Depending on the type, succulents need six hours of sunlight each day because they are light-loving plants. You might need to gradually expose newly planted succulents to full sun exposure or give shade with a translucent screen because they can burn in direct sunshine.
Do succulents prefer intense sunlight?
On the east side of my home, where my succulent collection is located, it receives direct sunlight from dawn till around 1:00 in the afternoon. There is a lot of sunlight here!
I’ve discovered that in order to keep the roots cold and the foliage lush, I need to water my plants every other day when the temperature is above 90.
The succulent leaves still get heated despite this constant watering, and I’ve had some, but rather severely. It can be unpleasant when the bright light and hot temperatures combine.
Most succulents will tolerate full sun for the majority of the day if you progressively expose them to it (raising an hour or so every few days).
To shield them from the direct sun, I recently put some shade fabric. Even though it’s still well above 90 degrees outside, the space around the succulents is significantly cooler thanks to the shade cloth.
Additionally, without direct sunlight, the plants’ leaves don’t get as hot and are less prone to burn or exhibit signs of excessive heat.
Haworthias, for example, prefer bright indirect sunlight all day long. On the other hand, the majority of cacti can withstand full sun during the day without any shade. This is why it’s crucial to be aware of the varieties of succulents you own.
The phenomenon known as “blushing,” which occurs when some succulents are exposed to bright sunshine, causes the leaves to occasionally turn a deep red, as with this Aloe ‘Crosby’s Prolific’.
Simply placing your succulents in a location that receives bright shade for the majority of the day is an excellent alternative. They should ideally be in a spot that receives a few hours of early sun but is otherwise shaded for the majority of the day.
Direct sunlight during this time can be an issue because afternoon temperatures are typically higher. On the other hand, morning sun is cooler and less prone to result in sunburn.
For many succulents, extreme heat can be exceedingly difficult. Succulents are often thought of as desert plants, however not all of them thrive in a very hot desert environment.
For more advice on how to keep succulents looking fantastic during a heat wave, see the video below:
What succulents can withstand direct sunlight?
Greetings from the Succulent Series. We’ll show you which succulents grow best in full sun, partly shade, and full shade in a special three-week series. This week, we examine the resilient yet attractive species that can thrive in direct sunlight.
Join us for a very hands-on tour of succulents that grow in full sunlight. We demonstrate which succulents will flourish and how to arrange them in a large pot or in your garden so that they look attractive.
Decide where you want to plant your succulents in step one. Although any area in your garden that receives lots of sunlight would work, we chose a sizable wooden planter.
Step two: Depending on the size of your area, choose some boulders. The succulents are wonderfully anchored by them, and they also add height, texture, and aesthetic appeal. One was all we had in our exhibit.
Choose your succulents in the third step. We mixed a variety of
- Cotyledons,
- Graptopetalum
- Pachyphytum
- Copperstone Sedum
- The Lampranthus-Vygies
- tiny aloes
- A. P. Parry
- Agave Echeveria
- Plant known as the panda, Kalanchoe
Step four is to cover the space with soil. To get an excellent aerated soil for your succulents, supplement with high-quality cactus and succulent mix.
Five: Set your boulders in place. It makes sense to utilize stones that are pretty large in a larger garden bed, but the size you choose is entirely up to you. Cover the base of the rock with earth to make it appear as though it has always been there rather than brand new.
Sixth, surround the stones with your chosen plants to form eye-catching plant clusters. Keep in mind to use plants of various hues, heights, textures, and sizes to add aesthetic appeal.
Considering each plant’s growth is important. Some plants will expand in height (cotyledons), width (echeveria agavoides, aloes), and length (long stalks), all of which require pruning (graptopetalum, sedum, pachyphytum).
Step 7: Add gravel or stones to the area to give it a finished appearance. It is both useful and aesthetic because a thick coating of gravel stifles weed growth as well.
Care tips
Give everything a little watering to help the chosen succulents establish after you have planted them and done with the pebbles. Like all succulents, they don’t require a lot of water.
The bottom outer leaves of some succulents, like Echeverias, may wither and die. If this occurs, gently take them out. The plant is content as long as its inner leaves are developing normally.
There are other choices…
Be aware that other succulents will also thrive in hot, sunny locations besides the ones mentioned above. These will work nicely, too:
- the kalanchoe luciae
- many cotyledons
- sempervivums
- variations of senecium
- jade plant, crassula ovata
- campfire with crassula
- hybrid gibbifloras of Echeveria (most succulents with tender soft fleshy leaves are NOT sun-hardy, but the Agavoides and Gibbifloras are)
- most aloes
- burnt euphorbia sticks (needs a large area to grow, as they grow tall)
- Eugenia milii
- Theo Zwartkop
- many agaves (not Attenuata)
- various sedums
- Graptoveria (especially Fred Ives)
What’s the key?
Having fun is the key. Everybody has a distinct approach to gardening; some choose to use only rocks and very few plants. Succulents have the advantage of being incredibly tolerant; they tolerate neglect and eventually develop into stunning, low-maintenance settings.
Can succulents withstand sunlight?
Contrary to popular perception, most succulents do not flourish when exposed to the warmest temperatures and most sunlight. Most succulents require sun protection, especially if the temperature exceeds 90 degrees or if they are little, even if they prefer a lot of light (and very few can thrive in full shade). The most vulnerable varieties to sunburn are those that are completely green, pale, or variegated. A word of advice: Choose plants that are red, gray, blue, or heavily spined (which serve to reflect the sun’s rays) if you intend to slam your succulents with the brightest sun possible.
How frequently ought one to water succulents?
During the months that are not winter, when the temperature is above 40 degrees, you should water your succulents every other week. You should only water your succulent once a month in the winter (when the temperature falls below 40 degrees), as it goes dormant at this period.
A few situations constitute an exception to this rule. Because their tiny leaves can’t hold as much water as other varieties with larger leaves, some varieties of succulents need to be watered more frequently. In the non-winter months, feel free to give these small leaf succulents a water if they appear to be thirsty. When they are thirsty, succulents generally exhibit a wrinkled appearance. But always keep in mind that being underwater is preferable to being overwater.
Do succulents require daily watering?
Only water succulents when the soil has totally dried up. There isn’t a standard watering schedule that applies to all succulents in all environments.
Many indoor succulent growers discover that watering their plants every 14 to 21 days keeps them healthy. Use this timeline as a guide and make adjustments if necessary.
The earliest symptoms of underwatering on the leaves are the greatest time to water your succulents. To see what that looks like, have a look at the cheat sheet above.
The best course of action is to wait for a signal from your succulent before watering because most succulents are particularly susceptible to rot with regular watering.
And keep in mind how crucial it is to monitor your watering routine. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve assumed that I haven’t watered in a while, just to discover that it was only a few days ago thanks to my notes in the Succulent Tracker app (Apple | Android).
In this video, learn about a several factors that could influence how frequently you water your succulents:
Do outdoor succulents require sunlight?
Consider scrolling to the bottom of this post for a list of succulents that don’t require a lot of light if you want to grow succulents inside. This is due to the fact that many species are simply too challenging to thrive year-round indoors without additional artificial lighting. They’ll live, but they might get spindly and lose their lovely color.
To further explain, let’s talk about the numbers. To get an idea, you can purchase a foot candle meter or even utilize a phone app. On my Android phone, I use an app called Lux Light Meter Free.
As a general rule, you can keep most succulents alive at 1,000 foot-candles or above (although more is definitely still better). However, cacti and larger sun seekers will still have difficulty. Keep in mind that they are cultivated at 5,000–10,000 foot-candles for commercial purposes! Remember that this bright light level should be kept up for the majority of the day, not only for a few minutes while the sun shines through the window.
Indoors, your succulents can withstand just much any amount of direct sunlight. If a plant was previously grown in lesser light, you may need to gradually adapt it to the sun, but it will benefit from it tremendously.
As was previously said, some genera of succulents require less light than others. For instance, forest cactus don’t require nearly as much as their desert-dwelling relatives. At the conclusion of this post, we’ll talk about them. They are a much superior option for growing indoors.
Increasing lighting for succulents
After using a light meter to examine your windows, there’s a high probability that you’re now racking your brains. You wouldn’t be the first person to notice how terrible our homes’ lighting is, either!
Fortunately, you can prevent your succulents (and cacti, in particular) from dying a long, lanky death by doing two things.
- Succulents can be grown outside in the summer. Since most species are actively expanding at that time, they will be able to benefit the most from the warm temperatures and lots of sunshine. If you live in a cooler region, you can bring them inside once fall arrives, the weather cools off, and it stops raining so much. They can spend the winter indoors because they won’t grow much during the chilly months anyway.
Succulents should only be used as outdoor plants if you live in a warmer climate. They simply appear happy there! There are many tropicals that prefer shade that can be grown inside.
- Add artificial illumination to the mix. If you already have one or more succulents next to a decent window, you can use the less expensive goose-neck plant lights to give them an extra boost. A larger LED lighting panel is ideal for supporting a few plants if it’s really too dark.
Of course, you may also do this while gardening outdoors in the summer. Real sun in the summer and some LEDs to keep the vegetation alive in the winter.
In what environments do succulents thrive?
Succulents may not need much attention, but they do need a few essentials to survive:
- 1. Provide plenty sunlight. Succulents require adequate light—at least six hours each day of direct sunlight. Maintaining succulents outside can be quite simple. However, if you have a succulent indoors, you must keep it in direct sunlight near a window. A plant that is slanting toward the light is not receiving enough sunlight, yet a plant with burnt areas on its leaves is receiving too much direct sunshine.
- 2. Use proper water. Depending on the season, succulents might have different water needs. Succulents should be irrigated if their soil dries completely during the growing season, but excess water should be avoided. When a succulent’s roots have time to dry out in between waterings, its lifespan is increased. In the chilly winter months, succulent plants go dormant and require less water. Only water your succulent as often as necessary because overwatering the soil is one of the main reasons of most development problems.
- 3. Use the proper soil and pot combination. The appropriate container and potting soil can make all the difference, whether you’re growing your own succulents or purchasing one from a nursery. Your succulent planter needs to include a drainage hole if it is going to be an outdoor succulent. Proper drainage allows moisture to escape, allowing the soil and root systems to dry and prevent rot. Use well-draining soil instead of standard dirt if you have an indoor succulent. It is coarser than regular soil, enabling more air to pass through and encouraging evaporation rather than requiring to be drained. To increase aeration, perlite and pumice can be added to some potting mixtures.
- 4.Remember to fertilize. The periodic fertilizing is beneficial for even low maintenance desert plants. To give your succulents a boost, use a diluted, water-soluble all-purpose fertilizer a couple times a year. Although it’s not entirely required, if you notice that your soil needs some help, add a little fertilizer.
- 5. Examine your plant life. Pest hazards are more likely to affect a succulent indoors than outside. Make sure your plants are periodically checked for gnats or mealy pests. These insects are a sign that your plants are receiving too much water or fertilizer. Mealy bugs can lay hundreds of eggs and consume the plant juices that serve as their host, gradually harming your plant. Rubbish alcohol can be sprayed on your succulent’s leaves or soil to effectively kill mealy bugs and their eggs. Check the leaves and soil of the succulent before bringing it home from the nursery to make sure no bugs are present.
What potted plants do you recommend for full sun?
8 Container Plants for Full Sun (That Can Take a Scorching Summer)
- 1Petunias (Petunia sp.)
- 2Lavender (Lavandula sp.)
- 3,000,000 Bells (Calibrachoa sp.)
- 4Sedum (Sedum sp.)
- Candelabra Lilies (Canna generalis)
- Cloak Flower (Gaillardia grandiflora)
- 7Portulaca (Portulaca grandiflora)
- 8Verbena (Verbena sp.)
What occurs if succulents receive too much sunlight?
Do you ever wonder why a succulent doesn’t look as good as it did when you first bought it? If a succulent is otherwise healthy, light should be taken into account initially.
Insufficient lighting causes the leaves of succulent plants to become colorless. They may flatten or stretch as they transition from red, yellow, or orange to faded blue or green hues (etiolate). Conversely, when exposed to much sunlight, succulents may develop beige areas on their leaves or close their rosettes.
Don’t simply glance down at the nursery; look up as well. Give your goods accustomed sun intensity when you bring them home. They might astound you when they settle in and the seasons change. It’s realistic to anticipate that they will look much better after having time and space to spread their roots.