Together, succulents and vertical planters offer a lot of advantages. Succulents are relatively low care and require less water than other types of garden plants. Vertical planters conserve critical ground space while adding interest to otherwise boring walls and fences. Combining the two results in a planter with a wow factor that doesn’t need a dedicated full-time gardener. With a few simple techniques, you can make a variety of vertical succulent planters at a fraction of the price of store-bought ones.
As a basis for your planter, use miniature crates, shadow boxes, picture frames, or plain wooden boxes. According to the Sonoma County Master Gardeners, use a box to build your planter that is about 2 inches deep because deeper planters may cause soil to compact, move, or sink.
Use plants with similar care requirements across the board. Your plants will need overwintering because it takes more than one season for them to mature and fill out the planter box. Recognize that some succulents require a time of dormancy, some can endure cold climates, and some must be kept indoors. Create a plan for it.
Before hanging the vertical planter, let it sit on a flat surface for two to three months so that the plants may grow strong root systems that will help them survive and keep them from falling out.
For a week after planting, don’t water your vertical succulent garden to give the roots time to harden and take root. In the summer and spring, water once a week; in the winter and fall, water once a month. For feedings in the winter, use less water. To prevent the soil inside from being washed away, remove the entire planter from the wall and place it on a flat area.
How often should a succulent wall be watered?
To thrive indoors, succulents require lots of light that isn’t from the scorching, direct sun. Some thrive indoors more than others. In light of this, how frequently you water them depends on how much light they receive and how warm your home is.
During the summer, I give my indoor succulent plants around every two weeks of watering. Every three to four weeks during the colder, darker winter months. They receive less watering than my outdoor succulent plants, and that is fair.
My epiphytes, including the Christmas Cactus, Dancing Bones, and Epiphyllums, receive weekly watering during the summer and biweekly throughout the winter. Because they are indigenous to the tropics and subtropics, these are sprayed down in the kitchen sink. I don’t mist or spray any of my other succulents.
It’s important to remember that less is more when it comes to watering indoor succulents. As a general rule, it will be every 7–14 days during the summer and every 3–4 weeks during the winter. You should thoroughly water them and wait for the soil to dry up before watering them again.
Things to Consider When Watering Succulents
Sunlight is more frequent the more (just know that fleshy succulents will burn in hot, direct sun).
Less frequently if there isn’t a drain hole. water with caution. Here’s how to grow succulents in pots without drain holes and how to water them. Succulents are frequently grown in terrariums or small glass containers. Once more, be mindful of the frequency and amount of watering.
Think about the pot design. Terra cotta and unglazed clay are porous, allowing the roots to breathe. It can dry out more frequently. Succulents in plastic and glazed pots that aren’t porous (like ceramics) could need watering less frequently.
I’ve discovered that succulents like String of Pearls, String of Bananas, and Ruby Necklace require more frequent watering than succulents like Echvererias, Paddle Plants, Aloe Vera, and the like, which can go longer between waterings.
More frequent watering is required for succulents growing on driftwood, like as those at Roger’s Gardens.
Good Things to Know About Watering Succulents
Succulents don’t require any unique watering procedures. I would only recommend watering the soil and not the foliage.
Never have I irrigated my succulent plants with distilled water. Other plants are prone to the salts and are capable of tipping, but I haven’t discovered that to be the case with fleshies.
Don’t “Splat and run. Succulents prefer to receive thorough watering less frequently than spotty watering.
Avoid overwatering your succulents since root rot is quite likely to occur. Their succulent leaves, stems, and roots serve as water reservoirs.
Together with the aforementioned, lower them into a saucer of water and allow them to sit. The soil mixture will remain far too wet.
You might need to grow your succulents under cover, like a veranda, if you live in a rainy region. They “mush out quickly!
Succulents will do considerably better if you set your irrigation system to drip rather than spray, if you have one.
Pay attention to the weather and the water. For instance, two years ago, the winter was warm and sunny here in Tucson, so I watered more frequently. Since it was much colder last winter, I watered less frequently.
A heavy or dense soil mixture is not ideal for succulents. To avoid overwatering, it is advisable to grow succulents in a light mix. If you want to make your own succulent and cactus mix, check out my favorite recipe below.
Or, here are a few internet retailers where you can buy succulent and cactus mix: Hoffman’s (more affordable if you have a lot of succulents, but you might need to add pumice or perlite), Bonsai Jack (extremely gritty; perfect for those prone to overwatering! ), or Superfly Bonsai (another fast draining 1 like Bonsai Jack which is great for indoor succulents).
There is a difference between too much and too little water for all plants, especially houseplants. Your succulent is not getting enough water if the leaves and stems are yellow, withered, and appear dried out. It’s overwatered if the leaves and stems are mushy and brown. Succulents occasionally have lower leaves that dry out, but this is typical because it’s how they grow.
How should a succulent living wall be watered?
Succulents are drought-tolerant plants that thrive without water, as you probably already know. This does not imply that you should disregard your living wall. Consider the following maintenance advice:
- Before you water your plants, let the soil dry. Depending on the type and specific requirements of the succulents, allow seven to ten days to elapse between waterings;
- When you need to water the plants, take the frame off the wall. Before hanging the picture back up on the wall, set the frame down on a flat surface, water the succulents, and allow the dirt to drain.
- Mist the succulents occasionally if you don’t want to take the hefty succulent wall art down.
How much water should you use to hydrate a succulent?
As you are aware, Because they require little water to survive, succulents are tough tiny plants. They are native to arid regions and store extra water in their thick leaves, so they don’t require much assistance from you or a watering can. But how frequently should you water this tough plant? every week? every two days? every month?
The most crucial piece of advice for watering succulents is to never water until the soil in their container is completely dry. Let the soil completely dry out in between waterings, we say. Don’t water the soil if it isn’t a dry, crumbly dirt. See, the majority of houseplants require constant moisture in the soil. Unlike your succulent. Keep the soil constantly moist, and the roots will rot. Dead succulents have rotten roots.
How are living walls watered?
Put your water in a nearby container and hide it. The picture’s brown jug is holding water for the ingenious recirculating system. The surplus runoff water is gathered in a drain tray at the foot of the living wall. The water is circulated to the top of the living wall by a pump within the vessel that is attached to a tube. The pump is managed by a timer to maintain the living wall’s proper irrigation. Just fill the container with water as needed every few weeks.
Do:
- Water flowing downward till it exits the pot’s drainage hole from above: Succulents respond well to this kind of watering, which is the norm for most houseplants. Run a moderate, constant trickle of room-temperature water over the top layer of the soil in your succulent plant using a watering can or cup that has been filled. Your indication to quit is when water begins to flow from the pot’s drainage hole. Give the plant 15 minutes to absorb the last of the moisture. After that, empty any remaining liquid from the tray into the sink.
- If your succulent’s soil is tightly packed and not appearing to be uniformly absorbing your top watering, you can try the bottom-watering method. The horticulture and owner of the Planthood store in Amsterdam, Monai Nailah McCullough, says that watering succulents from the top can occasionally cause damage to the roots. Watering it from the bottom allows it to slowly and effectively consume enough water. Put your succulent(s) in a shallow dish, plastic container, or tray that is 2 to 3 inches deep with water to bottom water them. Allow them to soak in the water for five to fifteen minutes, or until the top of the soil feels just damp to the touch. Refill as necessary.
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Don’t:
- Mist its leaves: Succulents are not among the plant species that benefit from a good misting, although some do. Mirroring a plant’s natural surroundings is essential to ensuring its happiness in captivity. Additionally, because they are native to dry regions with low humidity, succulents are unaccustomed to having wet leaves. Thompson notes that “the water can get trapped and develop fungal concerns.” There is basically no point since they aren’t used to being sprayed.
- Put it in a container with no drainage opening: Drainage holes act as a pathway for water that your plant is unable to absorb. Succulents definitely need it because they are so sensitive to overwatering.
- Use ice cubes: Some plant owners use ice cubes to give their plants a more gentle and controlled soak because they disseminate a tiny amount of water very slowly. Again, though, if the goal is to simulate the succulent’s natural desert habitat, giving them something very cold makes little sense and might even startle them.
- Water it less frequently, but more often: You should give your succulent a deep soak rather than a light misting every few days.
What does a succulent look like when it is overwatered?
How can you tell if your succulent is getting too much water? You can usually determine if a succulent is being overwatered or underwatered by looking for telltale indications. A plant that has received too much water will have soft, mushy leaves.
The leaves would either turn translucent in color or appear lighter than they would on a healthy plant. A succulent that had received too much water would frequently lose leaves readily, even when only lightly handled. Usually, the lowest leaves are the ones to suffer first.
The plant will look to be unhealthy overall. When this occurs, the plant is either being overwatered, sitting in the incorrect soil that does not dry out quickly enough, or both.
Your plants are being overwatered if you have been giving them regular waterings or if you have been following a watering schedule regardless of how the plant appears.
On the other hand, a succulent that has been submerged will have withered, wrinkled, and deflated-looking leaves. The leaves will appear thin and flat. The entire plant will appear withered and dry.
The leaves of a good succulent plant should be thick and solid, not mushy or desiccated.
To learn more about this subject, visit my post titled “How To Tell If Your Succulent is Over or Under Watered,” in which I go into great length about how you may determine whether your succulent plant is being over or under watered.
This String of Pearls ‘Senecio Rowleyanus’ plant leaf is one that has been overwatered. If a succulent’s water storage capacity has been exceeded, it may physically burst from overwatering.
Should you mist succulents with water?
Soak the soil around your succulents in water until the drainage holes are full. (Use less water if your container lacks drainage holes.) Don’t water your succulents using a spray bottle. Brittle roots and moldy leaves can result from misting. Additionally, you can submerge pots in a pan of water and let the water drain out the drainage hole. Remove from the pan as soon as the soil’s top is damp.
How long should soil in succulent plants remain wet?
Succulents respond best to the “soak and dry approach” of watering. Fully soak the soil, then let it dry completely before watering it once more. Additionally, make sure the succulents are in a container with a drainage hole and well-draining soil (more on that in a minute).
Pretty basic, yes? Watch this technique in action:
In general, it is better if water doesn’t reach the leaves of indoor succulents. It can decay if left on a leaf for an extended period of time.
Use a squeeze bottle or a tiny watering can with a nozzle (this one is great) (like the one in this super handy tool kit).
For outdoor succulents, where there is more breeze and the water will dry off more quickly, this is less of a problem.
If at all feasible, simply saturate the soil around your succulents with water. UNTIL the dirt has completely dried from the top of the pot to the bottom, DO NOT water your succulents again.