Since most succulents are accustomed to hot, arid environments, they are particularly hard hit by winter’s frigid temperatures.
Some succulents, like Aloe, Echeveria, and Crassula, require frost protection when the temperature falls below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The majority of the other species can endure temperatures higher than 40 °F.
No matter the genus, you should never leave your succulents in a freezer. The explanation is straightforward: because succulents hold a lot of water in their leaves, stems, and trunks, when the temperature drops below freezing, the water expands and bursts through the cell membrane. The plant will eventually expire.
The plants can sense fewer days and lower temperatures, which indicate the impending winter. However, by winterizing them, you can deceive your succulent. Before it becomes too cold outside, you can bring the plant inside and give it regular care.
Simply said, the fall is the ideal season to bring succulents inside. You need to keep your plants from detecting the shift in weather conditions, therefore don’t wait until the actual winter.
Do my succulents need to be brought inside for the winter?
Before you even plant your succulent in your yard, this is the easiest way to find out if it will survive the winter in your region. The USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map is referenced on the labels of the majority of plants that are sold in retailers. The label will indicate whether or not the plant will survive the winter depending on the zone you live in. The zones are separated by a difference of 5 to 10 degrees Fahrenheit in their lowest annual temperature. There is minimal likelihood that it will survive the winter in that area if your zone is lower than the recommended zone on the label.
Tip #2: Bring Them Indoors
Bring your succulent indoors during the winter even if it is in the right climate zone. Even though sudden temperature dips are uncommon, one chilly night is all it takes to harm your plants. They can be kept in your garage if the temperature there doesn’t fall below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Don’t forget to give them three to four hours of indirect sunshine each day. Checking for insects like mealybugs and aphids is a crucial factor. Spray the leaves with a mixture of 1 part water and 3 parts rubbing alcohol to kill the bugs because you don’t want them inside your house.
Although it’s frequently overlooked, preparing your put for indoor play is crucial as well. Your succulents’ containers are probably a little muddy if they have been playing hard outside. To prevent them from spreading around your home when you transfer things inside, first clear the pot of any dead leaves and other debris. Second, clean off any extra dirt from your pot; you want a clean transition from the inside to the outside! Lastly, look for bugs. Creepy crawlies taking over your house is the last thing you need. You should be well on your way to your indoor succulents thriving after following those three steps.
Tip #3: Reduce Watering in the Late Fall
Winter is the period when succulents go dormant, so watering is even less necessary. So once the weather becomes colder and the days get shorter, stop watering them. Reduce it to once a month, but you should also check the soil’s moisture content first before watering. When the ground is entirely dry, only do it. It only takes a good five minutes to water. To prevent succulents from dying from moist roots, check that the soil has excellent drainage. Sand or organic matter with good drainage should be added to the soil for indoor plants. Mulch shouldn’t be used near the base of outside plants since it can trap moisture.
Before you fully stop watering your succulents, here’s a short tip: identify them! Winter is when most succulents go dormant, however some are winter growers. The plants that don’t go dormant will require more water than the others. Keep an eye on things at least to prevent your freshly indoor succulents from becoming overly dry. (Succulents will dry out more quickly than others if they are close to vents or heaters.
Tip #4: Sunlight
When putting your succulents indoors, sunlight is absolutely crucial! Making sure they receive adequate sunlight in the winter is challenging. To get the most indirect light, place your succulents close to your home’s brightest window. Try to provide succulents with at least 6 hours of sunshine each day for the healthiest results. They’ll begin to slant toward the window if you’re not providing them with adequate sunshine. Simply turn them the other way to straighten them out.
Tip #5: Cover Up Your Succulents
If you are unable to bring the plants inside due to impending cold weather, you can cover them with various forms of protection. Snow covers are beneficial because they provide protection from snow, frost, and strong winds. You can buy them from your neighborhood garden supply store or online. Bushel baskets can be used to cover and safeguard succulents if you have any lying about. Just be cautious not to leave them covered for an extended period of time. The plants require ample sunlight and clean airflow.
These straightforward suggestions can help you keep your succulents happy and healthy throughout the winter. Give your friends and neighbors the information so they can preserve their succulent plants as well!
How should succulents be stored for the winter?
Succulents are currently among the most well-liked garden plants, particularly among younger gardeners who are trend-conscious. It makes sense that these plants are now adorning so many patios, porches, and windowsills. They require very little upkeep and can withstand drought. Additionally, several succulent kinds are a wonderful conversation starter due to their unusual appearance.
A group of plants known as succulents have large, water-retentive leaves that are thick and succulent. Jade plants, kalanchoes, hens and chicks, and even aloe vera plants are examples of vintage varieties that you may already be familiar with. However, there are now a large variety of plant forms, leaf hues, and growth behaviors among the hundreds of distinct succulent plants that can be found at your neighborhood garden center.
Succulents of the Agave, Crassula, Dudleya, Echeveria, Sedum, Haworthia, and Sempervivum species varieties are some of the most well-liked varieties.
It’s time to consider how to overwinter any succulents you may have grown this year in patio pots or your garden. The plants can be left outside all winter long if the kinds you chose are completely winter hardy in Western Pennsylvania. This group includes hardy chickens and chicks.
However, the vast majority of succulent plants offered for sale these days in garden centers are not hardy in our gardening region. Combining that with the cost of these plants, you’ll probably want to figure out a way to overwinter them so you can use them in your garden the following year as well. Succulent plants can be overwintered in three different methods.
1. Use indoor succulent plants for the winter. On an indoor sunny windowsill, the majority of succulents thrive. The key to successfully overwintering succulents as indoor plants is to drastically reduce their watering requirements. If kept excessively damp, many succulents will actually rot, therefore water succulents used as houseplants throughout the winter just once every six to eight weeks. As you water, take care to keep the leaves dry. Additionally, you should keep the plants in a room that is not overly hot or chilly. Avoid forced air registers and cold drafts.
2. Semi-dormant succulents overwinter. Succulents don’t go into full dormancy, but it is possible to drive them into a semi-dormancy by severely limiting their access to water, drastically reducing their exposure to light, and maintaining them in an environment where the temperature is just above freezing. I raise about 50 succulents and cacti outdoors in my garden throughout the summer and overwinter them in this way.
I relocate my succulent pots into our linked, but unheated garage when the low 50s are reached at night. The garage has two modest windows. The pots are arranged along the garage’s sidewalls, and I neglect them the entire winter. I don’t fertilize or water the plants. They enter a semi-dormant phase where no active growth takes place.
I move the pots outside on warm days in mid- to late-March and lightly water them, taking care to keep the foliage dry. When the threat of frost has gone in mid-May, I move the pots back into the garage once they have drained and put them back up on my patio.
3. Use cuttings to overwinter succulents. Taking cuttings of your succulent plants is another approach to ensure that they survive the winter without harm. The majority of succulents are simple to grow from leaf cuttings. Fill several tidy plastic pots with a coarse, cacti-specific potting soil to accomplish this. With a sharp knife, remove a single leaf off the mother plant. Dip the cut end of the leaf into rooting hormone (which is sold at nearby garden centers or online), and then press the cut end of the leaf down into the pot of soil by about a half-inch. The pot or leaf cutting should not be covered, but it should be watered in at planting time and any other time the soil feels fully dry.
At the base of the clipped leaf, a new plantlet will emerge in a matter of weeks. Eventually, the old leaf will wither away, leaving only the new plant. If you want to grow your succulent collection over the winter, take lots of cuttings. Keep your succulent cuttings out of direct sunlight, but on a sunny windowsill. Another choice is to place them 18 to 20 hours per day in grow lamps. As long as you don’t overwater succulents, taking leaf cuttings from them is quite easy.
Can you bring succulents inside at what temperature?
Because they are fickle plants, succulents shouldn’t be kept in temps so low. Succulents cannot survive in cold climates, so if you see the outside temperature lowering, take immediate action to save succulents from freezing.
It is unlikely that succulents will survive in temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Succulents are susceptible to freezing and dying at temperatures between 30 and 40 degrees.
When it gets colder than forty degrees Fahrenheit, succulents should be brought inside. Learn how to take care of your succulent in cold weather, why 40 degrees is the point at which it can no longer survive, and what other temperatures are harmful to these plants by reading on.
Prepare succulents for indoor living
Spray your succulents with a surface pesticide before bringing them inside. To ensure that your succulents are pest-free, this preparation should take place at least 3 weeks before their indoor adaption. By doing this, you can stop insects and other pests from spreading to your indoor plants.
After clearing the garbage, weeds, and leaves, look for any indications of an infestation. Change the soil if you notice flies gathering around the succulents. When you bring them inside your home, they will quickly spread to the neighboring plants if you don’t.
Make sure your succulent is in a pot with a drainage hole and well-draining soil. Because outdoor environments frequently have greater ventilation, a proper soil mixture is essential for indoor growing of succulents. Succulents need sufficient air circulation to sustain healthy roots. To improve drainage, you can also add pumice or perlite to the potting medium.
In addition to these actions, gradually cut back on the watering of your succulents. The plants will go into dormancy and be able to endure the harsh winter with the help of less water and a lower temperature.
Bring the succulents inside 
Stop watering your indoor succulents and allow the soil to dry up. Water them lightly during the winter, just enough to prevent dehydration. Ensure that the temperature is consistently between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit.
Providing enough light for succulents in the winter is another factor to take into account for indoor adaption. If your succulents have been kept outdoors for a while, they may have grown accustomed to regular exposure to intense light. It’s better to replicate their growing environment indoors. A sunny windowsill can provide 6–8 hours of bright light in warm zones 9–11, but in places with little sunlight, you might want to consider obtaining a succulent growth lamp.
Fluorescent lighting will promote healthy, stress-free plant growth, especially for non-dormant succulents.
How are succulents maintained indoors?
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.