Caring for Succulents – 3 Tips

Are you even a real millennial if you don’t have at least a few succulents sitting around your place?! I personally love having a few of these little beauties perched on shelves soaking up the sunshine. You may think, “I wouldn’t even be able to keep one alive!” Which, by the way, isn’t true! Caring for succulents is so easy! They just want to lay in the sunlight and to be left alone!

Here are a few tips and tricks to keep your little green babies alive and healthy! Everyone can excel at caring for succulents.

Caring for Succulents

Water: What’s Too Much or Too Little?

Here is the thing about succulents, being native to the desert and dryness means that they do not need a lot of water or tending. They obviously need to be watered, but probably never as much as you think they do! According to Martha Stewart, Queen Green Thumb herself, water them by giving them a few good sprays of water with a spray bottle. Do not over soak to where the dirt looks muddy. Succulents don’t like sitting in water and it makes them more susceptible to root rot by being damp.

Another way to tell if they have been over watered is seeing if the “leaves” look mushy. When it doubt, dry it out and leave them alone. Another way to avoid over watering is if you select pots that have drainage so the excess can escape. If they start to turn dry and brown on the edges of the plant, that is when you know they have gone a little long without water it is time to hydrate them again.

Sunshine + Soil

You may think it is a little crazy to say “leave them alone in sunshine!” And I totally get it. You’re probably second guessing like I was and thinking how is it possible they are that low-maintenance? But they are! They love basking in the sunshine and it makes them not only healthier, but stronger! Their leaves bulk up and create a thicker exterior to protect them from outside forces (bugs, your cat, etc.)

If you want to challenge yourself a little more and learn more about what it is that makes succulents thrive – research soil. It is the key to caring for succulents! Start by seeing what is the best soil for the type of succulent you have now and what mixes you should be doing as they get older and larger. Potting is a huge part of it all, too. Depending on the soil and pot you use for you succulent, the smaller or larger your plant will be. If you give it room to grow plus the correct nutrients, then it will use that and become big and healthy! But make sure you are ready for that in the middle of your place!

Planters can be expensive, but you can make some DIY succulent planters or even a DIY terrarium if you are crafty. A succulent centerpiece is also another way to use your plants around the home.

Pruning + Maintaining Health

Just like how your mom was always on you to trim your hair every couple months as a kid, I am telling you the same thing when it comes to your succulents. When you see leaves that are dead, out of place, or just flat out don’t look good – prune (i.e. cut) them! Doing this will literally cut off nutrients going to a dead area of your plant and start circulating to the rest of the plant where it is healthy. It is basically wasting nutrients keeping the odd parts on. It doesn’t hurt your plant – it is only beneficial in maintaining good health for it! It will continue to grow with even more beautiful and longer stems than ever before!

You may not think you have a green thumb and that every plant you touch dies. Not true! Well, I don’t actually know for sure – but if you want to start changing up your situation because of your love of plants and keeping your house fun, start with succulents! They really are super chill (and adorable!) and easy to keep alive. Not to mention, they are pretty easy to revive if anything!

Taking care of succulents is a learning process, so be easy on yourself if you have one not thriving. There are a lot of online resources to help.

Just remember: dry them out, spray with water, give lots of sunshine, and leave alone! Hope you experiment with having lots of cute succulents around your home and let me know how it goes for you!

Good luck caring for succulents and all your plant babies! I have all my favourite plant products here if you.

You Might Also Like

• 90 Unbeleafable Captions for Plant Photos
• Tips and Tricks to Keep Your Plants Alive
• Keep Your Indoor Plants Alive While on Vacation – Houseplant Tips
• The New Plant Parent’s Guide – Plant Care 101
• 10 Things Every Plant Parent Knows All Too Well