In a country as sunny as Australia, it can be challenging to grow plants without tending to them regularly and having to use a bunch of tools and products to keep them alive. So if you’ve just moved into a new home or bought the land that was for sale and you’re planning on building your home there, you’d want plants that are low-maintenance but beautiful and can thrive in the country’s climate.
Succulents have all these characteristics and more, making them popular among Aussie homeowners. But just because these hardy plants are drought tolerant doesn’t mean you can just leave them be. Believe it or not, no matter how effortless caring for succulents is, some of them still wither and die without proper care.
So, whether you’re making your indoors a forest of succulents or you want a pretty succulent outdoor garden, here’s how you can adequately care for them:
1. Let there be (enough) light
Succulents are suckers for light. Depending on the type, they need around six hours of sun per day. Just make sure they’re not under the direct glare of the sun as this can scorch their leaves and kill them. You can do this by placing them on the sunniest part of your home if they’re indoors or somewhere partially covered when they’re outdoors.
2. Choose a great pot
You might think a pot is just a pot, but if you used the wrong one for your succulent plants, they might wither. For example, pots without drainage mean succulents sit on waterlogged soil. That can result in rot, which would, in turn, kill the plants. If you’re a beginner, terra-cotta pots with drainage are the ideal containers for succulents.
3. Use the right soil
In dry environments like Australia, the right soil can help prevent succulents from being dehydrated. Regular potting soil or dirt from your yard won’t cut it. Instead, get cactus soil or mix regular potting soil with inorganic material like perlite or pumice stones. These materials drain quickly but also retain enough water to keep succulents thriving.
4. Don’t overwater
When it comes to water, succulents need a particular amount of it that won’t make the soil waterlogged but won’t keep them too dry either. Experts suggest that the proper watering of succulents means soaking the soil enough that the water runs out of the pots’ drainage holes. Then, you can wait a week before watering your pots of succulents again or until you observe that the soil is super dry.
5. Get rid of bugs
When the soil in a succulent pot is too wet, it might attract bugs like gnats. Scale insects, which appear like small, brown bumps, can also attack succulents. These bugs either leave eggs or damage the plants and expose them to diseases. Prevent pests from making a home on your succulents by spraying the affected areas with 70 percent isopropyl alcohol.
When you do all the techniques above, you’ll be able to take care of your succulents properly. And as you get better at nurturing them, you can get more and beautify your property inside and out with succulent plants.
