I might be writing this post prematurely.
I love indoor plants, I really do– but you would never know it by looking at my track record with them. I have a knack for killing succulents.
Once, my husband (then boyfriend) sent me 30 succulents to share with friends when we were dating long-distance. I proceeded to give out as many as I could, and then somehow killed the ones that stayed with me.
Anyway, we recently went to a local garden shop and I decided to consult an expert on the matter. I’ve grown tired of killing plants. It shouldn’t be rocket science, but maybe, to some, it is.
In an effort to redeem my failures, I asked the garden shop staff a thousand questions. I asked him for recommendations on potting, watering, sunlight, and fertilizer.
As it turns out, succulents are not as low-maintenance as they’re often marketed to seem, but they’re not impossible to care for, either. Here’s what I’ve gleaned.
How To Avoid Killing Your Succulents
1) Use loose “cactus” soil.
Succulents need to drain well. They won’t survive in sand or rock, and some other soils hold too much moisture. You can purchase cactus potting soil from your local garden shop. Stick with that stuff.
2) Expose it to reasonable sun, shade, and temperatures.
All plants need sunshine (remember photosynthesis?), just varying levels of it. Succulents are flexible, but they won’t do well in darkness OR in sweltering direct sun. Moving the succulent in and out of reasonable levels of sunlight will help it thrive.
3) Don’t over-water.
This was definitely one of my rookie mistakes– too much TLC. The problem is, no one can really tell you how often to water your succulent; you have to monitor it yourself. Depending on your climate, the soil will dry out at varying speeds. Water only when the soil has completely dried from the previous watering. Succulents won’t quickly die for lack of water, but they do need it. Allowing the water to drain completely through the soil is the best way to avoid root rot. Otherwise, a misting bottle can be helpful to regulate water quantities.
4) “Plant food” is not a joke.
I used to think that “plant food” was just a marketing ploy. It’s not. Since these plants aren’t growing in their natural habitats, they can’t absorb the nutrients (e.g., calcium) that they naturally need. Cactus/succulent food is cheap and will last a long time; you only need one drop for every gallon of water.
5) Give them air circulation.
Contrary to popular belief, succulents won’t thrive in a closed container (like a terrarium with a lid). They need air.
6) They need room to grow.
Little succulents are cute and cheap, but they’ll stay that size unless you occasionally repot them. Some succulents can grow to be over ten feet tall, while others will comfortably grow within a foot or two. Occasionally repotting them might mean re-creating a pretty arrangement, but it will help the plants live longer.
7) Water before potting.
Unless the dirt is already damp, give the succulents some water before repotting. The new potting soil will be pretty dry, so the extra water will spread out.
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A few more resources and tools:
*affiliate links used
1) This bestselling succulent book has everything you need to know!
2) This is the spray bottle I use for watering smaller succulents– it helps keep the soil from being too drenched.
3) If succulent soil is hard to find near you, Amazon sells it too:
4) This is the cactus juice pictured in the post! It’s awesome!
Best of luck, everyone! May your succulents live long and prosper!
I’ve had my 2 African Violets for almost 2 years now, and they have never bloomed:/
Daisy, I have a mother-in-law’s tongue plant that has grown indoors for over 12 years. I live in Northern California where the summer heat can reach 110 degrees or more and in winter we’ll have a few deep freezes. My plant has always been inside, in front of my glass patio doors on the south side of my house, and it has been repotted three or four times. It gets full sun in winter, but I close the blinds in the afternoon during the summer. It was only 12″ tall when it came to live with me and now is in a 14″ wide by 14″ deep pot and has 5 to 7 dozen “tongues”, many over five-feet tall. It also blooms once a year, although the tiny flowers are on a stalk and nothing to brag about. I’ve never fed it, but I’ve been very careful never to over water it, and it is potted in “cactus and succulent soil”. Two years ago, when it was not getting enough water, some of the tongues were soft and began to sag. It was like magic when I gave it a thorough watering with plenty of drainage; the tongues became hard (full of liquid) and stood straight up. I think it must be time to repot, but WoW! how big of a pot will it finally need? I have succulents on my front porch, but the freezes get some of them unless I bring them inside, so I need to replenish each spring. I’m 81 years old, so replenishing is such a bother! 🙂 I’ll stick to my mother-in-law’s tongues. Thanks Daisy for all of your other advice on succulents.
Plenty of succulents love full sun – and that’s where you get some of the best colors – they just need to be eased into it if they didn’t grow from baby in the direct sun.
One of my favorite succulents recently died due to root rot. Sad day for me =( I learned from here that I probably watered it too much. I’ve seen things about propagating succulents and I’m wondering if it’s possible to do with a Haworthia fasciata. Do you know? Thanks 🙂
If you don’t live in an area where they naturally or easily exist, it’s a huge disadvantage. In Southern California, they grow so easy. Inside, I put them in a sunny window where it gets at least 6 hours of light, morning and early afternoon, only watering when the soil is dry as the article suggested. This tends to be about once a week. I let mine dry out. Aloe for instance, it will turn pink if it gets too much sun. I use a potting soil mix of sand and compost but any loose soil is wonderful. I think the key is at least 6 hours of light, don’t over water and provide a nice soil.
Hi there! Glad you enjoyed this post. If you don’t see the resources, make sure you turn off ad-block. I have images linked to Amazon here. 🙂
your additional resources, are they supposed to be link or have links somewhere?
Also, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried growing succulents in my Seattle apartment to no avail. I’m planning to buy a new batch this week and keep them alive using your tips – thanks for the awesome write-up!
Saving this for when I try succulents again – I killed one by over-watering and using soil that held on to water too much!
I am mourning a bowl full of dead succulents as I read this and you’ve given me the courage to try again. I am definitely going to utilize these tips in my next go-around. Thanks!
Sending you all the succulent love now! Let me know how it goes. 🙂 These simple tips should definitely sustain your plants for a while!
I am trying your ideas since I also seem to kill every succulent that I have ever had! Thank you and wish me luck!!!!
Speaking of fake plants commonly referred to as permanent greenery. I was in the floral wholesale house the other day and they now have some great looking ‘permanent’ succulents of many kinds. Don’t waste your money killing plants, but some that look great all the time. If the truth was known, the people who constantly kill plants probably just forget about them and reading all the articles in the world won’t change them. They’ll keep forgetting. lol
I have been blessed with a green thumb, (except Orchids!! ca keep them alive for years but I can’t get them to re-bloom!), and I feel for all you who have Black Thumbs, for now!. I’ve been educating myself since my early 20’s. Still do read up on any new plant and refresh myself when re-potting anything. Some of my house plants are over 40 years old. Heard about Beaucarnea Recurvata, also known as ‘Pony Tail Palm’ ?? Live forever. Watch each plant you have carefully. Try to find the right window light. No matter where I have lived, first thing when moving is that ALL the windows are meant for the plants. I live in Las Vegas, NV so even my Cactus get sunburn when I first bring them out of the house from winter,(Cactus can get frost burn at 40 degrees), so be careful when you first bring them out by exposing them to even sunlight under a patio cover in Vegas.
Daisy is correct about they’re less vulnerable the more mature they are. Maybe instead of just buying the small ones and throwing them away, you might consider buying some larger ones. They might give you some self-confidence until you get the hang of growing the cheaper babies. Takes a Long time for Cactus to grow large, that’s why they charge so much more, they’ve spent a lot of resources.
Hope this helps someone.
Great tip about ‘cactus juice’.
Shruthi
http://nyambura.co
las suculentas no tienen fotosíntesis
Of course! good luck!!
thank you so much for your reply! I changed them to a more shaded place, I’ll follow your advise and let you know, thank you!
Hi Vivi! Thanks for stopping by!
Sorry to hear that your succulents aren’t doing well. I think the main issue could be sunburn from direct hot sun, but another could be too much water. Even if you use cactus soil, over-watering can still be a problem.
Yet another issue is that the roots don’t have enough space to grow. If you have several plants all packed into a single pot, the roots can suffocate each other. It’s a bummer- succulent arrangements are beautiful, but they can’t last forever. Each plant needs enough space to grow.
If you pull the plants out (soil included) and you see the root system is very dense and full, then it’s probably time to repot them– put them in a large pot with more cactus soil. Break up the roots too so that they can expand.
I’m not a gardening expert, but my general hunch is that the earlier stages of succulent growth are the hardest. Once they become large and sturdy, they can withstand all kinds of weather and exposure. But when they’re small they’re pretty vulnerable.
One thing you could do is to bring them to your local nursery or garden shop, and ask the person there to look at them… maybe he/she will be able to identify what happened. Sorry to hear your succulents are having a hard time! We’ve all been there.
Let me know if I can answer any other questions. 🙂
Hi Daisy, I found your post through pinterest, thanks for the tips! I made a very nice pallet pot holder and I was so excited and hopeful about my little new collection of succulents but they are dying. The weather is very hot and they were receiving a lot of hours of direct sunlight, they are turning brown and seem like they are dying. I thought I was taking such good care of them, I saw a tutorial on using baby diapers gel for helping the soil, I used succulent soil (with pomice inside). I sometimes put some used coffe powder and some cinnamon to repel ants. Do you think I did something wrong? I now changed them to another place were they have less direct sunlight and I really hope they turn healthy again.
Thank you!
I’m reading this about 48 hours too late…just came home from a weekend away to a very, very sad succulent. I’m going to use these tips in hopes of reviving him!
Great post! I have a lot of friends who inadvertently kill their succulents (including my sister who I just sent this too). Egg shells contain a ton of natural calcium and are really good for plants. I boil them for a few minutes to get rid of bacteria, crush them up, and put it in the soil. Nothing like DIY plant food!
I am so glad you wrote this posts. I do extremely well with outdoor plants but I am like you in regards to indoor plants. I have several that need replanting that were my Mom”s and I’m certainly going to follow your advice.
Haha! It’s so easy to forget about them because they don’t cry or bark or meow, right? Which is why we’ve stuck with fake plants. UNTIL NOW. 😀
This title made me laugh because I kill plants. All the plants. I just completely forget about their existence. I feel so impressed when I go to someone’s house and see indoor plants.
Haha Brittany! You’re definitely not the only one who’s a plant serial killer. Welcome to the club. 🙂
I thought I was such a goon for ending up killing every. single. succulent. They’re supposed to be nearly indestructible! I’m glad to hear I’m not the only one 🙂 I’ll try these tips.
Glad to hear it, Jo-Anne!
I know right!! I wish I inherited my dad’s green thumb. Still, I think that people tend to kill plants for lack of information. Hope you’re able to fair better next time! 😉
Oh, good! I’m so glad this is helpful.
That said, I think orchids are a WHOLE different story. My dad is like the orchid whisperer. He can get them to bloom year after year for a decade– I kid you not! I do think that a cactus is a better place to start. 🙂 Let me know how it goes!
I know right! Household plants are excellent for purifying air too, which has been another motivation for me. Fewer chemicals!
Awesome!! Good luck Heidi! 🙂
Haha that’s awesome! Good luck, Hayley!
Ah thanks Ashley! The key is to figure out what exactly the plants actually need. Hope this helps!
Wow, way to go Kristin!! African violets are so pretty. I hope you cultivate successful succulents too!
Right?! Hope this helps!
I love succulents too! And I think the problem is that tons of people seem to think they don’t need any care at all, but it’s just not true. Fake plants are better in that regard 😉
LOL. Honestly I think we are plant-killing soul mates, but I hope this will change!
Thanks Jess! Hope the cactus soil helps next time!
Ah good luck next time, Nabihah! I think they’re also less vulnerable if they’re larger…
Some bloody great advice
I SO need this advice. I’ve literally never been able to keep a house plant alive….`ever. I have the opposite of a green thumb lol.
I totally needed this advice. Especially the over watering bit. I really think that’s why I’ve killed as many plants as I have. For me it’s orchids. Their look, smell, and colors drive me wild. I’ve purchased so many over the years and they either day, or just never re-bloom. It’s sad, because I love them so much I actually have a fake one in my bathroom. If you ever venture into the orchid care department, please share your tips. For now, I may buy Joshua a new cactus and give these tips a try. Seeing as I’ve killed the rest of them. (;
http://www.accordingtokiki.net
Great tips! I’ve never, ever kept a household plant alive for a reasonable amount of time, and I’d really like to get better about it. 🙂
I’m so happy you wrote this post! I have a couple and have no idea what I’m doing!
Wishes & Reality
It’s so funny I stumbled upon this post because I just bought three succulent plants and I have no idea what I’m doing haha. Thanks! xx, Hayley http://dailydoseofdarling.com
Love these!! I’m terrible with house plants, of all kinds. But maybe, I’m not overly positive, with these tips I can find some more success! Thanks!
I just started dabbling in houseplants within the last year. I have an African Violet that stayed relatively green and healthy, but it took 6 months to get my first bloom! I am really enjoying it now that it has blossomed, and I have thought about getting a succulent or two, so thank you for posting this.
Kristin // The Peculiar Treasure
athisfeetdaily.blogspot.com
Thank you so much for this, Daisy! I am the opposite of green thumb and I kill almost every plant that came into my hand. Will be bookmarking this for sure!
Shireen | Reflection of Sanity
Thank you for this Daisy! I bought a bunch of succulents thinking that it would be impossible to kill them, but sure enough every single one of them died. I 100% thought they were no-to-low maintenance plants, but clearly I was wrong. Definitely going to try again though because they really are so pretty!
Shannon
Clothes & Quotes
I appreciate all the tips my love, but I am hopeless. I shall try to keep another alive but when I kill it you’ll get a link to it’s obituary.
Great tips! I just heard about the cactus soil last week, and I feel like many plants would not have died under my watch had I heard about it sooner! 🙂
I just got succulents two weeks back and it looks like I’m killing them already! I remembered not watering too too much but I put them in direct sunlight and they looked a bit dried out! Thanks for the tips, definitely need them to avoid killing my succulents!
Nabihah | thesundaywardrobe.blogspot.com