Succulents are reported to be well-liked since they have a place in practically everyone’s house. These plants were welcomed in homes even by those who lack the time to care for them. These plants may survive with little maintenance.
What makes succulents so unique?
Because they can uplift a space and a person’s mood and are even known to reduce indoor pollutants, houseplants are a popular addition to many houses. However, some indoor plants are better for you than others. Succulents are among the greatest indoor plants for the following six reasons:
1. They are tolerant of dry, enclosed environments.
2. They require little watering.
Unlike other houseplants, succulents can endure limited watering because to a special adaption. They do not require watering as regularly as other plants because of their ability to store water in their thick, fleshy leaves, stems, and larger roots. Even their name derives from this characteristic; “succulent” is a translation of the Latin word succulentus, which means “containing juice,” according to the Online Etymology Dictionary.
- Your fingers will come out dry even if you bury them two knuckles deep in the ground.
- The normally glossy leaves start to wilt.
- The leaves shrink or pucker.
3. They don’t need a lot of fertilizer.
During the warmer months of the year, you only need to fertilize succulent plants three or four times overall. You can use only approximately half of the fertilizer you would normally spend on a standard houseplant because they don’t need as much feeding, which results in cost savings.
4. They resemble living works of art.
5. You may create indoor gardens with them.
- same growth rates
- similar watering requirements
- like what the sun requires Don’t combine two succulents that require full sunshine with those that prefer partial shade, for example.
6. They will look good in your house.
Are succulents gaining popularity?
One of my favorite seminars I took at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale had nothing to do with plants. Personal Finance 101 was covered. Some of the best advise I’ve ever heard in a classroom was provided by the professor, Dr. Ted Pilger, over the course of a full semester. from picking a retirement strategy to learning how to purchase an automobile. One of the most remembered remarks was in reference to his car price haggling. “I’ll know I’m progressing when they stop calling me sir,” he added.
The horticulture students presented Dr. Pilger with a container of succulents and cacti as a token of their appreciation for his lectures. “Thank heavens something I don’t have to water,” he quickly said.
If only we had known back then how succulents would take over the garden center industry. Since 2007, the appeal of this collection of plants has increased. Succulent sales in Midwest garden centers amounted for 15% of total sales, according to a 2017 poll by Garden Center Magazine. For 2019, that number has unquestionably increased.
There are succulents everywhere! They are available in supermarkets, farmers’ markets, and even clothes stores. Succulents don’t require much watering, at least not frequently, which is one of the many reasons these plants have gained popularity.
A plant known as a succulent has thick, fleshy leaves or stems that are suited to hold water. Consequently, the term “succulent” is quite general and can refer to a variety of plants. You might be familiar with hens and chicks, jade plants, aloe plants, Christmas cacti, and other typical succulent plants.
Succulents thrive in neglect and dry soil, according to Candice Hart, an Illinois Master Gardener Specialist. A succulent can be easily killed by overwatering.
It turns out that succulents are perennial. Both baby boomers and millennials adore these plump and charming indoor or outdoor plants! However, many professionals in the sector assert that millennials are fueling the market for succulents.
The Great Recession may have sparked the appeal of succulents. Although some people whose job it is to think about the home garden market agree that this is an odd market driver, During the recession, many millennials found it difficult to make ends meet when they first entered or tried to enter the job market. They frequently had to return to living with their parents or friends. Succulents are reasonably priced and require little maintenance, in contrast to certain pricey home decor. For newly independent young adults, succulents were a terrific way to transform a house, apartment, or basement room into a home.
Millennials were early adopters of social media, so they started posting photos of their brand-new houseplants online. Succulents are fortunately gorgeous to photograph. Succulents can be used to decorate homes, according to posts on Pinterest. Succulent-focused Instagram profiles have begun to appear. The trend for succulents started online and has now grown to include succulents in every store and household.
Good Growing Tip of the Week: Succulents grow best in windows that face the south or west when grown inside. Many succulents will thrive in the presence of supplemental incandescent or fluorescent lights if the proper lighting conditions are not present.
What function does a succulent plant serve?
Succulent plants, sometimes referred to as succulents in botany, are plants having thickened, fleshy, and engorged portions that typically serve to retain water in arid regions or soil conditions. Due to the fact that it frequently can only be used as an accurate characteristic at the single species level, it is a feature that is not used scientifically for the definition of the majority of plant families and genera. The Latin word sucus, which means “liquid” or “sap,” is where the word succulent originates. [1] Water can be stored by succulent plants in a variety of parts, including the leaves and stems. Some succulent organs can contain up to 9095 percent water. [2] Since roots are sometimes included in definitions, geophytes that endure adverse conditions by dying back to underground storage organs may be referred to as succulents. The term “succulent” is occasionally employed in horticultural contexts in a way that excludes species that botanists would classify as succulents, such as cacti. Because of their eye-catching and distinctive appearance, as well as their propensity to flourish with only a small amount of care, succulents are frequently grown as ornamental plants.
There are several succulent species found within many plant groups (more than 25 plant families).
[3] The majority of species are succulents in some families, including Aizoaceae, Cactaceae, and Crassulaceae. These water-preserving plants frequently live in deserts and other hot, dry climates as their homes. Succulents are well-suited to surviving in an ecosystem with restricted water sources because they can grow well on scarce water sources like mist and dew.
What benefit does a plant receive from being succulent?
Plants release water vapor, which causes a pumping effect that draws contaminated air down to the plant’s roots. The succulent transforms these pollutants into plant food, cleaning the air within your house. Because they expel water, plants can increase the humidity in your home.
Why are succulents so popular with people?
Succulents Are Simple To Care For Succulents are reported to be well-liked since they have a place in practically everyone’s house. These plants were welcomed in homes even by those who lack the time to care for them. These plants may survive with little maintenance.
Why do young people prefer succulents?
Due to millennials’ worldwide desire for the plants, there has been an increase in theft and smuggling.
At the weekend, when I casually scrolled through Instagram stories, I was shocked to witness a crime being committed. Home CCTV footage of a man stealing my friend’s cactus cut short my routine frenzy of macha lattes and kid boomerangs. The cactus appeared to be flourishing when it was placed in a doorway in Clapham, south London—at least, it did until the thief swiftly snatched it out of its container. The bad guy understood what he was going for, therefore it was obvious that this was a targeted attack.
He may have been a part of a global criminal wave, it turns out. This week, two South Korean men in Cape Town were convicted guilty of smuggling 60,000 miniature succulents from South Africa and Namibia and were sentenced to significant fines and suspended jail terms. This conviction was the fourth of its kind in recent months.
It appears that millennials’ desire for decorative green houseplant “pets” has peaked. Succulent lunacy is well on its way to defining our own horticultural age, echoing the boom-and-bust calamity of tulip fever in 17th-century Holland.
Since it took this long, I must admit that I’m astonished. As a “millennial gardener” myself, I’ve seen the succulent fever develop over the past ten years (in a way that most succulents exposed to British temperatures and light levels rarely will). After beginning in 2013, crassulas, kalanchoes, and echeverias soon filled store shelves and were frequently dusted with glitter. These days, it’s almost impossible to get a coffee without having to consider the impending demise of the grossly overwatered haworthia in the center of the table.
Succulents and indoor plants are dear to millennials because they provide a concrete means of interacting with nature.
The important thing to understand about houseplant crazes is that they are cyclical, much like many other things we place in our homes. When my mother first did it in the 1970s, having little cacti and succulents in your room and hanging them up in macrame hangers was all the rage. Before that, the 1930s Hollywood celebrities who relocated to Palm Springs were fond of cacti. Since then, cactus rustling has been a concern, which is why the anti-plant trafficking Lacey Act was introduced in 1981. Not that it made much of a difference: by 2018, so many tall saguaros in Arizona were being uprooted at night that park rangers had to microchip their cactus.
For the staff at London’s Kew Gardens, who nurture three plants of each type before placing any on show, this is all depressingly familiar ground. An impossible-to-find small water lily was stolen from the glasshouses in 2014, and even a visit to Crimewatch couldn’t save it.
Not that our obsession with plants necessarily leads to crime. Frequently, it is only a dangerous activity. A few young Victorian women perished while searching for a rare species of fern, much like the unlucky individuals who plunge to their lives from cliffs while trying to take the perfect selfie. Teenage girls’ pteridomania, often known as “fern fever, was a common passion in the middle of the 19th century. The rituals involved searching the countryside with a trowel and an identification book before pressing their find with a coffee-table book. Rare plants were routinely uprooted from the ground, which always had an adverse effect on the local species.
The terrible part is that these crazes typically have excellent intentions hidden behind them. Because they provide a physical connection to nature that is lacking in a society that is becoming more and more reliant on screens, millennials are drawn to succulents and other houseplants. For the first time in generations, society had permitted those young Victorian women to venture outside and interact crudely with nature. Both groups had to put up with dwindling gardens and unreliable leased housing; in other words, they both really needed the quiet delight of seeing green leaves spread out all about them.
Humans are hard-wired to respond to nature, just like all other species. In Shetland, “green prescriptions” are given to those with mental-health disorders because it has been demonstrated that exposure to the outside world is so beneficial. Cactus crime frequently starts with a basic, understandable yearning for some greenery.
Why do succulents cost so much?
A succulent’s scarcity, maintenance expenses, therapeutic benefits, and aesthetic value are some of the elements that might make it pricey.
Rarity of Succulent
A very rare succulent will cost a lot of money to buy. There is limited rivalry among vendors because there are few stores in the USA that sell succulents. A succulent can be sold for a greater price and still make money if it is in short supply.
High maintenance cost
Succulents can occasionally take a very long time to grow. The more money and energy spent on a plant, the longer it takes for it to flourish. The plant may also require further feeding and pruning. The price of the succulent may increase as a result of these reasons.
Aesthetic Value of The Succulent
A succulent could cost more if it has a wonderful appearance that can improve the aesthetic of a space. These hardy plants are excellent for use as décor because they can be eye-catching and lovely. A succulent may fetch a greater price in the market if it is in demand because of its aesthetic value due to increased demand.
Medicinal importance
Succulent varieties with medical potential include salo, yucca, and aloe vera. Yucca has particular phytonutrients that can be helpful in alleviating arthritic pain and inflammation. Additionally, digestive system inflammation can be treated with aloe vera.
Because plants help speed up the healing of wounds and treat eczema, succulents are frequently found in hospitals. Succulents have been used to treat a number of medical conditions, including coughing.
Can I keep succulents in my bedroom?
- They aid in breathing – While plants emit oxygen during the process of photosynthesis, most plants respire at night, generating carbon dioxide. Other plants, such as orchids and areca palms, in addition to succulents, continue to produce oxygen throughout the night. Keep these plants in your bedroom to get a better night’s sleep by breathing in more fresh air as you sleep.
- Succulents, such as snake plants and aloe vera, are great in purifying the air and removing toxins. According to NASA studies, 87 percent of volatile organic molecules can be eliminated (VOC). Because VOCs like benzene and formaldehyde are present in rugs, cigarette smoke, grocery bags, books, and ink, these plants are especially useful in libraries and study spaces.
- They aid in illness prevention. Plant water released into the sky accounts for roughly 10% of the moisture in the air. In your home, the same rule holds true: the more plants you have, especially in groups, the better your ability to increase the humidity and so reduce the likelihood of dry skin, colds, sore throats, and dry coughs. According to a research by Norway’s Agricultural University, offices with plants had sickness rates that were 60% lower. Environmental psychologist Tina Bringslimark explained to The Telegraph: “We looked into how many people reported taking self-reported sick days and contrasted that with how many plants they could see from their desk. There was less self-reported sick leave the more plants they could observe “.
- They aid in concentration – Numerous research on both students and workers have discovered that having plants around while studying or working improves concentration, attentiveness, and cognitive capacities. According to a University of Michigan research, the presence of plants increased memory retention by as much as 20%. Small plants like succulents, which don’t take up much space on your desk, are particularly helpful at the office.
- They promote faster healing – Succulents can help to lessen coughs, fevers, headaches, and flu-like symptoms. Hospital patients who had plants in their rooms needed less pain medication, had lower blood pressure and heart rates, and were less worn out and anxious, according to Kansas State University researchers.