senecio, Gasteria, Graptopetalum and other cacti.

Although, each plant might require different care techniques for growing, flowering and propagating, here are a few tips for a beginner who wants to start growing a succulent Garden.

Did you know, that most succulents can be grown with just a leaf? Yes, you heard it right. As easy as it sounds, let us begin to learn basic necessities to start growing succulent plants.

1. Potting Soil: First and foremost, after you select a plant of your choice is the potting mix you are going to grow plants in.

The ideal potting mix for succulents should be a combination of Cocopeat, Perlite, RedSoil, Gravels, and a small part of Compost. You can also mix river sand, Vermiculite, Charcoal, and well-drainedLeca balls (If available) to enhance the quality of the mix.

The idea is, that the soil should be porous, and well drained at the same time hold enough water for plants to absorb. Since succulents store moisture in their plant parts for its utilization soil prepared should be prepared in such a way that it dries between the intervals (i,e., not hold moisture for a very long time! Well, this depends on other factors too)

2. Container: It is always preferable to have a well-drained container which has a decent drainage hole. To maintain succulents indoors, a wide mouthed container with less depth is suitable.

3. Watering: Once the succulent is planted in the ideal potting mix, it is important to water the mix. You can water lightly if the prepared potting mix is moist enough.

How do water succulents?

The best way to water succulents is with the “soak and dry” method. Soak the soil completely then let the soil dry out completely before watering again. And make sure the succulents are in well-draining soil in a pot with a drainage hole. For indoor succulents, it is generally best if water doesn’t get on top of the leaves. If it sits on a leaf for too long it can cause rot.

Succulents do not like to sit in wet soil for more than 2–3 days.

How often should I water my Succulents?

Succulents should be watered only when the soil has dried out completely. There is no universal watering schedule that works for every succulent in every climate.

Many indoor succulent growers find that watering 14–21 days is a good frequency to keep their succulents alive. Use this timeline as a starting point and adjust as needed.

The best frequency for watering your succulents is whenever the leaves show very early signs of underwatering.

4. Light conditions: Most of the succulents does well in bright indirect sunlight. By Nature, these love the sun. But, few like Haworthias and Gasterias does well indoors with less light. A great place to start is with succulents that are naturally green.

In general, succulents that have bright colours (such as reds, purples and oranges) don’t do well indoors. They require some direct sun and more sun light than is generally available indoors.

Because of its nature, they love the sun. Give them as much as light possible. When succulents are indoors it’s often hard for them to get enough sunlight. Outdoors generally need about 6 hours of bright, indirect sunlight each day.

Indoors, place your succulents near a window that gets light all day. If this isn’t an option, place your succulents near the brightest window or brightest area of your home or office.

5. Propagation: Most succulents can be propagated from cuttings and many from leaves. There is also a large selection put off new growth all on their own, which can be easily divided and can be grown into an entirely new plant!

Just collect dropped leaves/ old leaves and plant them on potting soil to grow your own succulent babies!

6. Repotting: Succulents need to be repotted when they outgrow the pot/ when it’s root-bound.

It is also recommended to repot succulents when bought from a nursery, as they might be planted in soil which may not be well-drained/ are already root-bound.

7. Nutrients: Nutrient is important for succulents just like any other plant. Indoor succulents can be fertilized once in 6–12 months. Outdoor succulents can be fed with balanced nutrients containing Nitrogen and also calcium.

Succulents are low maintenance plants and are easy to grow with little effort and care.

Happy Gardening!