With a flourish of color and unique structural form, succulents have become the darling of the plant world over the last few years. But even with a low-maintenance care regimen, succulents aren’t invincible, so there are a few things you should know about succulent care, before bringing a succulent home. Here are three of our top succulent care tips to help keep your plant thriving.
1. Don’t drown your succulent
One of the easiest ways to accidentally kill a succulent is being overzealous about watering, so it's important to know how to water succulents. Succulents are desert plants, so they receive very little water in their natural habitat. If a succulent is over-watered, it will be susceptible to root rot. In order to ensure proper succulent care, be sure to allow your succulent’s soil to dry out between watering. When in doubt, remember that less is more when it comes to watering your succulent.
Also, be sure you succulent’s pot or terrarium has good drainage. A pot with drainage holes is ideal, but if your vessel doesn’t have holes, then be sure to place a layer of drainage stones at the bottom of your succulent’s home.
2. Don’t let it get a sunburn
Another important succulent care tip to know is how much sunlight they need. Despite popular belief, most succulents don’t do well when blasted with full sun and high heat. In fact, succulents are susceptible to sunburn, which usually manifests as brown spots on their surface.
While your succulent will do well in bright light, be sure your plant isn’t getting scorched under direct light. If your succulent is in a closed glass terrarium, remember that the glass will magnify and strengthen sunlight, causing your succulent to be exposed to extreme heat and light. Therefore, it’s best to keep your terrarium succulents in bright, but indirect sunlight.
If you keep your succulent inside during the cooler months and move it outside during summer, there are some important steps to take when moving it outside to prevent sunburn. To ensure proper succulent care, gradually transition your succulent into sunlight. Keep it in a shady spot for a few days, then partial sun a few days and finally transition it into bright, indirect sunlight.
3. Propagate your plant babies
Once you become an expert at succulent care and your plant is established and thriving, it may start reproducing and throwing off shoots of new plant babies. Propagating these plant babies is important for keeping your mother plant healthy. There are a few different ways to propagate your plant, depending on what type of succulent you have. Leaf cutting involves cutting leaves off a grown succulent; stem cutting requires cutting stems from the mother plant; and pup repotting involves removing pups (baby plants) from the main plant. No matter which method your succulent requires, it’s important to allow your cutting to dry out a few days before planting in a cactus potting mix. Then wait a few days before giving the plant baby a little water. Your propagated plants should root in a few weeks!
Now that you know proper succulent care, such as how much sunlight and water they need and how to propagate them, you are a succulent care pro. For more succulent accessories take a look at our terrariums here: