Succulent Simplicity
The most common problem people have when starting out with succulents is overwatering. Imagine a cactus in the wild. Where do you see it?—probably some sandy expanse, right? Succulents and cacti are typically desert plants, and as such they’re adapted to living in dry, arid environments. They are xerophilic, and aren’t used to receiving lots […]
Why do you need one? Sometimes your plants just aren’t getting enough light and need a little extra care. Most succulents prefer a minimum of 6 hours of bright, direct sunlight a day. When plants aren’t getting enough light they start to etiolate or stretch out in search of more. This causes the stems to […]
The other day I took a quick trip over to the Lowe’s garden center. Initially I was just going in to find a drill bit for a future project—hopefully I’ll be adding some drainage holes to some cheap ceramics and glass that will make great succulent planters. I’ll let you know how that goes in […]
I recently picked up this succulent at Lowe’s. It was labeled generically as haworthia asstd./haworthia spp. I’ve since been told it may likely be haworthiopsis coarctata, and a stop over at Wikipedia certainly validates the opinion that it is a haworthiopsis of some kind. The plant looked pretty crowded in its pot, and I wanted to separate some […]
Whether we’re talking about new plants you just brought home or one of your favorite plants starting to look sickly, a good safety measure can be to quarantine succulents. quar·an·tinekwôrənˌtēn/ nouna state, period, or place of isolation in which people, plants, or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infections or contagions […]
Why would you sterilize soil? Taking the precaution to sterilize soil can kill off insect eggs, fungi, and bacteria that could potentially cause harm to your plants. In my previous post, why-all-of-my-succulents-almost-died-and-what-i-did-to-save-them, I discussed needing to re-pot my plants because of over-watering, root rot, and an infestation of mealybugs. I didn’t want to run into the […]
What happened? A little over a month ago nearly all of the succulents on my porch started showing signs of deterioration. It started with one pot at first—my most recently acquired echeveria. I watched in dismay as the problem spread to my other succulents over the course of the next two weeks. Leaves were falling […]