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.
Are small succulents simple to maintain?
It’s simple to get succulents to grow and thrive inside your home, regardless of the temperature where you reside. As long as they have sunlight and healthy soil, they may be kept just about anywhere else, however you should avoid placing them close to vents, gadgets, and dim areas.
How frequently should I water my tiny 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.
Where do I place succulents inside?
Succulents thrive in hot, arid conditions and don’t mind a little neglect due to their unique capacity to store water. They are therefore ideally suited to growing indoors and are the perfect choice for anyone looking for low-maintenance houseplants. Follow these instructions for successful plant care if you’re choosing succulents for the first time.
Select a succulent that will thrive in your indoor environment.
The majority of succulents need direct sunshine, however if your home only has a shady area, choose low light-tolerant plants like mother-in-tongue. law’s A trailing variety, like string of bananas, is an excellent option if you intend to grow your succulent in a hanging planter. To learn about your succulents’ requirements for sunlight, size, and spread, always read the plant labels.
Give the plants a good draining potting material.
You should repot your succulent as soon as you get it home since nurseries always plant their succulents in soil that is overly rich and holds too much moisture. A coarse potting mix with sufficient drainage and aeration is a good place to start. You can use an African violet mix or unique cactus and succulent mixtures that you can purchase at the nursery. Add perlite or pumice to the cactus or African violet mix (up to 50% of the total potting mix, depending on your particular succulent’s moisture requirements) to further increase drainage and prevent compaction. To make sure the mixture is moist throughout, always moisten it before using.
Decide on a container.
When repotting, use a container that is at least 1 to 2 inches bigger than the nursery container and has a drainage hole. Avoid using glass containers (such mason jars or terrariums) for long-term potting since they prevent roots from breathing and over time may result in root rot. Place your plant inside the container and backfill with extra pre-moistened potting mix after filling the bottom one-third of the container with pre-moistened potting mix.
Put the succulent plant in a pot somewhere sunny.
Try to arrange your succulents close to a south or east-facing window because most succulents need at least six hours of sun each day. Insufficient sunlight may cause your succulents to become spindly or to extend toward the light.
Between waterings, allow the potting mix to dry out.
Overwatering succulents is the most common error people make with them. Watering more deeply but less frequently is preferable. Before the next watering, completely saturate the potting mix (while making sure the water drains out of the drainage hole properly). The plant can finally perish if the potting soil is left moist every day.
Succulents should be fertilised at least once a year.
Fertilizer works best for plants in the spring (when the days lengthen and new growth starts) and again in the late summer. Use a water-soluble, balanced fertiliser (such as 8-8-8 or 10-10-10) that has been diluted to half the strength indicated on the container. Since succulents are semi-dormant in the winter, there is no need to nourish them. Because they are not actively growing, they do not require the nutrient boost.
Do succulents need direct sunlight?
Succulents generally require at least 4-6 hours of sunshine each day to thrive. They enjoy being in places that are sunny and bright. Lack of sunshine will cause difficulties in succulents such elongation or etiolation, when the plants extend for more light. Weak stems and low growth are the results of this procedure. Lack of light causes succulents to lose their bright colouring and turn pale or back to a drab green tone. Plants that receive enough sunshine will display their whole spectrum of brilliant hues, showing their genuine beauty.
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 fertilise. The periodic fertilising is beneficial for even low maintenance desert plants. To give your succulents a boost, use a diluted, water-soluble all-purpose fertiliser a couple times a year. Although it’s not entirely required, if you notice that your soil needs some help, add a little fertiliser.
- 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 fertiliser. 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.
Is it possible to hydrate succulents with ice cubes?
One of the most enjoyable pastimes you can engage in is caring for plants. They will not only give you many advantages, but they are also aesthetically beautiful. Simply ensure that you are aware of how to care for them.
Be mindful of the risks if you decide to attempt watering succulents with ice cubes. It’s conceivable that your plants will be harmed or killed if you subject them to such jarring temperature variations.
Any plant won’t like having its watered with ice cubes, succulent or not. To avoid stressing them out, it is preferable to use room temperature water. Additionally, you should plant plants in containers that encourage proper water drainage as well as good air circulation.
Do tiny succulents get larger?
The majority of small succulents are young plants or cuttings that haven’t grown to maturity.
They can also be wired or glued to the chosen arrangement, be it a wood planter, a wall art piece, a wreath arrangement, etc.
Do Mini Succulents Grow?
Yes. Mini succulents grow, although they don’t do so quickly at first. Do anticipate that after they reach a certain size, they will grow more quickly until they eventually outgrow their pots. I’ll use this echeveria and haworthia (zebra plant) as an example to demonstrate the development of their growth in this tiny pot.
They were simultaneously planted in this tiny container by me. These are all young plants. The haworthias were offspring of the mother plant, but the echeveria was multiplied from a single leaf. Here is how they developed throughout the previous year:
They became sunburnt quite soon, and I lost the one on the far left. In order to keep it from drying out, I moved it to a more shaded area and watered it more frequently—roughly once a week.
How Fast Do Mini Succulents Grow?
Their growth is slowed down when placed in a compact container since they are unable to stretch out and thrive. Depending on how well they are taken care of, micro succulents planted closely and compactly in a small area or pot can remain there for several months or even years. The type of soil they are in, hydration methods, and illumination all have a significant impact on how they develop.
The kind of plant you are utilising also matters. Growing plants from cuttings, tiny plants, or leaves generally takes longer than growing established plants. Some succulents, regardless of where they are put, have a propensity to grow huge.
Aeoniums are one illustration of this. Aeoniums tend to grow upward and their rosettes spread outward, making them a poor choice for small arrangements. The haworthias and echeverias I displayed above are excellent options because they don’t grow as quickly or take up a lot of space. Sedums are another excellent option because they are resilient and adaptable to many growth environments.
When kept in a small space, they also continue to be little. Water your plants as little as possible—just spritz or spray them to keep them from drying out—if you want them to stay little. The plants’ growth ought to be slowed by this.
Succulents are incredibly resilient plants that can endure harsh environments for a very long period. Remember that many of the miniature succulent plants used in these arrangements are cuttings or baby plants, which are less hardy than mature plants. As a result, be ready to lose one or two of them during the process.
How Long Can Mini Succulents Stay in Small Pots?
Mini succulents can live for a few weeks, a few months, or even years in tiny pots. It all relies on the kind of plants you’re utilising and how well you’re taking care of them. They will eventually start to outgrow the small container as they develop more.
If you maintain the plant in the same pot and don’t move it, you may start to notice that it appears unhappy or that it is spilling out of the pot. If the pot has holes, you might even see roots emerging from the holes. These are all indications that they require repotting because they have outgrown the pot.
Just remove it from the pot and repotted it in a bigger container. Trim the plant to keep it small and remove little portions to propagate and grow the plant elsewhere if you don’t feel like repotting the entire thing. Your aesthetic preferences for the plant are entirely up to you.
You can carefully remove the plant and replant it in soil if the plants aren’t in soil but you start to see roots forming.
How Big Do They Get?
While development may be stifled when kept in a small pot, the plant should be able to continue developing and eventually reach its full growth potential once it is replanted somewhere else and given enough opportunity to grow. It will be more difficult for the plant to grow to its full potential if it is kept in the same container, though. You must inevitably repot the plant into a larger container if you want to see it flourish.
Once the other plants have outgrown it, the fun thing is that you can choose new miniature succulents to put in your miniature garden.
How to Plant Your Own Mini Succulent Garden
Mine tend to persist longer when they are planted in soil, therefore I like to do that. Because they are initially quite slow growers and will remain little for a very long time, I also appreciate using very small plants developed from cuttings, frequently leaf cuttings. I gently plant them with cactus soil mix mixed with perlite for additional drainage once they are well-rooted and established.
Additionally, I enjoy using planters with drainage holes. Given their small size, it is important to keep these plants out of the full sun to avoid sun damage and sunburn.
If you are unable to plant them in soil, you can secure the plants using wire or adhesive and coir or sphagnum moss. The plant shouldn’t be harmed by the glue.
To give these two plants more room to grow and spread out, I divided them and placed each in an own pot.
They could have continued to develop in the same pot for a few more months or maybe a year, but I put them in separate pots to hasten the process.
How Long Do Mini Succulents Live?
It depends on their surroundings and the kind of care they receive. Generally speaking, plants survive longer when planted in soil as opposed to being adhered to or set in sphagnum moss or coir materials. Their roots will have something to grip onto and secure themselves after they are put in soil.
The ability of a plant to absorb water from the soil is improved when the plant becomes rooted in comparison to when the roots are loose, fastened, or linked to something. The soil they are placed in provides them with some nutrition as well. They can survive for many months or even years in the same pot or container with the right care.
How to Care for Mini Succulents and Keep Them Alive
A mini succulent garden requires sufficient sunlight, the right soil type, and appropriate watering procedures.
Because of their diminutive size, the containers carry less water and dry out more quickly. Additionally, because the plants I’m using are young and were produced from cuttings, they could need a little more water than mature plants. When watering, I prefer to use a squirt bottle or a spray bottle and direct the water toward the earth rather than the plant’s top.
To prevent rotting, you want the water to reach the plant’s roots rather than its body or leaves. I water once a week on average. Remember that I have my plants outside and that I live in a very dry area.
You might not need to water as frequently if you reside in a humid environment. Before watering, it is advisable to examine the soil for moisture, especially if unsure. To see if moisture metres are useful, you can investigate them. Moisture metres gauge the air’s and soil’s humidity levels.
Succulents prefer a potting mixture with good drainage. They dislike spending too much time in soggy ground. This might encourage root rot. In addition to using effective watering methods, the type of soil you use is crucial.
Select a soil that drains well, or amend the soil to improve drainage. I find that using a regular cactus potting mix and adding perlite for better drainage is a simple solution. Please click on Best Soil and Fertilizers For Succulents to read more about the best soil to use for succulents.
With the exception of some sedums, little succulents cannot stand severe heat or direct sunlight. Since many miniature succulents are the result of cuttings, they require some shade from the sun. Avoid direct sunlight, especially the harsh afternoon sun, but make sure there is plenty of bright light.
Sunlight in the morning is less strong and more tolerable. As a general guideline, give the plants 5 to 6 hours of sunlight each day or artificial light to see the best results.
Fertilizing is not really important for succulents because they don’t actually eat much, especially if you want to keep the plants small. I would only think about fertilising small succulents if they were in a vase without soil and you had them for a while. To provide the plants with nutrients that they would not otherwise receive from the soil or potting mix, you can think about fertilising them.
This can be accomplished by incorporating diluted fertilizer—about 1/4–1/2 strength—into the water you’ll use to spritz or water the plants. By doing this, you are giving the plants the nutrients they require to flourish. Again, unless you’ve had them for a while—roughly a year—this is really not essential.
Over the years, I’ve kept a lot of little succulents in tiny pots all over my home, and they have done extremely nicely.
They really don’t differ much from other succulent plants in terms of care and maintenance. They will be OK if you give them some tender loving care but, for the most part, leave them alone. That, at least, has served me well. Congratulations and happy gardening!
What stores sell miniature succulents? For suggestions on where to get these and succulent cuttings online, visit my resource page.
About
You’ve come to the correct location if, like me, you enjoy succulents. This website is a repository for the succulent-growing knowledge I’ve accumulated over the years and am still learning. Although I am by no means an expert on succulents and cacti, this website was created as a result of years of hard work, love, and many mistakes and learning opportunities.