Succulents make impressively rewarding houseplants, bringing many benefits to your indoor environment. They bring a sense of wellbeing and are one of the most aesthetically pleasing of all indoor plants. Succulents come in such great sculptural forms with added colour and texture that can brighten up any day.
With the challenges we have all been facing lately, as well as the stresses and strains of life, find your escape by surrounding yourself with amazing succulent plants.
Being surrounded by plants can greatly improve your mental and physical health as well as simply making you happy. What better ways are there to unwind than in your very own planted habitat? Having plants in your home can connect you back to nature, reward you with escapism and giving you a sense of place lowering your stress levels.
There are many reasons why succulents are one of the most popular and rewarding of all houseplants, their aesthetic beauty and low maintenance make them an obvious choice for any keen grower. As indoor plants, succulents are well known for their exceptionally low maintenance, from a succulent terrarium to a potted plant on a windowsill. They require truly little care and attention but reward you with out-of-this-world colour, form and beauty.
Caring for succulents indoors
Soil
Soil mix is very important for succulents, with your plants being indoors you want to grow your plants with a more open mix consisting of 50% peat-free soil and 50% grit or perlite. This nice open mix will allow the root system of the plants to become well oxygenated.
Why is it important to add grit or perlite into an indoor succulent soil mix?
Succulents need a good free draining soil mix to help encourage good strong root growth, adding 50% grit or perlite helps to open the soil and encourage the roots to develop stronger and deeper into the pot. Topdressing the top 2cm of your pots with grit or gravel will help to hold your plants away from the soil and give good aeration to the plant.
Indoor succulents soil mix
50% Peat free compost.
50% Horticultural grit or perlite.
2cm top layer of top-dressing, grit.
Feeding and watering
You can feed your plants in the growing season or if good light levels and warm temperatures are available then you can feed year-round. A good general feed can be used, or a slow-release fertiliser can be added to your soil mix.
Watering your plants its best to use pots with holes in the bottoms but if your pots do not have this, make sure you do not overwater and flood the plants. Succulents will benefit from a good watering as they are used to torrential downpours in habitat. Drench the soil and let it drain making sure that your plants are not sitting in water. Be sure to let your soil become completely dry before you next water. Overwatering and not allowing the soil to dry out between watering’s can suffocate the root system, so allowing the soil to dry out will oxygenate the roots encouraging strong healthy growth above and below.
Indoor Light Levels
In general, succulents thrive in high light levels such as a south-facing windowsill or bright room. Some genera of succulents, Haworthia and some varieties of Crassula, can survive in lower light levels but, like all plants, may still need some form of natural light to grow.
There are a few varieties of Echeveria that can become elongated and lose their compact forms as they reach to find more natural light. If you can’t provide enough natural light then you can supplement this with grow lights, this will give you the ability to create a display anywhere in your home.
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Succulents come in all shapes and sizes which include trailing house plants, so if you are looking for a small house plant or to create a stunning indoor planted display then succulents are the best house plants by far.
New to succulents? Then why not look at our succulent Gift Page where you can purchase these amazing plants in a kit form.
Want to learn more then check out our succulents care guide.
Succulents featured within the article, Haworthia limifolia ‘Variegata’, x Graptoveria ‘Titubans’ f. variegata, Crassula ‘Lucky Star’, x Graptoveria ‘Milky Way’, Aloe plicatilis, Aloe mitroformis ‘Special Form’.