Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Succulent 101


Don't you just love a low-maintenance houseplant?

While shopping in a big box store's garden centre (shh!), I spotted a selection of larger-than-I've seen-in-real-life succulents. Score! After choosing two brand new succulents to bring home with me, I seized the opportunity to put them in new pots before even bringing them inside. I stopped at the dollar store and picked out two simple, modern yet classic containers to re-pot them into. $1.25 per container, can't go wrong with that. Take a look!

That guy in the front? I've had him for almost two years, just repotted him at the same time.
I love the simple, graphic look of a succulent. There are so many varieties out there, too - you could have a house full of different ones. Succulents are extremely low maintenance! They grow fairly slowly, so they don't require frequent repotting. Plants are pretty smart - most of the time they will only grow to the size of the vessel that they are contained in. A little like the pond-sized goldfish deal, if you've heard of such a tale.


Succulents require a mix of soil and sand, so don't go potting them in standard potting soil. Most of the time you can find the mix at a good garden centre, and if you can't find it, the shop can mix some up for you!

Succulents require very little water. It's hard to say how often to water them, but on average, every three weeks or so. When the plant doesn't feel as rigid and gives a little when you squeeze it, it needs to be watered. The most important thing is to remember to not over-water the plant. Over-watering will cause it to rot, and you will be one sad plant owner.


There! Did you learn a thing or two about succulents? I hope that I helped! If you haven't started a houseplant adventure, buying a succulent is a great place to start.

Happy Tuesday!

2 comments:

  1. Oooh...I love succulents! unfortunately, I've never looked into watering them properly...lol. We just left one outside that got really waterlogged in our weather, but it's good to know that they are friendly to my forget-to-water-the-plants-for-weeks schedule! :)

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    Replies
    1. michelle, they're my absolute favourite. they hate to be over-watered, so they are my perfect houseplant :)

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