GUIDE TO GROWING SUCCULENTS

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If you love plants and gardening like I do, you will probably have some succulents in your collection. Succulents are one of the easiest plants to grow, and are great for budding (ahem) gardeners.

TOP TIPS FOR LOOKING AFTER SUCCULENTS

SUNLIGHT

Succulents are desert babies. They thrive in full sun, and love warmth. Succulents are perfect for a west facing window, where the sun is harsher than say, an east facing window.

Make sure that your succulents get at least six hours of sunlight a day.

Keep in mind that the more sun your plant gets, the more water it will need. The less sun, the less water.

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WATER

Again, because succulents are traditionally desert plants, they can survive on very little water - which is another reason they are great plants for beginners - they are very forgiving if you perhaps forget to water your plant babies (bad plant mom!)

You will need to adjust your watering schedule to the season - plants grow in summer and spring, and coupled with the higher temperatures, your plant will be more thirsty in these months.

Succulents have thick, fleshy leaves, which hold water very well. They keep water in their leaves as a reserve, so you don't need to worry too much if the soil dries out completely - in fact, you should allow the soil to dry out completely before watering again. You can test this by inserting a stick or even your finger into the soil, and checking the moisture level in the soil.

There are some super cool tools you can use to measure the moisture levels in your pot - something I have been wanting to get is a "Soil Sleuth", which can tell you how wet or dry your soil is at different points in the pot. Some plants (especially succulents) will need the soil to dry out completely, and so it is important to make sure that the bottom level of your soil is dry before you water again


Source

SOIL

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Succulents like well draining soil, so normal garden soil is not ideal. Cactus mix, or a potting soil with lots of perlite and stones, like pumice, are ideal.

PROPAGATION


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One of the best things about plants is that they keep on giving. Succulents are such hardy little guys, and perfect for a beginner propagation project.

When taking cuttings for propagating, ensure that you break or cut away a leaf with a clean break. Then, leave the cutting for a few days for the break to scab over, and then slowly mist your cutting every few days. It is a slow, but rewarding procedure, and is an easy way to create multiples of a plant. Also called cloning in the marijuana world.


I hope you've enjoyed my tips for growing succulents - please go ahead and ask anything you may want to ask.

Your thoughts matter to me. I upvote each and every well thought out comment that graces my post. To encourage dialogue and interaction. 💜

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44 comments
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Sencillamente me encantó tu post... Yo planto algunas cosas en mi hogar, tengo unas plantas que se llaman "Colombiana" y en especial me gusta mucho esa planta, tambien la conocen como kalanchoe, pero no encuentro mucho material sobre su cultivo y sus ciclos. Se parecen mucho a las de la foto donde clonas las suculentas. ¿Tendrás algo que pueda ayudarme?


I simply loved your post... I plant some things in my home, I have some plants that are called "Colombiana" and I especially like that plant, they also know it as kalanchoe, but I don't find much material about its cultivation and cycles. They look a lot like the ones in the photo where you clone the succulents. Will you have anything that can help me?

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thanks! i see it is part of the crassula family, which are also hard wearing plants. I think this sort of plant would do well in a terrarium

i found some info for you here

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Tiene buenos consejos, yo regaba sus hojas, ahora veo que es un error. Muchas gracias,me sirvió... The website has good advice, I watered its leaves, now I see that it is a mistake. Thank you very much, it helped me...

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Thank you so much! This was a welcome post as so many misguided information is out there on succulents.

The when to water question is probably the most frequently asked, right? You laid it all out nicely and made it easy to understand and be able to follow.

Upped and Steeemed

!tip

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ah thanks so much! Succulents are super easy though, so the "when to water" doesn't always apply - i hardly water mine in winter, because of the rain, and they are just fine. x

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I lived in the desert or a bit and had cactus there but, the succulents, I have a little trouble with! Thank you, lovely! xo

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Oh no! I wonder why? Maybe it was too dry out there? We went recently on a trip to our mountains here (the Cedarberg - maybe you know them?) and there it is extremely dry and hot, and the succulents were thriving there !

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I think I may have ignored them for too long! :)

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Love the aesthetics of the plant and rock arrangements you have shown here! Did you take the pictures of the ones that aren't marked with a source?

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Thank you! I did take the pics, at my favorite nursery. I took them for inspiration as I want to do the same with my succulents Ina bowl like this.

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No matter how good my plants usually do in the garden, I really suck when it comes to keeping succulents alive. I forget two water them for way too long, or I think avout watering them 2 or 3 times a week. Lol. The poor things never survive

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Thanks. How informative. I love all plants especially cacti and succulents. This was really helpful. The soil slueth where do you buy it?

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So we don’t actually have them in here in SA, but they are an American company, so if you went to their website I’m sure you could buy it there

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I used to have one in a small pot near our bedroom window. I have a water sprayer and sprayed it everyday. Unfortunately it withered not sure if the temperature in the room is too hot. With your tips I will attempt again. Cheers!

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(Edited)

Make sure to wet the soil too, not just the leaves, they draw water through their roots, and also check the soil, perhaps it is not the right type - you want something that aerates nicely

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What a nice guide. Your succulents are healthy. I will try again caring for this plant, many times I tried, always nit successful.

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Definitely a species of plant that keep giving, find the ideal spot with right amount of water as mentioned, in no time at all you will starting moving them into the garden.

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Absolutely! My propagation area is full of baby succulents growing from cuttings. Can’t wait to see them grow into beautiful big plants

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Some take so quickly, others require a little more attention, good luck and enjoy watching them sprout off.

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Definitely they are of my favorites, I have some in my small garden, I need to organize them to look more beautiful, but certainly are the best for beginners, because if you forget to put water one day nothing happens, I love to decorate them with a small ribbon to give them away because they look beautiful.

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I love having plants in my tiny apartment so I have two of these!! I never really knew how much to water them though. If I do let the soil go dry, is there an easy way to tell when they need water?

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A soil sleuth huh? Never heard of such a thing, but sounds pretty cool. Would be good tool to have around her where the soil consists of so many different types of layers. Goes from black topsoil to yellow sand to a red clay to a thick bedrock. Always hard to tell if my outdoor ones need watering :P

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What a wonderful tutorial! I mostly ignore my plants, sad to say. That's because my kids and my cat get all the attention. But I adore the plant kingdom, and appreciate the beauty of plants and trees, as well as the oxygen they give us so freely. The pictures of succulents here made me smile. They're such sweet plants.

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Well done on your succulent propagation, they are prolific here in South Africa, I see them all over the south Cape coast as indigenous species.

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Yes, I’m in Gardens! When we went to the cederberg recently they were everywhere! Thriving in the winter and summer

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I have always thought succulents were fascinating plants! I'd never heard of a "Soil Sleuth" but will have to look for one of those! This awesome post was shared in PYPT by @enginewitty even before I came across it in the PHC discord, so thanks to him! Great job on this post, with great photos and good info! 😊
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