HOW TO GROW HEALTHY SUCCULENTS: 5 TIPS

The flowers have appeared in interior design magazines, wedding centerpieces, and on Instagram. There is a huge trend right now for succulents. This often-repeated claim is far from the truth. It can be easy, but it requires some mental adjustment. If you think of unrelenting sunshine, monsoon-like downpours, and the boomerang temperatures that define desert days, you may be more successful.

If you can’t figure out why your jade is dropping leaves or why your sedum appears wrinkly despite regular waterings, here are a few tips you can follow. There are five common mistakes succulent newbies make, and how to fix them.

Failure to provide them with enough light
Natural light from a plant’s native habitat is perhaps the most difficult environmental variable to replicate indoors. In the case of common houseplants, we have it easier. Many of them are native to tropical jungles, so they are used to the shifting periods of shade and sun in your home. Essentially, that’s what happens when the sun moves over a forest canopy.

A plant that’s used to a full day in the sun would not survive on an east-facing sill. If you have no south-facing windows, choose a more forgiving succulent like aloe. Otherwise, go with a pothos that can withstand neglect.

Not Understanding Their Watering Needs
It rains about 9 inches in the Chihuahuan Desert annually, a drop in the bucket of the abundant precipitation we enjoy in the verdant regions where we live. In the desert, though, it always pours when it rains. Consider simulating the rainfall patterns native to your own desert-dwelling friend. succulent leaves falling off easily shouldn’t treat your cacti with a trickle; turn on the taps and let a deluge fall.

It is very important to soak succulents (and, indeed, all plants for that matter) until the water runs out of the bottom of the pot. Wait until the soil has completely dried out before watering succulents again.

The Standard Potting Soil
Potted plants usually come in a standard soil mix that can support almost any kind of plant, from ferns to fiddle-leaf figs. Succulents are designed to withstand some of the harshest environments on earth, so regular potting soil won’t cut it.

After you bring your succulent baby home, you should upgrade its soil to a desert-dweller mix, half potting soil and half inorganic materials such as perlite. Succulents use this well-draining, low-nutrient soil whether they’re used to growing high and dry in the Andes, or at the bottom of Death Valley where it’s hot.

Overcrowding Them
Succulents commonly come in teeny little pots, all stuffed together cheek by jowl. This arrangement is not suited to most plants, including succulents. Infestations of mold and insects are greatly facilitated by overcrowding.

A second problem is that, no matter how well they do with slim pickings, succulents still require food and water. There is too much competition for them to succeed. how many succulents are there can easily separate crowded succulents and give each a spacious mini-desert dune if they arrive in a crowded arrangement.

Growing Impractical Types
Saguaros grow indoors are very hard to resist, but please don’t. There are some wild things that just can’t be controlled, no matter how prettily they bloom or how beguiling they may appear. Stick to the tough cookies that will happily accept the windowsill as their forever home.

When you’re working in indoor conditions, Crossula is an excellent choice, as is Sansevieria (also known as Echinacea). snake plant). If you’re looking for prickly plants, you should check out the Mammillaria cactus (or woolly cactus, see above).