A Comprehensive Succulent Care Guide By Succulent City

Whether you are a beginner or an experienced gardener, caring for succulents is essential to learn/ to be reminded of. Are succulents easy to care for? Both yes, and no. Succulents require less effort from the owners. Therefore, we can’t be ignorant. This article summarizes my experience growing succulents over the years, including all the important notes and relevant resources (articles, free eBooks, …). Now, let’s begin!

First and foremost …

1. Pick A Healthy Succulent

Becoming a succulent parent should not be a daunting task. You can choose from hundreds of species with various shapes and hues. However, you might want to consider some points to help narrow the selection. 

• Your favors: Do you like succulents with fleshy rosettes? Or those with small thin leaves? What is your favorite color? Which succulent genus is one you love? It’s up to you to decide, considering a few factors below. Me? I own a succulent garden, not a big one, but enough to be the home for many succulents. I don’t pick my favorite, but Peperomia Obtusifolia is my go-to if I have to.
  • Learn more about succulents’ physical characteristics >>
• The growing location: Think about the place you will grow your succulent. Is there natural sunlight? How is the weather at your place? Some succulents prefer bright direct light, while some shy away from the sun, favoring indirect light.
• The space: Do you have the space for a gigantic succulent, or would you desire a tiny one to fit in any nook or cranny? Would you instead plant it straight in the ground or in a fancy pot to move around? Once you focus on this, you are better positioned to pick up a succulent.

A few notes when you are at a succulent store: Is the succulent physically healthy? Is the color pale or fresh? Is any damage seen on the succulent (from insects, pests, or human interactions)? A healthy succulent should be well-formed. Reduce the risk of having a weak plant by going through this list of trusted vendors by Succulent City.

2. Choose The Right Planters or Pots

Succulents appear even more beautiful when planted in suitable pots/planters. However, if your container is jeopardizing the growth of your plants, you’ll soon end up with an empty planter. Succulents are prone to root rot. This happens when they sit in wet soil for too long. The soil in containers without a drainage hole takes much longer to dry out, increasing the chances of root rot.

Similarly, partially-closed containers lead to higher levels of humidity around your succulents. This is risky as it promotes rot, especially in the leaves and stems. You can never go wrong with Terracotta, wood, or hypertufa containers.

More Interesting reads:

• DIY Halloween Succulent Pumpkin Planters
• 6 Interesting Succulent Marble Planters
• 12 Exciting Modern Succulent Planters
• And more …

3. Make Proper Succulent Soil

Succulents like to be dry from tip to root, prospering when they grow in free-draining, aerated soil. A cactus or succulent potting mix works well, but if this is unavailable, you can create your own by mixing potting soil with coarse sand and crushed gravel to create drainage.

The importance of soil mix is undeniable. A poor soil mix is deadly to your succulents. What makes a good soil mix, then? First, you need all the proper compositions for the succulent soil mix. Next, we need to make sure the soil is well-draining and breathable. You will need the correct ratio to do that. Then, place the soil mix nicely in the container before potting the plant.

For an in-depth read: Making The Perfect Succulent Soil With Succulent City.

4. Fair Use Of Fertilizers

Several succulent gardeners believe that succulents don’t need fertilizers. While most succulents can do perfectly without fertilizers, they can be a good addition in some cases. Fertilizing succulents requires specific knowledge. We need to know precisely how much fertilizer, the time to use it, the frequency, or whether homemade or store-bought fertilizer is better, … The keynote is not to overfeed your plant! By doing that, there is a high chance that your succulent will be fine. Talking about succulent fertilizers, we have written a comprehensive guide. See below!

For an in-depth read: The Only Succulent Fertilizer Guidebook You Need.

5. Learn Essential Gardening Skills

What are the essential gardening skills you need when caring for succulents?

• Propagating: This is a crucial gardening skill to care for plants, not only succulents. There are several methods to propagate succulents successfully. Each has its pros and cons. As succulent growers, we need to know which way is the best for a succulent and when to apply it. For an in-depth read >>
• Trimming/ Pruning: Knowing when and how to perform this action is necessary for succulent care. As you know, succulents might grow in length after a long time. Trimming/ pruning correctly will support better growth for your succulent. For an in-depth read >>
• Beheading: Why do I split this guide from the trimming/ pruning guide? Beheading an outgrowing succulent is performing the trimming/ pruning action at the very top of your plant. Unlike pruning/ trimming, which takes a careful inspection of your succulent in general, beheading supports propagation to create a new healthy plant. For an in-depth read >>
• Potting/ Repotting: Whether you are potting a succulent from an outdoor environment or repotting it from an old pot, it’s the same skill. However, the timing is different for several reasons. For an in-depth read >>
• Watering: Watering is as simple as pouring water into thirsty soil. The real question is when, how often, and how much. There isn’t a unique method of watering succulents. For example, misting is a terrible way to water succulents. It promotes leaf rot, which is extremely dangerous for succulents like Kalanchoe tomentosa. All you need is to water succulents when they are dry. For an in-depth read >>
• Light: Most succulents are natives of dry and hot climates; no wonder they are great sun worshipers. 4 – 6 hours of direct light from the sun on a kitchen windowsill or the patio is suitable for your plant. If your succulent grows outdoors in an area with high temperatures, try to create shades for your plant during the hotter hours of the day. Remember to rotate your plant regularly if you place them in partially-shaded areas. For an in-depth read >>

Make sure to follow Succulent City on Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram for more informative & interesting content about succulents & cacti 🙂 Happy planting, and live the moment, my friend!

6. Plants’ Positions

In this part, we want to discuss two main questions. Different plant arrangements are just gorgeous. Succulents look good when paired with some ferns or moss varieties. Unfortunately, that can only be done temporarily. So, the first question is: What succulents can be planted together?

Succulents have very different growing conditions as compared with other home plants. Basil needs water every six hours, or else it’ll begin to wilt. Similarly, a moss plant will thrive in a moist environment. Succulents can’t stand being wet on the other side of the ring. It’s impossible to have cohesion without one of the plants dying. This is also true for some succulent groups. While a few succulents can go on without water for weeks, some must be watered weekly.

And the next question is: How Close Can You Plant Succulents?

Growing different succulents in one place presents a spectacular aesthetic. However, squeezing many into a single space gives a few problems. Competition for nutrients becomes fierce, which may lead to malnourishment. Additionally, excessive crowding of succulents may encourage pest infestations and even the spread of mold. Such a combination of succulent killers is deadly and may wipe out your entire collection.

7. Prepare For Common Succulent Problems

Succulents plants are xerophytes, adapting naturally to minimal rainfall by storing water in the leaves and stem. Your best bet is to wait until the topsoil is completely dry (roughly every two weeks). Then, you can water the plant till it completely drains through to prevent overwatering succulents. Another succulent faux pax is that they can survive without any water. Though succulents store water to survive dryness, don’t completely forget to water them.

Overwatering and underwatering a succulent are only 2 of the many problems you can have when growing succulents. Those include pest problems, physical symptoms of a dying succulent, etiolation, pathogens, & more. Here are all the problems when planting/caring for succulents I cover on Succulent City:

• Succulent pests: what are they & solutions?
• Pest control methods – Organic & Chemical
• Succulent pathogens: Fungus or Powdery Mildew
• Suspicious spots on succulents: Black spots & White spots
• Etiolation & How To Fix It
• Succulents growing too tall
• What do succulent leaves say about the plant’s health?
  • Leaves Falling Off
  • Leaves Splitting
  • Soft Leaves
  • Calloused Leaves
  • Leaves Changing Colors

I only mention some key topics above. All common succulent problems & solutions will be found in this category >>

8. Maintain a Diary

Please keep track of your plant’s appearance and growth habits to understand what they are trying to communicate to you. When leaves turn yellow, your plant may be exposed to too much moisture. Soggy leaves mean your plant is drowning, and curling top leaves mean they are not getting enough water. When the plant stretches and looks lanky, it may not get enough sunlight. A regular watering schedule will help you map out when your plant needs a drink or when it’s had enough.

Make sure to follow Succulent City on Facebook, Pinterest & Instagram for more informative & interesting content about succulents & cacti 🙂 Happy planting, and live the moment, my friend!

9. Always Feel Refreshed & Inspired

Succulents are mostly not fast-growing plants. You may have the hype the first time you grow a succulent, but that feeling won’t last. Growing succulents requires patience and love. Watching them grow every day is not exactly visible. From my experience, all I know is that one day, it will grow bigger and bloom beautifully (for some species :D).

In other words, caring for succulents is like caring for a corner of our soul. These slow growers somehow relieve the hustle speed of our daily life with problems and responsibilities. They will help you feel refreshed daily, and then you give back that energy by caring for them and making them grow.

For more inspirations & ideas, here is our category that keeps you interested & delightful all the time!

We have compacted 27+ commonly-asked questions about succulent in 1 single article. You can visit the page here and feel free to contribute any question that you have 🙂 Happy planting!

Did you know?

Don’t Leave So Soon …

There are enough valuable guides on Succulent City, just like this one. Be sure to check on SC’s most popular gardening guides:

• Making The Perfect Succulent Soil (A Detailed DIY Guide & FAQs)
• The Only Succulent Fertilizer Guidebook You Need
• An Overview Of How To Propagate Succulents: Introducing Different Methods
• How To Trim/ Prune Succulents Successfully (A Complete Guide)
• Repotting Succulents The Right Way (An Easy Guide)

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