Growing Succulents Indoors: 7 Tips And Tricks
By: John Garcia | Date Posted: November 8, 2021
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Succulents are very low-maintenance plants, making them perfect for those who donât have a lot of time to spend on gardening. You will need to provide them with the proper amount of light, water, and nutrients, but thatâs it! Here are some tips and tricks to help you with these requirements.
1. Provide Them Proper Lighting
Succulents need bright, but indirect light to grow their best. They cannot survive in the dark or the direct sun. Therefore, you must place them in a location where they will be receiving at least 6 hours of indirect sunlight every day. If you are growing them indoors on a windowsill, make sure the window faces the East or West, not the North. Also, artificial lighting can be great for succulents. On a search for the best grow lights in the market, look for those that have a color temperature of 5000K or higher. These lights offer a lot of brightness to your succulents while also mimicking the spectrum of the sun. As a bonus, LED lights are even more energy-efficient than other types of grow lights. Proper lighting is important for all plants because it allows them to photosynthesize.
2. Water them Properly
Succulents need to be watered regularly, but they do not need to be drenched from every water source. They will wilt if you over-water them. Watering your succulents can be a difficult chore because you donât want to over-water them as they will rot and die. However, if they are underwater, their growth will also be stunted and theyâll die. Therefore, itâs important to strike a balance when watering your plants. A good tip is to water them when the soil is dried up to your first knuckles.
I like to give my succulents about 1/4 cup of water per week in the summer and about half that during the winter months. Aloe vera plants, for example, can store water in their leaves, so they donât need to be watered as regularly. Also, succulents that come from dry climates, like the desert, are accustomed to dealing with periods when it is dry. Succulents are usually watered by being directly submerged underwater in their pots. Allow the water to sit on top of the soil for 30 minutes before draining out any excess water or allowing it to drain on its own.
3. Give them Nutrients and Fertilizer Every Once in a While
Succulents need fertilizer to produce new leaves and for overall growth, especially during the flowering phase of their lives. The current fertilizer you use should have three numbers like 10-10-10 or 20-20-20. Look for a fertilizer that has a low number, such as 5-5-5 or 10-10-10 because succulents donât need too much of the first number (nitrogen). Succulent plants prefer a nitrogen-to-phosphorus ratio of about 4:1. A 3:1 ratio is also acceptable.
For example, a 10-10-10 or 20-20-20 fertilizer would be best for succulents because it has these ratios perfectly. Aside from the numbers, donât forget to look at how long you have to wait before your succulents can be fertilized again after theyâve been fertilized. Some fertilizers have to be watered in before being used and some can be applied immediately after watering them. Succulents also need calcium, so look for a fertilizer with a source of this mineral as well.
4. Repot Them Only if Needed
Succulent plants rarely need repotting and can thrive for years in the same pot. When repotting is necessary, choose a slightly larger pot and ensure ample space around the roots. The ideal time for repotting, especially for flowering, is in the fall when the plants are dormant, as repotting can stress them. For cacti and similar succulents, ensure the soil is dry before repotting to prevent skin damage and root waterlogging. Additionally, the new pot should have adequate drainage holes to allow excess water to escape.
5. Bring Them Indoors Before the First Freeze
There are two reasons why you should consider bringing your succulents indoors before the first freeze of autumn begins: water and temperature. When it starts to get cold outside, too much water can cause your plants an unnecessary amount of stress. They will get wet from the water in the air, which can cause fungus to develop. Secondly, if your succulent is from a tropical climate and itâs been growing outside all year long, you should bring it indoors before the temperature drops below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. If your succulents are not tough enough to survive low temperatures, they will die if the temperature drops too low.
6. Water Them with Ice Cubes
Not only does this help your plants during the hot summer days, when they need some extra hydration, but it also helps you when you forget to water them. When succulents are watered properly throughout the year, they can survive without a lot of water. This is why I like to give them ice cubes every once in a while. Succulents love to have their soil moist, but not overly wet. You can tell this is the case when you touch the soil and itâs moist on the surface, but not sticky with water droplets.
7. Give Them Love
Succulents need a small amount of attention and care and theyâre pretty low-maintenance. To grow healthy succulents you only have to provide them with the proper amount of light, water, and nutrients. You can fertilize them every three weeks or so during the growing season and give them a nice thorough watering whenever their soil is too dry to touch. Other than that, just provide them with love! Succulent plants are tough and they can survive pretty much anything you throw at them. They are an easy plant to have in your home if you donât have a lot of time to spend on gardening every day.
Growing Succulents Indoors
Succulents are very low-maintenance plants, making them perfect for those who donât have a lot of time to spend on gardening. If you provide your succulents with the proper amount of light, water, and nutrients, they will be just fine. Here are some tips and tricks to help you with these requirements.
Thank you for reading!