Indoor gardeners always look for plants that can brighten up their minimal space while creating an aesthetic vibe. Succulents are one of the best options if you are looking for some low-maintenance and cute plants to grow in your indoor garden. Besides beautifying your rooms, these plants are widely used for their health benefits.
Succulents are admired for their beauty, variety in colors, artistic exteriors, medicinal benefits, and adaptability to harsher conditions. These beautiful plants are a bundle of joy that can live for many years with simple maintenance. Want to know more? Check out this article to learn basic guidelines about planting and caring for succulents indoors.
Benefits of Growing Succulents
Air Purifiers:
Do you know that succulents are amazing air purifiers? Though all succulents help improve the air quality, snake plants and aloe vera are the most beneficial to remove the toxin in the air of your home.
Toxin elements and gases like Nitrogen Oxide, Formaldehyde, and Xylene can be found in most of the products we daily use. By growing succulents, you can get rid of these harmful toxins and breathe in the fresh air that will element several allergy issues while improving your health.
Medicinal Benefits:
The raw pulp of aloe vera can be used to soothe burn or sun tan skin. Regular application of aloe vera gel on your skin reduces acne scars, and pimples while giving you youthful skin. Moreover, using this wonderous with coconut oil can give you lustrous hair. You can also drink aloe vera juice to reduce inflammation in your body.
If you are suffering from chronic joint pain or arthritis, you can make herbal tea with yucca leaves and drink it regularly to reduce the symptoms. The leaves are also packed with essential nutrients like fiber, Potassium, Calcium, and vitamins A, C, and B. You can sauté the leaves in the air fryer and munch them for snacks.
Improve Sleep Quality:
If you are not having a good night’s sleep, you can place some potted aloe vera or snake plants in your bedroom to improve the quality of your sleep. These plants also help reduce our stress levels and allow us to sleep easily.
We know that plants produce oxygen and improve air quality during photosynthesis. Some succulents are known to run this process during the night and purify the air which helps us to regulate good sleep.
Increases Productivity:
Indoor plants are always a great option to boost positivity in our minds. To soothe your mind from a stressed working environment, you can keep a small and colorful succulent plant on your office desk to cheer you up.
People manage to work better when they are in a better mood. As succulents help in purifying the air and managing stress levels, your productivity will be increased by looking at them when you feel exhausted.
Check out : 15 Ideas for Planting Shrubs in Front of House
Type of Succulents Plants
Aloe Vera:
Aloe vera is loaded with anti-inflammatory and healing properties that are beneficial to our skin and hair. Moreover, this wonderous plant purifies the air of your room while helping you sleep peacefully. They are mostly cultivated outdoor and indoors for their amazing health benefits rather than the beautiful exterior.
You can identify aloe vera plants by their green and triangular plump leaves. As they do not cope well with excess water, grow them in containers with several drainage holes to avoid water clogging.
Jade Plant:
The Jade plant is a popular variety of succulents that grow best in the bright morning sunlight. Thus, try to place them beside a window in the morning and provide them shade in the scorching heat in the afternoon.
These are cute plants with green plump oval-sized leaves and brown stems that resemble trunk woods. You can also identify Jade plants with pink or white colored small flowers that will remind you of stars. Soo pretty, right?
Burro’s Tail:
If you are looking for succulents that you can hang on the wall or balcony, you may select Burro’s Tail or Donkey’s Tail. This succulent is ideal for your vertical garden as the stem long stem grows downward from the basket creating an aesthetic look.
You can identify the plant easily with its long stems, small and thick bluish-green leaves, and deep pink flowers. If you are planning to grow this variety of succulents indoors, you need to ensure giving them exposure to full and direct sunlight. Thus, hanging the basket on the balcony will help them to thrive well.
Christmas Cactus:
With bright pink downturned flowers and green segmented leaves with round corners, Christmas Cactus is a beauty to brighten up your room during the winter season. You can decorate your room by placing potted Christmas Cactus in December to bring the holiday mood to your home.
As the plants do not cope well with direct full sunlight, you can place them beside a window where bright sunlight reaches indirectly. To prepare the flowers for the holidays, keep your Christmas Cactus in a dark place every day for 12 hours from October.
Snake Plant:
The snake plant works great as a natural air purifier that eliminates harmful toxins from your room. Their ability to boost Oxygen production at night provides you with a good night’s sleep. Thus, snake plants are one of the popular succulents to grow indoors.
You can identify the plants by their long dark striped green leaves with a yellowish border. You can grow snake plants in terra cotta clay pots and place them where bright sunlight reaches indirectly.
Echeveria:
If you want to decorate your room with pretty succulents for bringing an aesthetic touch, you should grow Echeverias. You can easily identify Echeverias as the green, gray, or bluish leaves are similar to spoons which are arranged like flowers.
This succulent can grow a maximum of 12 inches taller. For indoors, you can select the smaller size which will fit perfectly on the tables or cabinets. Echeveria gives flowers of various bright shades like pink, orange, red, and white that resembles small bells.
String of Pearls:
With small green pearl-shaped trails of leaves, this succulent can be a great addition to your vertical garden. This succulent looks better when they are hung in a basket or pot and the vines come downwards with small green ball-shaped leaves.
The flowers have a mixed fragrance of sweet and spice, which reminds us a lot of cinnamon. For healthy growth, keep the String of Pearls in a partly shaded place where the bright morning sun can reach. Shade is needed to keep them cool from the scorching heat of the afternoon.
Lithops:
Lithops are also known as pebble plants or living stones. These names are enough for describing this popular variety of succulents as they look exactly like some colorful pebbles on the container. If you want to add decorative plants to your garden, you should consider Lithops.
They are really small succulents that can grow up to 1-2 inches with two leaves in each plant looking exactly like pebbles. Lithops give flowers too! The flowers can be orange, yellow, and white in colors that look like Daisies.
Pincushion Cactus:
Pincushion Cactus will be the best option to grow if you are a beginner as it needs a little care to grow and survive. As this succulent variety is tolerant to drought, it can cope well with dry weather and heat. During the winter season, it does not need water to survive.
Starting from spring, water them weekly once when the soil gets fully dried. If you can maintain proper watering and provide bright sunlight for 4 hours regularly, you may see it bloom with pink, red, or yellow flowers!
Hens-and-Chicks:
Hens-and-chicks are used mostly for decorative purposes because of their lovely rosette-structured plump leaves. The leaves can be found in a great variety of bright colors like red, blue, golden, and green. Give the plant full exposure to the sun regularly to thrive well.
As they grow very rapidly, you can plant them in spring and watch them take over the container or pots with a beautiful arrangement of leaves in the summer. The matured plant can grow up to 6-12 inches tall and may give pinkish or purple flowers.
How do plant succulents for indoors?
Planting Succulents from Seeds:
Follow these easy steps to grow succulents from planting seeds-
- Buy the seeds of your desired succulent varieties, so you can good quality seeds. As succulent seeds are tiny enough to be mistaken for sand or dirt, you need to be extra careful to buy authentic seeds from an authentic store.
- Use potting soil that is well-drained and suitable for growing succulent plants. You may select granular soil that has a coarse texture.
- If you want to make potting soil by yourself, take a microwave-proof baking pan and fill it with soil. Microwave the soil for 10 minutes, cool it down, and it is ready to plant seeds.
- Take a planting tray with drainage holes and fill them with the potting mix leaving a 1-inch space from the margin. You can buy a planting tray that has several sections.
- Water the soil well and wait until the excess water passes through the drainage holes making the soil enough moist.
- Spread the seeds over the tray ensuring there is enough space between each other. If your planting tray has several sections, plant two seeds in each section.
- Then, you need to cover the tray well with a plastic wrap or clear lead to hold enough moisture for helping in seed germination.
- Place the tray where direct and full sunlight reaches. You can also use a growing lamp to provide the needed warmth (21 degrees Celcius) for their germination.
- Remove the cover once the seeds start to sprout. Keep the tray in a bright place without exposing the seedlings to direct sunlight.
- Once the seedlings have grown enough, you need to transfer them to larger pots that have several drainage holes.
- Use new soil to fill half the pot and place the selected plant. Add more soil so the roots are covered well.
- Give your plant some time to settle in the new soil and then water it.
See more : How to Plant and Care for Basil
Planting Succulents from Cuttings:
Growing succulents from cuttings are easy if you can follow these simple steps-
- Take a cutting of a minimum of the 1-inch stem from your selected succulent plant by a sharp pruning shear
- Keep the stem in a dry place for a day to heal the injured area. After the cutting area of the stem has completely dried, it is ready to plant.
- Take a clay pot with drainage holes and fill it with a suitable potting mix for the succulents.
- Make a small hole in the potting mix and place the selected stem ensuring that the leaves can not touch the soil.
- Keep the pot beside a window or a bright place for 2-3 weeks where the cutting does not get exposure to direct sunlight.
- To prevent rotting, do not water the cutting within this period. After the growth of a new root, you can water the plant regularly whenever the soil is 1 inch dry until it is strong enough to settle down.
How to take care of Succulents and Growing Tips
Sunlight:
Though succulents are drought-tolerant, it is advised to feed your succulents regularly with full and direct sunlight for 6 hours in the morning. The scorching heat of the afternoon sun may harm indoor succulents or seedlings. Thus, keep them in a partly shaded place in the afternoon where they can get brightness from the indirect sunlight.
Rotating the Potted Succulents:
As the succulents thrive well in the direct sun, you may consider rotating the pots regularly. Rotating will allow both sides of the plant to get enough sunlight. When every part of your succulents will expose to direct sunlight, they will get healthier and stand strong.
Water :
Matured succulents thrive well with less water. Succulents go in the resting phase during the winter and do need watering during that time. During their growing period, succulents need regular water to thrive well.
Check the soil regularly to notice if 1 inch of soil is dry after the last watering. You do not need to water if the soil is still wet. For the healthy growth of leaves, water the soil directly and avoid using watering cans to not spray the leaves.
Removing the Dirt from Leaves:
It is advised to clean the succulent leaves regularly to ensure their healthy growth. As succulents should not be watered frequently, you can take a paintbrush or a lightly moist soft cloth to clean the dust and debris from your indoor succulents. Cleaning them regularly will brighten up their exterior and make them livelier.
Mulching:
Mulching the soil is advised to prevent the contact of leaves with the potting mix which may occur rot in your succulents. Thus, you need to cover the soil well with crushed eggshells or pebbles to protect the leaves from rotting.
Pests and Diseases of Succulents
Though indoor succulents are thought to be protected from several pests and diseases, they are not entirely true. Succulents can get attacked by Mealy Bugs, Scale Insects, Spider Mites, and Root Mealy Bugs if they are not maintained properly. To protect your succulents from these pests, fertilize the soil once a year and ensure a sound drainage system to stop water from clogging the soil.
Diseases like Root Rot, Soft Rot, Dry Rot, Powdery Mildew, and Leaf Spots may also occur in the succulents if you overwater them. Though succulents are low-maintenance, you need to ensure enough air circulation, warm temperature, and less watering to prevent these diseases that affect the healthy growth of your beloved plants.
Check out : 20 Best Organic Fertilizers
FAQs
Yes, succulents are tolerant to occasional rain. During the summer season, the soil dries out easily because of the scorching heat. Heavy rains come as a blessing to succulents in this dry weather as the leaves get glowy and lively after being washed by the rainwater.
Succulents grow well in clay or ceramic pots as these pots allow air to circulate freely. Though these pots are heavier than plastic ones, they have a proper drainage system to balance the moisture of the soil.
Larger containers encourage rapid root growth of succulents which may create complexity in their vigorous growth. Thus, choose a moderate size of pots or containers that goes well with the size of your succulents to grow healthily.
If proper care and a growing environment are provided, succulents can live for 3-4 years. Some of the succulent varieties like ‘Christmas Cactus’ and ‘Jade Plant’ have a way longer lifespan over 30 years too.
To ensure the healthy and vibrant growth of your succulents, you may use organic fertilizer. Soaked and used tea leaves, diluted liquid fertilizers, or a 15-15-15 fertilizer mix are great options to feed your succulents with.
Eggshells contain Calcium Carbonate which is an essential element for the growth of succulent plants. Thus you can crush the eggshells well into powder and sprinkle them over the soil.
Succulent plants can be a great housewarming gift as these plants symbolize strength, persistence, and compassion. Thus, gifting succulents to your family and friends will express your love and well wishes for their future endeavors.
Succulent care for beginners is free from many hassles as these plants do not require a lot of attention while growing. If you can ensure proper sunlight and less watering, your indoor succulents will thrive into vibrant and lush plants in no time.
If you can follow these basic guidelines to plant and care for succulents properly, they will increase the beauty of your house and become a pleasure to the eyes.