Love succulents? Want to make them live longer? Follow these essential Tips for Never Ever Killing a Succulent and keep them happy!
Succulents are low-maintenance plants for sure. But if you’re one of those people who can’t keep them alive for a long time, just follow these 5 Tips for Never Ever Killing a Succulent, and you’ll have them forever!
Here are some sharable secrets to keep succulents colorful!
Tips for Never Ever Killing a Succulent
1. Keep Them Dry
Overwatering or frequent watering is the number one cause of succulents’ death. Hence, keep them on the drier side by allowing the soil to become dry well between watering spells. Underwatering succulents will do them more good than watering them more often.
Follow a simple rule of soil testing—insert a finger in the soil; if the soil feels dry, it’s time for hydration.
Check out our article on how often to water succulents here
2. Use Well-Draining Soil
Succulents prefer soil that drains well, so never use regular potting mix or dirt from your garden. While repotting, stay gentle as succulent leaves and roots are quite fragile.
Mix three parts potting soil, two parts coarse sand, and one part perlite in a container and use it as a growing medium for succulents.
We also have a detailed article on the best succulent soil recipes here.
3. Fertilize Less Often
Succulents are slow growers and do not like to be fed at all times of the year like your regular plants. In fact, most of these plants prefer poor soil, which is why it’s better to feed them once or twice a month with a balanced liquid fertilizer like 20-20-20, diluted to one-quarter of the recommended strength on the packet.
Do this in the growing season and avoid feeding these plants in late fall and winter, especially in cold climates (USDA Zones 8 and below).
4. Avoid Large Pots
Succulents have a shallow and small root system, and growing them in large containers increases the chance of keeping them in wet soil for a long. Growing them in small pots will ensure that the roots develop quickly and the plant focuses its energy more towards growing upward.
One more benefit of keeping succulents in tight, small pots is that they will grow more pups quickly.
5. Don’t Grow Them in Dark
You have to keep in mind that succulents and cacti are different from usual houseplants and are accustomed to growing in the open, under full or partial sunlight.
Most succulents will require at least filtered sunlight and bright indirect daylight to thrive well; snake plants and aloe vera are some exceptions. If you’re growing them indoors, you can do this by keeping them on a windowsill.
Bonus Tip – Avoid Misting
Unlike indoor plants that like humidity and appreciate little misting on their foliage regularly, avoid doing the same with succulents. These plants love to stay in dry air and dislike humid positions. Misting will also make the soil unnecessarily wet, which might lead to root rot.
Thank you…this is my 1st
Experience with succulents
I have quite a few with only 3 windows 8n my apartment most are under a plant light during the day the rest are on my window sills