I fell in love with succulents about 4 years ago. I was visiting my daughter when her cat knocked her succulent pots off of the windowsill. She handed me all of the broken pieces from her little plants and told me to take them home and grow them. I was amazed when the little pieces of plants began growing on their own, just sitting on top of soil. That winter, I ordered a box of succulent leaves so I could enjoy watching them grow. It was delightful to watch them turn from a leaf to a tiny plant to an amazing specimen with seasonal colors.
The first thing I like to do before growing a new plant is research it’s natural environment. By understanding the plant’s natural habitat and seasonal weather patterns, you can emulate the plant’s growing needs. This research gave me a better understanding of the type of soil I would need to create for my new plants, when and how often to water my succulents, and the type of lighting a certain species should need. Like all plants, the 3 main ingredients to successfully grow succulents include Soil, Water & Light.
Soil. The main struggle with succulents for most growers is under watering and over watering. With the proper soil, this can be remedied. There is no need to spend the high $$ on pre-mixed succulent soil but it can be easier if you only have a handful of succulents. Succulent soil needs to be fast draining. Pots must include drainage. My go to potting soil is a light and fluffy multi-purpose soil that includes coarse peat moss, coarse perlite, bark, dolomitic and calcitic limestone called Berger BM-7. If my choice soil is not available, I will just grab a bag of Miracle Grow or other potting mix similar in structure (a light peat moss mix). To create a fast draining succulent soil, I mix my potting soil with ‘Coarse Blasting Sand’ from the hardware store. It generally comes in an 80# bag for about $7-$8. The ratio of my mix is 4:1 (4 scoops of soil + 1 scoop of blasting sand). Only coarse sand will work for succulents. Any other grade of sand will actually retain water and could cause root rot.
Water. A succulent is made up of water in the leaves and stems but that does not give them an ample supply without your help. Misting the soil is not going to be enough water to penetrate to the roots and supply the plant with what it needs. And if you give your succulent the soil that it needs, there will be less worrying about over watering. In the summer, I water my succulents every 3 to 4 days when the temperatures are between 80 and 90. If we exceed that temperature, I water more frequently about every other day. In cooler weather and plants grown inside the house, about 60-80 degrees, I water about once a week or every 10 days. If you use a sand & soil mixture, the soil will actually tell you when to water. If you see the soil start pulling away from the sides of your container, it is time to give your plant a drink. When watering, I thoroughly flush my plants 2-3 times… Fill to the top of the pot, let soak into soil, repeat. I think of a rainstorm every time I water and try to mimic that.
Sunlight. Most succulents need direct/ dappled sunlight. There are only a handful of succulents that do well in partial shade and low light conditions such as some aloes, aristaloes, haworthias, sansevierias, gasterias, and rhipsalis. To achieve the ideal sunlight inside the home, place succulents in sunny windows. The south window in the house is the best choice when possible, but the east and west facing windows will work as well. If you do not have much sunlight inside your home, you can supplement the sunlight with a full spectrum grow light. It is always recommended to place your succulents outdoors when the temperatures permit it. When temperatures exceed 90 degrees in the summer, place your plants in dappled sun or I would recommend shading your outdoor plants with shade cloth or a white sheet. Also, when moving your plants from indoors to outdoors, I recommend doing it gradually. Going from shade to bright light for your succulent is like staring at the sun after being in a dark enclosed room for us. The best way to tell if your succulent plant is not getting enough sunlight is by etiolation (stretching for light) or discoloration (generally pale green to opaque). If this occurs, promptly increase the sunlight to get your succulent back to normal.
Succulents can be some of the most rewarding plants to grow. Once you nail down their 3 basic needs, everything else is a breeze. I really enjoy how these interesting plants change in appearance throughout the four seasons and the magnificent flowers that they produce.
Charla Ingram is a plant, nature, and golfing enthusiast who, along with her husband Chris, owns and operates C&C Gardens in the small town of Bessie, Oklahoma.