Succulents Care Indoors
by Succulent MarketDec 28, 2020
No matter if you’re a complete beginner or a gardening veteran, succulents are excellent indoor plants to have at home. They’re easy to look after and have a certain appeal that seems to just attract everyone to them.
There are so many species of succulents out there but most of them require the same basic care.
This guide will show you how to care for succulents indoors, including how to water a succulent, how much light they need, and more. Let’s get right into it.
Watering
This is the most important thing a succulent needs. They grow naturally in warm and dry climates, so you need to mimic the same watering pattern as their natural environments.
In general, succulents don’t need watering often. They prefer it when you only water them a few times a month, if that. Watering them too often will cause their roots to rot and eventually die. If you don’t have much light, then you will need to water the succulent even less.
For best practice to care for succulents indoors, use the soak and dry method. As the name suggests, this involves soaking the soil and not watering again until it has completely dried out.
Avoid pouring the water on to the leaves; if it sits on there for too long then it can lead to rot. Pour the water onto the soil around the succulent it’s soaked. Do not water again until the soil has dried from top to bottom.
Drainage
The next step to caring for succulents indoors is avoiding overwatering. Ensure that you plant your succulent in a pot with a lot of drainage holes. Water the plant until water starts dripping out of the bottom. Let it drip for around five minutes so all excess water drains away.
If you don’t have a pot like this, then make sure you only water enough so that it doesn’t seep out of the soil and collect at the bottom. You may not get it right the first time so trial and error may be required.
Wrinkles In The Leaves
This can happen to any succulent. If you see wrinkles in your succulent’s leaves, then it’s either a sign of underwatering or overwatering. Think of the time that you last watered it to find out which is the issue. For example, if you only watered it last week, then it’s overwatering, whereas if it was four weeks ago, then it’s underwatering.
Note that your succulent’s leaves may change color too as another sign of under or overwatering.
Sunlight Exposure
As mentioned earlier, most succulents come from warm and dry climates so they are used to direct sunlight. Some succulents can grow in low light, but most need as much sun as they can get their leaves on.
Do some research and find out how much sun your succulent needs. If it needs a lot, put it by a window for maximum exposure.
If your succulent doesn’t get as much sun as it needs, then it will start to become leggy and grow to one side. This may seem strange behavior but it’s the plant’s way of showing it’s looking for more light. Move the plant to a lighter spot if your succulent starts growing taller like this. It’s better to do this sooner rather than later as it won’t return to its original shape.
Soil
Well-draining soil is another must-have for succulent care indoors. It helps to prevent a succulent by allowing water to easy filter through and avoid build-up in the pot. You can either buy a pre-packaged mix for succulents, or you can make your own by throwing in large grains of sand or perlite into the soil.
Fertilizing
When you want to give your succulent a little boost, then consider using a fertilizer. It’s not essential for growth but it doesn’t hurt if you want to enjoy their full bloom quicker.
The best time to fertilize a succulent is at the start of spring. This allows the plant to use the nutrients naturally and grow.
Bear in mind that while it may give the succulent a growth spurt, they still grow much slower compared to other plants, so don’t over fertilize as this can do more harm than good.