SolveYourProblem
Article Series: Gardening
Everyday
Gardening Tips & Advice
How
to Plant and Care for Succulents
Growing
succulents can be one of the most demanding and satisfying
accomplishments for the gardener whether
you are an amateur or professional. Their severe and elaborate
beauty that nature gathered in succulents is amazing. Succulents
are distinctive and often difficult to grow. Knowing a few
of the basic concepts can decrease substantially the frustration
in growing them. An important consideration is whether the
succulent comes from a wet or dry area, the soil it is used
to, and whether there is a lot of rainfall or very little.
When you consider the natural habitat of the succulent, you
have important information as to how to properly plant and
care for them.
Watering succulents can be very tricky. Try to remember that
the majority of succulents come from very dry terrains, such
as the desert, and receive a very limited amount of water.
It is usually best to allow the succulents to become reasonably
dry in between waterings. You should definitely water them
less often that you would herbaceous plants. If you are not
sure whether it is time to water, it is better not to water.
If it dries out too much it may stop growing which is all right
because the water will help bring it back to life. On the other
hand, if you over water it the succulent will rot and die.
If you use fertilizer, it should only be used during the active
growth periods.
Families of succulents have varying degrees of growing
temperatures.
For the most part succulents grow best between temperatures
of 65 to 90 degrees. There are some succulents that grow well
during the winter, which has temperatures around 55 to 75 degrees.
Succulents often make excellent indoor plants but you should
make sure that you force dormancy at least once per year. Proper
lighting is often a problem for indoor succulents but is dealt
with easily. If you use south/west windows, these are best
for direct sunlight although if you plant them outside they
prefer a south/east exposure to sunlight with a bit of shade
in the afternoon.
Whether you use clay
or plastic pots, you will find that they
will both be successful and the type of pot is primarily the
personal taste of the gardener. Most succulents have fibrous
roots and do not require or use the full depth of a standard
pot. If you were to put a shallow rooted succulent in a deep
pot this will be counter-productive as the soil below the reach
of the roots will stay wet for prolonged periods after watering
and may become stagnant. Those succulents that have tuberous
or tap roots may require more depth and will probably grow
better in a standard pot if you can find one. All pots of whatever
type chosen should have drainage holes and the bottom should
be lined with several pieces of broken clay pots or large clean
gravel. Bonsai pots can work effectively for a succulent that
have a swollen root or lower stem and is raised up above the
compost. You may also want to consider using limestone, as
there are some succulents that are native to limestone boulders.
Those who grow succulents know there are a number of acceptable
alternatives when it comes to the type of soil to use. Most
types of soil have four things in common:
- They are devoid of decomposing organic matter
- High in inorganic substances
- Loose in texture
- Drain well
A basic soil
mixture is approximately 1 part mixed commercial
potting soil and one or two parts mixed inorganic material.
This mixture produces a very loose open soil that benefits
succulents and if you desire you can add more gravel or granite
to the soil mix. If you live in the desert areas, you can take
the native soil and use it instead. In addition to these mixes,
there are many different types of available commercially ranging
from soil-based composts; peat based, and recycled garden composts.
You can add horticultural grade sand and grit to make the mixture
porous. This may take a bit of experimentation but you can
do it with a bit of practice. Be careful with lime as some
succulents hate lime.
# # # # #
SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
> Home
> Gardening
Articles: Main Page
|
