Succulents

The Lure of Succulents

Succulents are exotic and easy to care for plants. We have an extensive selection of young succulents, and planters with mixed succulents as well. The range of shapes and colors are truly amazing. Here’s a few fun reasons to have succulents in your home:

Succulents are one of the easiest plants to grow, as they don’t need much care or maintenance.They don’t need to be pruned like other plants.

Succulents don’t mind neglect and don’t need to be watered regularly.

They are difficult to kill, making them perfect houseplants for beginners or those with black thumbs!

They can handle poor soils and don’t need fertilizer.

They are disease and pest-resistant.

They are versatile— for both indoor and outdoor use. In the home, succulents can be made into a living picture frame, grown in a containers, like a terrarium and more!

Your creativity is only limited by your imagination!

Most succulents can grow new plants just from a single leaf. Great for giving them away to friends, family or neighbors.

There is a wide variety of succulents to choose from, ranging in sizes, colors and forms. You will find a plant to suit your home and gardening needs!

And last but not least, succulents are visually stunning! These funky and unusual plants will make a bold statement, adding beauty, texture and drama to your home or garden. (courtesy funflowerfacts.com)

We carry individual succulents & planters in various sizes.

Caring for Succulents …

This time of year is a very trying time for us outdoor people. It is cold and everything outside is dormant. I need a way to satisfy my gardening urges so I have started growing succulents indoors during the winter time. These are very easy to grow plants that give me something interesting to plant in the off- season.

Succulents are very closely related to cactus. They are plants that have modified their stem and leaves to be much thicker. This is a survival mechanism for water conservation in dry areas. They differ from true cactus in that they have no true spines, some may have sharp leaf tips but no actual spines. This difference makes them a lot more fun to handle and plant than true cactus. The other significant difference is they are not as drought tolerant as cactus. Yes, they need to dry between waterings but should not stay at that dry stage as long as cactus. This more frequent watering and fertilizing makes succulents grow much more than cactus.

When planting succulents there are a few key points to remember: First they need a fairly coarse soil mix, Stutzmans soil works well (it is all we use here) or specialty cactus soil can be used. Do not use any soil that says water saver or moisture control as these do not dry out fast enough between waterings. Second, do not over-pot your succulents. This simply means they like a constricted root system so use smaller pots, or as I like to do put a good number of plants into a single pot. This keeps the root space limited and makes for a more interesting display of color, height, and texture. Lastly, if your pot is deeper than a few inches it is good to put a layer of gravel on top of the soil after planting. This will help the soil to dry more evenly, not just on top and it looks good too.

Growing succulents is easy too. Indoors they like a bright area out of cold drafts. If the light level is lower allow succulents to dry more as they are growing less. Overwatering in low light will lead to pale spindly growth. During the short days of winter don’t expect them to grow a lot indoors. When warmer weather gets here succulents love to be outside. They like a bright area but appreciate a little shade during the hottest time of the year (don’t we all?).  If you notice tan, yellow or indented spots on the leaves they may be getting sunburned. A word of advice, when you bring them outside I would put them in a somewhat shady place for a week or so to give them a chance to adjust to the UV rays in natural sunlight. Like us if they go from indoors all winter to the full sun outdoors the will sun burn badly. Once adjusted again, they will be fine. I water my outdoor pots very thoroughly about once a week. I fertilize them every other watering with Stutzmans all-purpose fertilizer. It is amazing how they grow and develop great color outside. Indoor succulents need watered less, just check the soil until it’s dry. I also fertilize at half rate indoors.

I hope this helps you to be successful with one of my favorite types of plants. We have a great selection of them at the greenhouse. Some of the bowls we already have made up are amazing! The colors and textures of some of these plants remind of something from undersea or outer space. Come out and see what I’m talking about.

How to Care for Succulent Plants Indoors

1) Use the correct potting soil mix. Purchase a mixture specifically designed for cactus and succulents or a good coarse potting mix such as our Stutzmans soil. Succulents will not grow well in soil that is too fine.

2) Water sparingly. Most succulents need to be watered only once a week or often even less indoors. Be sure to water thoroughly until it runs out of the bottom of the pot. Do not let the pots sit in the drained water. If you notice leaves on your succulents getting soft and exuding liquid, they are suffering from too much water. Make adjustments accordingly. Do not allow them to dry as much as thorned cactus, but let them dry at least 1 inch down into the soil.

3) Place a layer of pea gravel on top of the soil in your pot. This will keep the top of the soil from drying out before the interior soil, which helps to avoid overwatering.

4) Provide your succulents with the right type of lighting. Succulents like bright, indirect light, not the hot direct sun of a south-facing

windowsill. If the side of your succulent that is facing the window turns red, tan or yellow or appears indented, it is in a place that gets too much light. If new growth is pale green and appears elongated, it needs to be moved to a place where it gets more light.

5) While indoors, fertilize monthly at a rate of 1/2 the recommended rate. Fertilize and water more often during long, warm days of spring and summer.

6) Give succulents enough air movement, but keep them away from cold winter drafts. Place them so they are not too close together and the air is free to move around the plant.