Succulents
Succulents, for the most part, all have thick fleshy leaves that hold water. They come in all different colors, shapes and sizes, and are the perfect plant for the person that does not want a whole lot of commitment. They propagate by cuttings, which means they multiply easily, and grow in dry warm climates.
Care
All succulents need lots of bright light. Some can take direct sun all day long, some cannot. The best way to treat your succulent, when you first take it home, is to give it bright indirectly light for at least 4 hours. Indirect light means that the actual rays of sun are not touching the plant. Then over the course of a few weeks, you can graduate your succulent to more and more light, including direct sun. Keep a close eye on it and find the best exposure. To water, give it an overall saturation, watering the soil not the leaves, and do not over water, just moisten the soil. If the container that you have it in does not have drainage holes, please heed this warning of over watering- succulents are very susceptible to rot and will die! If you are unsure of how much is too much, water sparingly at first to get a good feel of how your plant/soil drinks the water and how long it takes to dry out. Good rule of thumb- water when the soil is dry to the touch, meaning that the soil does not stick to your finger. Pick up your plant often to get a feel for how heavy it is after you water it, and how much water you put in. Also, if you have it in a container with cacti, please note that succulents take a bit more water than cacti do, so water selectively, sparingly and often rather than dousing infrequently. For temperature, most succulents need to be over 40 degrees, and do not like humid climates like closed terrariums.
Tips
Troubleshooting
If your succulent is mushy and black, it is over watered. If it is elongating, and looking really weird, there is not enough light. If it looks shriveled or the leaves look dry and brown at the tips, it is under watered.
Care
All succulents need lots of bright light. Some can take direct sun all day long, some cannot. The best way to treat your succulent, when you first take it home, is to give it bright indirectly light for at least 4 hours. Indirect light means that the actual rays of sun are not touching the plant. Then over the course of a few weeks, you can graduate your succulent to more and more light, including direct sun. Keep a close eye on it and find the best exposure. To water, give it an overall saturation, watering the soil not the leaves, and do not over water, just moisten the soil. If the container that you have it in does not have drainage holes, please heed this warning of over watering- succulents are very susceptible to rot and will die! If you are unsure of how much is too much, water sparingly at first to get a good feel of how your plant/soil drinks the water and how long it takes to dry out. Good rule of thumb- water when the soil is dry to the touch, meaning that the soil does not stick to your finger. Pick up your plant often to get a feel for how heavy it is after you water it, and how much water you put in. Also, if you have it in a container with cacti, please note that succulents take a bit more water than cacti do, so water selectively, sparingly and often rather than dousing infrequently. For temperature, most succulents need to be over 40 degrees, and do not like humid climates like closed terrariums.
Tips
- Always use drainage gravel at the bottom of the pot! Use a soil that has good drainage- meaning that it has sand, perlite, vermiculite, or even shredded Styrofoam mixed into it, or simply use a Succulent or Cactus Soil.
- Sometimes when a succulent has gotten too dry in a pot the soil will get really hard. When the soil is too hard, the plant cannot absorb water. Pay attention that the water is not just running off and pouring down the sides of the plant, the soil not absorbing anything. To prevent this from happening, you can break up the soil a bit with your finger, or put the plant in a shallow tray as you water so it can absorb from the bottom. However, you should only put a small amount of water in the tray, you don't want it to soak up too much water.
- If you are trying to propagate, always use a leaf that has been attached directly to the stem. Put the cutting in sphagnum moss and keep in indirect light until roots and a new bud forms.
- And lastly, for mature plants, the more sun a healthy succulent is exposed to the more vibrant the color.
Troubleshooting
If your succulent is mushy and black, it is over watered. If it is elongating, and looking really weird, there is not enough light. If it looks shriveled or the leaves look dry and brown at the tips, it is under watered.
Cacti
Cacti, for the most part, are thick round branch-like areoles, with no leaves. They hold water and are covered in spines designed to ward off thirsty predators similar to a porcupine's defense. They grow in hot dry climates and can go for long periods of time without water.
Care
All cacti need lots of bright light. Some can take direct sun all day long, some need to be weened into it. The best way to treat your cacti when you first take it home is to give it bright indirectly light, for at least 4-6 hours. Indirect light means that the actual rays of sun are not touching the plant. Then over the course of a few weeks, you can graduate your cacti to more and more light, including direct sun. Keep a close eye on it and find the best exposure. To water, give it an overall saturation of the soil, do not pour water over the plant. Do not over water, just moisten the soil. If the container that you have it in does not have drainage holes, please heed this warning of over watering- cacti are very susceptible to and rot and will die! They will continue to take in all the water that you give it until it explodes, seriously! If you are unsure, water sparingly at first to get a good feel of how much water your plant/soil drinks and how often. Good rule of thumb- water when the soil is dry to the touch, meaning that the soil does not stick to your finger. Pick up your plant often to get a feel for how much water it holds and how heavy it is after you water it. Most cacti are tolerant of extreme temperatures, but keep it over 40 degrees to be safe.
Tips
Troubleshooting
If your cacti is soft and mushy, it is a goner. Often cacti will look ok, and have the same shape, but when you press on the side the skin caves in, watch out for these soft spots, especially when you are buying them, and if you find one, generally it means the plant is on its way out. If you cacti looks like it got really big all of a sudden, stop watering it for at least 1-2 weeks, it is pack muling all the water you have been giving it. If it looks like it is elongating and getting thinner and lighter at the tip, it might not be getting enough light. If it is starting to shrivel back, it needs more water. Try and keep one of the two- light or water- consistent while you troubleshoot the other, this will help!
Care
All cacti need lots of bright light. Some can take direct sun all day long, some need to be weened into it. The best way to treat your cacti when you first take it home is to give it bright indirectly light, for at least 4-6 hours. Indirect light means that the actual rays of sun are not touching the plant. Then over the course of a few weeks, you can graduate your cacti to more and more light, including direct sun. Keep a close eye on it and find the best exposure. To water, give it an overall saturation of the soil, do not pour water over the plant. Do not over water, just moisten the soil. If the container that you have it in does not have drainage holes, please heed this warning of over watering- cacti are very susceptible to and rot and will die! They will continue to take in all the water that you give it until it explodes, seriously! If you are unsure, water sparingly at first to get a good feel of how much water your plant/soil drinks and how often. Good rule of thumb- water when the soil is dry to the touch, meaning that the soil does not stick to your finger. Pick up your plant often to get a feel for how much water it holds and how heavy it is after you water it. Most cacti are tolerant of extreme temperatures, but keep it over 40 degrees to be safe.
Tips
- Always use drainage gravel at the bottom of the pot! Use a soil that has good drainage- meaning that it has sand, perlite, vermiculite, or even shredded Styrofoam mixed into it, or simply use a Succulent or Cacti Soil.
- Sometimes when a cacti has gotten too dry in a pot the soil will get really hard. When the soil is too hard, it is difficult for the plant to absorb water. Pay attention that the water is not just running off and pouring down the sides of the plant, the soil not absorbing anything. To prevent this from happening you can break up the soil a bit with your finger, or put the plant in a shallow tray so it can absorb water from the bottom. However, only put a small amount of water in the tray, you don't want it to soak up too much water.
- You can also put a thin layer of sand on top of the soil of your cacti. This will keep the soggy soil from rotting the base of the plant. But by doing this you are also keeping moisture in the soil, so test to make sure the soil is dry between waterings.
- Take spines out of skin with hot water, tape, or dab some white glue on the area, let dry and rip off!
Troubleshooting
If your cacti is soft and mushy, it is a goner. Often cacti will look ok, and have the same shape, but when you press on the side the skin caves in, watch out for these soft spots, especially when you are buying them, and if you find one, generally it means the plant is on its way out. If you cacti looks like it got really big all of a sudden, stop watering it for at least 1-2 weeks, it is pack muling all the water you have been giving it. If it looks like it is elongating and getting thinner and lighter at the tip, it might not be getting enough light. If it is starting to shrivel back, it needs more water. Try and keep one of the two- light or water- consistent while you troubleshoot the other, this will help!