Succulents are beautiful plants to incorporate in your space. They can tolerate dry, indoor conditions and don’t need much watering.
They don’t require expensive fertilizers and they look like art objects. Their robust leaves and stems in different shades of green can capture anyone’s gaze.
So, if you’re planning on planting succulents indoors, go for it. Here are 5 things you should be doing right to ensure that your indoor succulents thrive and fill your home with beauty.
Pick the Right Indoor Succulent
There are different types of succulents. Most succulents need full sun outdoors all year-round. So, if you pick one of them, you’re already on the wrong path.
Pick a succulent that prefers shade and can tolerate low light indoors. Our favorites are the zebra plant and snake plant. These succulents grow very well indoors. Typical jade plants also known as cratylus are also a great choice.
The pencil cactus and crown of thorns are also good indoor succulents.
What you want to do with your succulent is also important. If you want to just place them in pots and use them as decor, any of the above mentioned varieties should do. However, if you want to use something different like a hanging planter, pick a trailing variety. String of bananas, string of pearls are good varieties. String of pearls does well in partially shaded areas.
Find the Right Light and Temperature
Give your succulent as much light as you can throughout the day. Having a succulent indoors means the succulent has access to very little sunlight.
For the succulent to thrive, keep it near the brightest window of your home. A south-facing window should do the trick. If you live in the Northern hemisphere, look out for areas that receive the most sunlight in your home.
Your succulents need about 10 hours of bright sunlight through the day. Keep an eye out for the succulent stretching out. This means that the succulent isn’t receiving as much sunlight as it should.
If you can’t find adequate sunlight anywhere in your home, a grow light is a good idea.
The Right Soil
As soon as you get back from the nursery, re-pot your plant. Nurseries often use soil that is too rich and moist for adequate growth of the plant. But the question is, which soil do you re-pot in?
Succulents despise wet soil. It can cause root rot. So, you need to look for well draining soil. A soil that dries out fast. This way the soil drains out the water in time while still proving the roots with hydration.
You can make your own well-draining soil. Avoid heavy materials that can slow down water absorption, like clay. Some ingredients that can be useful in your diy soil are twigs, sand, compost, coco peat, vermiculite, pumice, perlite, peat moss, sawdust and brick powder.
Gritty mixes are also another popular choice when it comes to succulent soil. You can make your own gritty mix too. All you need is turface, granite and pine bark.
If you have a problem of overwatering, we cannot recommend the gritty mix enough. It literally makes it impossible to drown the plant.
The mix is made with non-organic materials. Hence, it doesn’t break down easily. Good news for the lazy folks out there, you can reuse the mix over and over again.
We do not recommend per-bagged cactus mixes. However, if you don’t have any other alternatives, add perlite or pumice in a one-to-not ratio of potting soil to perlite or pumice.
Water It Right
You can’t water your succulents like your other houseplants. Most plant owners struggle with watering a succulent. This is because overwatering them is so easy.
Record when you have watered the succulent. This will help you keep track of when you need to water it again. Use whatever is convenient for you, pen and paper, the notes app, an excel sheet. You can even download a succulent tracker app available on both Apple and Android.
You can record each watering, track history, and have a succulent growth gallery. It even reminds you when you have to water the succulent.
The trick you want to use is soak and dry. Water till the soil is completely soaked, wait for it to dry, water again.
Don’t let the water sit on the leaves. It can cause rot. A squeeze bottle or a small spout watering can will help you water the succulent effectively.
How often you need to water the succulent varies with the climate. A good thumb rule is to have a 14-21 day gap between each watering.
Pick the Right Container
The right container can make all the difference. A succulent and its pot is a part of your interior plant design.
You can get a different shade of green to accentuate the succulent’s color. A blue pot will compliment and bring out the green shades. Neutral tones also go well.
But apart from aesthetics, there are other factors to consider too. You need a pot with a drainage hole. It will make watering the succulents so much easier.
Preferably, get pots with huge drainage holes. You can use mesh tape or mesh screens to cover the holes so that the soil doesn’t spill out.
You also need a breathable material for the succulent. Materials like terracotta and ceramic are good choices.
The downside with these materials is that they are very heavy. It can be difficult to relocate the plant. If you drop them, you have another nightmare to take care of.
Plastic is an easy option. Light and resilient. However, it’s not as breathable. So, it comes down to what you’re providing for your indoor succulent. If you’re facing issues with over watering, ceramic will help the soil dry out faster. If you’re using well-draining soil and have a pot with a draining hole, moist soil should not be an issue.
We hope you learned something new.
