This succulent care guide will help to ensure your succulents thrive in your home. There are so many succulents to choose from that every home should be with one - or more! Sometimes considered to be awkward to grow, this isn’t the case at all, and with a few essential tips, your succulents should thrive for many years, from Senecio to the well-known Aeonium, Sedum and Crassula. Succulents are some of the easiest plants to grow, being drought tolerant and easy to propagate.
Planting needs are top of our succulent care guide
Choose a pot that has about a 1.5cm distance around the edge of the plant and make sure you use a special succulent mix - which can be a ‘cacti and succulent compost’ or a gritty blend of compost, so the succulent is planted in well-drained soil. It’s crucial for succulents not to sit on wet ground. Just as with any plant, leave some room at the top of the pot. Now is the time if you’d like to add some stones to cover the compost.
Succulent care guide sunlight requirements
Here are a few sunlight requirements you should follow strictly. Succulents need sunlight and that’s key to them thriving.
- Make sure they are in at least 6 hours of sunshine per day - although this might vary slightly depending on the type, so always read the label that comes with your plant.
- Make sure your new succulents aren’t placed in direct sunlight at first and gradually move them into the full sun as they establish.
- It’s worth checking on your succulents as often as possible because if they are receiving sun on one side all of the time, they will grow towards the sun.
- Turn or move the container, so all sides get the sun as much as possible. If your plants aren’t receiving enough sun, they will lean as well.
Watering and care is important in a succulent care guide
The biggest tip about watering is never to overwater. Succulents can easily be killed with kindness.
Make sure the soil has dried out about 1cm from the top before watering, then allow the water to drain out of the pot. Misting them isn’t helpful as that can cause mould. Other ways of watering are to place the pot with a drainage hole into a tray of pebbles and water so the roots can absorb what they need from beneath. Never water over the succulents. Constantly water into the soil.
Succulent care guide to help easy propagation
Many succulents are very easy to propagate, so you can grow many more for free once you have some. Some can be multiplied by simply taking a leaf, allowing the cut to be callous and then planting them into some gritty compost. Others can have a stem snipped and will enable it to root in water or directly in gritty compost.
Get your succulents off to the best start and visit us in store to choose yours.