I love succulents. Even though they’re “trendy” — I still love them. And cacti. I have always had an affinity for cacti, and loved growing them when I went through my “Southwest” phase in the late 80s early 90s.
Yes, I love these cute little plants.
But they are tricky. And complicated. And they keep me on my toes with worry.
I either water too much or not enough.
There seems to be no in between. And no margin of error.
It’s all or nothing.
Not one succulent has survived in my house. None. Zero. Ninguna.
The hardiest ones were the neglected ones on the back porch all summer with zero water.
I tried not watering the ones in the house. Epic, epic fail.
So, I’m just not sure what I’m doing wrong.
Now, I have success with my aloe plants. For some miraculous reason.
And this big cactus. They seem to be happy campers.
But this big one rotted from the inside with zero water. The little guys are still happy in my bathroom window sill getting full sun.
The Christmas cactus is another story.
It was ok for a while.
Let’s just say this is all that is left, and the blooms are a different color. How’d that happen?
I’m just not sure what I’m doing wrong. It seems whatever I try fails. It’s not that I have a brown thumb either. I have several plants that I’ve had for years, and they are quite happy.
But not these succulents.
I’ve tried *everything* I’ve read about.
Does anyone have any tips for keeping these things alive?
I would certainly appreciate your wisdom. And so would my plants:-)
I’ll be joining:
OMG Your cacti and succulent collection is amazing and your photographs are just great 🙂 x
I think they don't have enough light. Succulent needs to be full sun (half a day to a full day of sunlight), and indoor would never have enough light. Christmas cactus prefer less light (bright indirect sunlight) than succulent. That would explain why the Christmas cactus is doing well and not the succulents.
A good experiment to prove this would be to put a grow light on your succulent (I put mine on unused table/study lamp) and see if their condition improve. HD/Lowes sells one for ~$6.
-Sasha
"Unknown" has some good suggestions. Regarding what's left of your Christmas cactus (don't be fooled by the name; they do NOT like hot, dry environments), did you remove the pot from the metal urn when watering your "original" one? Never let water collect and sit at the bottom of the pot for any of the plants pictured. Christmas cactuses like slightly cool temps, too. When watering your desert cactuses, water them thoroughly. No dribbles or little sprinkles! However, do this infrequently, and even less frequent in the winter months. And, get them in the sun! When watering my cactuses during the winter months, I go thru the inconvenience of dragging every one of them to the bath tub and water the heck out of them, then let them sit in the tub for a couple of hours to ensure all excess water drains out. Three to four weeks later I do it all over again.
I agree with the other comments…More sun for the succulents and infrequent waterings, bright indirect and cooler conditions for the Christmas "Cacti". Water about every 2 weeks for the succulents in the winter, maybe a little more frequent in the summer months and for the Christmas "Cacti" try putting it in a cooler area of your home (mine is in my bedroom, near a window that gets indirect, but bright light.) And most of all relax and just enjoy your plants…we all really learn from trial and error, eventually you will find just the right routines. 😉
I also love succulents–and have for years and years. I agree with the previous comments. They are most likely not getting enough light and probably too much water. My collection is entirely outdoors and mostly survives from rain water. Somewhere, I read that succulents are the only plants that look better after you've been gone on vacation and neglected them than when you left! Try bromeliads, they have a similar "architectural look" and tend to prefer warm, wet, and shady. In general, all of my houseplants are either near a window or beside a lamp. You could also try African Violets, they love to be indoors sitting beneath a table lamp. Good luck! I enjoy your eclectic style.
I also love succulents–and have for years and years. I agree with the previous comments. They are most likely not getting enough light and probably too much water. My collection is entirely outdoors and mostly survives from rain water. Somewhere, I read that succulents are the only plants that look better after you've been gone on vacation and neglected them than when you left! Try bromeliads, they have a similar "architectural look" and tend to prefer warm, wet, and shady. In general, all of my houseplants are either near a window or beside a lamp. You could also try African Violets, they love to be indoors sitting beneath a table lamp. Good luck! I enjoy your eclectic style.
I love succulents also, mine do better when I put them outdoors during the summer months. This seems to give them the strength to get through the winter months of being indoors. I keep them in areas with as much daylight as possible. Also I water them once every two to three weeks. If you are looking for statements plants that ar easy to grow try the "Snake Plant" (Ugh, I hate that name). They are virtually impossible to kill and there is a variety of colors and sizes. And thank you for the inspiration. It seems that so many blogs out there today all look the same, but your style is unique to you. This gives the encouragement to not conform to the latest fads, but to follow my own heart for my home.❤❤❤
I agree with all the comments here. I absolutely love donkey tails, but I kill them every year and every year I buy another one. 🙂 After I learned how to grow succulents, I have had my donkey tail for four years now. I bought soil that is for succulents and potted them in it. I bought fertilizer for succulents and use it every time I water them. I do not use tap water because of the flouride. I buy spring water and add 80 drops of liquid succulent fertilizer to one gallon of spring water. I water them every Saturday. In the summer I mist them when it is very hot. I don't know if this works for every succulent but my donkey tails are long and thriving so much that I have given new pots of cutting away as gifts. Hopes this helps a little.
I love, love, love your long wooden box of succulents. My husband made two of those boxes for me that I use at Christmas. I think I will take your creative idea and plant one of mine with succulents. Thank you for the idea.
I know nothing about succulents, but have some that are gorgeous. They get plenty of sun, and are watered lightly about every one to two weeks. I also used spray fertilizer for succulents all last summer. It is a foam that I sprayed around and on them and they loved it. They grew lots when I used it. I just need to buy more. I let all my plants sit in the sun room during the cold months and on the screened porch in the warm months. Works great! Good luck!