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Plant care: Succulents

Plant care: Succulents

Succulents are some of the easiest plants to care for, so why do they have a reputation that says the opposite? We’ll get into that, and the most important tips on how to care for a succulent, in this post!

First off, what are succulents? By definition, succulents are drought resistant plants that store water in their stems, leaves, or roots, and because of that have a more “fleshy” appearance. They can be found all over the world… except Antarctica!

There are about 60 different plant families that contain succulents. Fun fact: cacti are also categorised as a succulents and some plants loosely referred to as cacti, like many varieties of Euphorbia, are actually succulents, not cacti!


Now that we know what a succulent is, let’s move onto how to care for these plants, and why so many people end up killing them. As previously mentioned, succulents store water in their roots, stems, and leaves. This means that they really don’t need a lot of watering provided by you. And by not a lot, we actually mean about once a month tops! The number one cause of death for succulents is, as you may have already guessed, overwatering. Yes, that extra love we so want to show our plants, really can kill them! So please, and we can’t stress it enough, if you feel like showing them some extra affection by watering them: don’t!


One of the great things about succulents is that they’ll show you when they’re dehydrated and in need of watering by basically shrinking. If you pay attention to the leaves, you’ll notice they appear wrinkly, so just watch them closely, and you’ll know when it’s watering time! 

Ok, so you’ve been watching the leaves, they’re looking nice and wrinkly, it’s been weeks since the last watering, and your succulent is looking thirsty…


How do you water a succulent correctly? In our opinion, the best technique is to soak them. Yup, you read that right! Simply take a bowl filled with water, and put your succulent in there for couple of hours. This may sound excessive after we just told you they don’t need much water, but allow us to explain why we stand by this.

Succulent soil is the most draining potting medium out there. It’s usually 50/50 potting soil and sand, which means that it does not hold any water, the water just runs right through it. In practise, this means that the roots don’t have a chance to soak it up, so when watered using the usual method, they just get teased by the water, but won’t actually get to have a good drink. So if you’ve been watering your favorite succulent with little sips of water, now you know why it always looks a bit sad! We suggest you switch to soaking your succulent every 2-3 weeks in summer, and every 4-6 weeks in winter instead of regular watering. This is of course providing that your succulents receive the best light possible…


Succulents love light, the more the better, and some even love direct sunlight if they’re used to it! For most, a few hours of sun a day would be ideal. As a lot of succulents actually live under a transparent shade cloth, even in the nurseries where they’re grown, they could burn if you put them in an afternoon sun right away. But you can easily train your plant to endure direct sun, if you just remember to expose it to the new conditions little by little, every day.

An apartment with southern exposure is ideal for most succulents, and if that’s the case with your home, you can pretty much take your pick! However, if your apartment only has northern exposure, we suggest sticking to more patient and low light tolerant species such as Sansevieria or Zamioculcas!


Potting mix. As we mentioned earlier, succulents love extremely well draining potting mixes that are 50/50 potting soil and sand. And here’s a little bonus trick: place a piece of mesh at the bottom of your nursery pot so your potting mix doesn’t spill. You can check out all of our high-quality substrates in the collection.


Important: unless you’re a certified plant pro, we suggest to never plant your succulents directly into planters without drainage holes.

These plants are, as we may have already implied once or twice, extremely prone to overwatering, and the lack of proper drainage can be fatal!


Propagation. Most succulents propagate easily by leaf or stem cuttings. Simply pluck the leaf or stem off, and leave them atop of the soil for a few weeks until roots start to appear.

Once your cutting is rooting, you can start misting it with water. When the roots are more developed, plant it into soil and water sparingly.

This is a very generic guide on how to care for succulents, and there are so many different kinds of succulents out there, that all have slightly different requirements. So if you’re looking for more specific tips on particular varieties, we recommend checking out our beginner guide for plant care!

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