Need some ornaments for your room but you have limited budget and space? Or do you want to sweeten your desk with some flower but don’t want the gardening work? Well, if you do then it is time to try succulents!
Succulents are plants that have thickened and fleshy parts to retain water in its body. The thickened parts are usually the leaves or stems and those parts are usually their ‘sexy’ or attractive part.
Planting succulents mean less watering needed since the plants naturally own the ability to survive in low water resources. Some of succulent plants are even survive only by consuming water from mist and dew.
In addition, they are usually can be planted in a small container, as small as your cup of coffee. So, it would be a nice ornament to be put on your desk or on the living room table because of its small size and it doesn’t need constant watering.
Do you want to know better? Let’s get to know them.
More Than Just Cacti
When searching online images about succulents, you may often find the images of cactus. However, succulents are more than just cacti, although all cacti are succulents. There are over 25 plant families considered as succulents.
Some of it are known as ornamental plants such as cactus, aloe, crassula, euphorbia, and agave. The ornamental succulents are usually planted individually in separated small pots or many in one bigger pot because of its small size.
May succulents come from dry areas such as steppes and dessert. Thus, they are naturally trained in saving water and minimizing water loss. That’s why succulent plants do not need often watering and instead it will die if you water it too often.
Why Plant Succulents?
Since there are many species of plants are called succulents, they also offer many kinds of different beauty. Some have pretty flower, some have beautiful colors, and some are unique in shape.
Cactus is one of the most popular ones since not only the shapes are cute, but some of them also grow colorful flowers. Some commonly grown cacti include golden barrel (Echinocereus), fishhook cactus (Ferocactus), cholla (Cylindropuntia), prickly pear (Opuntia), and pincushion cactus (Mammillaria).
Another popular succulent is the Echeverias. This small flower-like plant is usually loved because it looks like a little candy in a shape of flower that grows directly from the soil. The formation of the leaves indeed similar to the shape of a rose.
Some commonly planted Echeverias are Echeveria ‘Lime and Chili’, Echeveria ‘Perle von Nurnberg’, Echeveria subsessilis, and Echeveria ‘Black Prince’. What stands out from this succulent plant is its color and the shape of its leaves.
There are many other kinds of succulents which are as popular but it would be too many to explain one-by-one. Beside those two mentioned above there are also Aeonium, Agave, Aloe, Crassula, Haworthia, Euphorbia, Kalanchoe, Graptopetalum, Blue Senecio, etc.
Interested To Plant One (Or More)?
So, are you now interested to plant succulents? Before you do, there are some essentials you need to know for successfully growing succulents indoor. Here are some tips for growing these cute plants indoor.
1. Succulents can be easy to grow both indoors and outdoors. However, to maximize its growth and color, the plants need bright light. If you plan to put it in your room or on your desk, make sure it is near the lamp or the window.
However, succulents are also prone to sunburn, in the heat of summer you better put up some shade to avoid constant direct sunlight to them. Morning light at summer is still okay for succulents, but the heat of midday is not so much.
2. They usually can grow well in any soil, so you can just plant it in a cup full of soil and it will live. For better drainage, since they don’t like wet soil, you can add coarse sand or grit to the soil. But remember to not over water it.
Usually, you can let the soil dry out first before watering it again. No need to worry that it will wither because like what was stated above, its body is grown such way to save water and lessen the respiratory mechanism.
3. Also, if you plan to put it indoor, better choose the green plants instead of the colored ones. Succulents of other colors are usually better suited to grow in direct sunlight, so if you don’t plan to put it next to your window, you better choose the green ones.
Choosing the green ones doesn’t mean it takes away the beauty, instead it will give you a new point of view in looking on its beauty. The green succulents come in many shapes, so instead of growing a variety of colors you can grow a variety of shapes.
4. Be Creative in how you plant your succulents. They are loved because they can contain such beauty in their tiny bodies. If you have bigger space to fill and you have bigger pot, you can plant several plants in one pot and arrange it so it will stand out.
But remember to calculate the space needed for each plant, if your succulents aren’t getting enough space, some of it will stretch out and get taller than the other.
If you only want to plant one, you can put it in such creative way to add more artistic sense. Plant it in a coffee cup, plant it in a tiny vase, plant it in used lightbulb, just use your creativity!
5. As a bonus, you may propagate and experiment with it once the plants you planted look ready. Succulents are usually easy to propagate, as easy as just taking off their leaves and put it on damp soil.
After you propagate you may use the new plants to experiment with watering, soil, and sunlight. The plants respond in various way to any different environment they are living in. You may get various models of the same plant after the experiment.
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