Selecting Your Succulents

Which to choose?

This is the part I love most! Not all succulents thrive indoors hence getting succulents that prefer shade or low light will ensure the healthy growth of these gorgeous plants in your home.

As much as I like my succulents to be colourful, these kinds don’t grow well indoors and require more direct sunlight and it’s best to have them planted outdoors in your garden or on your patio area.

Let’s look at what’s our option for green succulents. One of my favorites has to be Echeverias, with its rose-shaped. It’s a good starter, easy to care for and comes with several colored tip variations. These grow fairly quickly compared with other succulents!

Another good choice is the transparent Haworthia Cooperi! An extraordinarily surreal looking succulent well known for its transparent leaves which are like windows on the margins allowing light to pass through for photosynthesis.

Sunlight

During winter it’s more challenging to grab sunlight for your indoor succulents so it’s advisable to have some window ledge space to take advantage of the brighter days to optimize on their feeding opportunities. I sometimes use full-spectrum bulbs, these imitate natural sunlight so placing the lamp over the succulents on dark days helps a lot but remember they do need at least 6 hours of darkness each day to remain healthy.

Watering

Contrary to some beliefs, succulents do need water to survive! Though for indoor ones, my tip is to avoid watering too frequently. When you do water, note they do like to have their roots soaked but need to dry out quickly. Make sure you have good drainage soil and pebbles to ensure that. I usually stick my finger into the soil to test its moisture content and if it feels dry then it is time to water the plant again. I do a light spray of water every other day though please don’t water indoor succulents daily as that will destroy them. 

Finding The Right Container

General public love to use glass containers like terrariums or jars but the problem lies in soggy soil without drainage hence it is not an ideal potting method for indoor succulents. Succulents are happiest when there is a good air flow for their roots to breathe which in turn will keep roots, stem, leaves healthy. Use well-draining porous soils, mixed with gravel or expanded shale which can be added to the bottom of the container to help increase drainage. Avoid having the container sit in a saucer of water.

Gnats & Such

Some surprising and unwanted guests may venture to make a home in and around indoor succulents!  Gnats are a common bug, but you’ll only have them in your plant if your soil stays too wet over a long period of time. A well-draining container will deter them from your pot. You may notice a white cottony substance, usually on the stem or the base of leaves and often in the middle of your plant.These are mealybugs. My tip: mix 1 ounce of apple cider vinegar to 2-3 ounces of water and spray each evening directly on the white bugs.This method  will deter most plant pests. 

Plenty of Love

I’m the sort who talk to my plants and fuss over them just because I am happy that they are a part of my life though not as resilient as I would like them to be! Every day I watch out for signs of leaves dropping off, wrinkling skins, yellowing, swelling, rotting or dry-up lines as signs of either over-watering or under-watering. Sometimes this happens when the soil drainage is not working well or that the roots are soaked too long and re-potting may be required. After all the effort, it is genuinely worth it and when my succulents are happy, I am happy!