Bring Your Garden Indoors!
All About Succulents and Succulent Care
Succulents are low in maintenance, high in beauty and offer a wide variety of sizes, shapes, textures and colors. They are like having a living piece of art that you can pick up in almost any garden or home improvement store. The succulent plant is ideal for any level of gardening experience due to its minor upkeep and is popular in both indoor and outdoor gardens.
Succulent Facts
The name succulent is derived from the Latin word sucus, which means a juice, moisture, or sap. These plants store water in their thick and fleshy leaves.
Succulents are indigenous to many parts of the world. Typically they can be found in Central America, Africa, South America, South Africa and the European Alps.
The most common succulent is the Aloe Vera plant. Not only does this plant look cool, it also has medical benefits!
Indoor Succulent Care
Use a container that has a drainage hole in the bottom. Without a place for drainage, it is easier to overwater the plant and potentially cause rotting. Remember: Succulents do not like to live in wet soil!
Use a soil that allows water to drain easily. Succulents need to be planted in a soil that dries out quickly to prevent rotting, but also that holds enough water for them to absorb into their leaves.
Make sure to put your succulent in a place that receives enough sun, and that has low humidity. Ideally, the plant needs to receive around six to eight hours of sunlight.
Don’t make the mistake of over or under watering! Succulents don’t like a lot of water but they do need the right amount to live. Using just a spray bottle will not be enough, and soaking the soil daily is way too much! With properly draining soil, thoroughly water your plant every time the soil becomes dry. How often the soil dries out depends on factors such as the plant variety, the soil and the humidity. It is very important to make sure that the soil dries completely in-between each watering.
Maintain the right temperature. Succulents are hardy and can survive in cold temperatures as low as 40° F! However this is not the ideal temperature. Succulents thrive in summer temperatures of 70-80° F and in winter temperatures of 50-60° F, which make them perfect indoor plants for many areas across North America.