How to Care for Succulents

Would you believe that succulents are one of the plants many people have trouble caring for?  

Honestly, we didn’t believe it either until we started getting more and more messages from you each year about how you bought another succulent, only for it to die a few weeks later. 

We spent some time looking into what was going on and we believe we have solved the problem! Too many people are giving their succulents a bit too much love, which translates to too much water.  

Succulents love warmth, sunshine and don’t need much water to survive thanks to their thick leaves that can store water within themselves. While we recommend watering your other indoor houseplants about once a week, your succulents truly only need water about once a month.  

CARE: 

When it comes to caring for your plant, this stays consistent year-round, unless you plan to move your plant outside in the warmer months. While succulents love bright sunlight, be careful of extended periods exposed to direct sunlight, so maybe find a slightly shady spot on your patio or deck. If you notice dark spots forming on your succulent, it may be sunburnt.  

While succulents tend to need very little water (only water your succulents when the soil has completely dried out), you may notice you need to water slightly more often during the summer months. Longer hours exposed to sunlight and your plant experiencing more growth during the spring and summer seasons may make them thirstier. The best indicator is the soil though, once it’s dried out, you can water it again. 

It’s tempting to want to move your succulents outside the second the weather breaks, but make sure daytime temperatures are consistently between 60-80 °F and nighttime temps are not much lower than that before moving your succulents outside.   Temperatures higher than 90°F or lower than 40°F are never recommended. 

Think about the light conditions your plants were receiving indoors and try to place them in a location with similar light exposure outdoors. Moving your plant to a drastically different light (or temperature) level can shock it, so move slowly. If you want to increase the sunlight your plant is receiving, gradually expose it to brighter conditions for a few hours each day, giving it a chance to adjust. 

Spring and summer are seasons of growth for your plants, so this is also a great time to fertilize them. Note: do not fertilize when your succulent soil is dry as this can burn the plant. Mix liquid fertilizer with water and then apply. 

When the summer temps start to transition to fall, it’s time to start moving that succulent back inside. Just like you slowly exposed it to more sun at the beginning of the season, do the same on the way back inside. Slowly move it into more shady, cooler spots until it’s ready to move back inside. This will help it acclimate and adjust to a few months of living fully indoors. 

Have more questions we didn’t answer? Reach out to us @wild_interiors on Instagram with your succulent questions!