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The Complete Guide to Taking Care of Succulents

Even though growing succulents at home or on your desk at work sounds easy at first. While they don’t need to be watered frequently to thrive, they do need a lot of sunlight to stay healthy and vibrant.

However, by following this guide, you’ll be able to practice your green thumb and grow them in your home or office like a pro.

Getting the Right Succulent Plants to Grow

While some plants can adapt fine growing indoors, most succulents tend to require a lot of sunlight.

The way you can tell this is by looking at their colors – if the succulent has bright colors (reds, purples, oranges), they should be left outside. Succulents that will do fine growing in a controlled environment are green in color.

Getting the Right Light

It’s hard even for indoor succulents to get enough sunlight, so be sure to place them near a window or somewhere that gets bright, indirect sunlight all day.

If you notice that your plants are starting to stretch, there’s a good chance that they’re not getting enough sunlight. For most colorful succulents grown indoors, such as Echeveria varieties, this is a common fate.

On the opposite end, succulents can also get sunburned if they get exposed to too much sunlight, but these tend to be rare cases and not a major issue.

Knowing When to Water (and How Much)

Succulents thrive off of a surprising amount of water. However, what makes succulents tricky to grow is that they need to be watered less frequently compared to other indoor plants, and this is because they like to be soaked with water and then dried out quickly.

Watering indoor succulents daily is the quickest way to kill them, so you will need to follow the “soak and dry” method of watering them once a week.

Lightly spritzing them with water can also help them survive for a while.

Another thing to pay attention to is the “dormant period” that succulents have, which is usually during the cooler months of the year. During this time, they won’t need as much water since they aren’t actively growing.

Storage

Most pots can be great for storing succulents, but when it comes to office storage, glass containers are definitely a no-no because glass containers tend to not have adequate drainage, which means that the plant’s roots will be sitting in damp, soggy soil for a long time.

The same can be said for airflow. Because succulents are usually found clinging to trees in nature, their roots need that regular airflow to stay healthy.

If you’re determined to use containers without drainage or breathability, your best bet is to use soil that allows for easier draining, and carefully measure how much water you’re giving to avoid any excess.

(Disclaimer: this list is compiled in no particular order.)

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