Plant Care Information

How To Grow Succulents, Succulent Plant Care Info

HARDY SUCCULENTS – Sempervivum, Jovibaraba, and Sedum are winter hardy from zones 3-9.

Light:

Most succulent varieties need at least half a day to a full day of sunlight. In extremely hot areas, some afternoon shade is recommended. Succulents grown in too much shade will stretch looking for more sun. Growing succulents with enough sunlight will promote beautiful colorful plants.

Planting:

Gently remove plants from their pots and plant them making sure the soil level remains the same depth as it was in the pot.

Remember that our plants, generally, have been pulled directly from cold frames, where they have been protected from intense sun and desiccating winds. Slowly acclimate your plants and garden art by providing some shade and shelter for the first week. Add a few hours more of sunlight every couple of days. This will allow for a healthy transition.

Your succulents will benefit from a layer of pebbles or pea gravel spread on the soil around the plant. This is also very decorative.

Soil:

Succulents need good draining soil. When planting in the garden, make sure the area drains well and is not in a low spot that would stay wet. For container planting, you can purchase cactus soil or incorporate sand, gravel or volcanic rock into your potting soil for better drainage. The container you are planting in should have a drainage hole or you can put a layer of crushed rock on the bottom of your container before you put in your planting medium. Gravel or small pebbles spread on top of the soil can be very decorative.

Watering:

After planting, water in well and allow the soil to dry slightly between waterings. Succulents don’t like to have wet feet. When you do water, water thoroughly. Once they are established they will need less water.

Fertilizer:

Most succulents need very little fertilizer. Watering with a well-balanced fertilizer once a month during the growing season will be all they need.

Flowering:

Sedum all have different bloom times and colors ranging from pink, red, and yellow.

Sempervivums will bloom after the second or third year. A flower stalk will shoot up from the center of the main rosette with a cluster of flowers. The flowers on sempervivums are open, starry, and usually pink and held above the plant on a stem bearing several flowers. The crown that produces the flower head is monocarpic and dies off after flowering, but fortunately, there are always chicks produced previously from the base that grow in a ring around the mother plant to carry on for future years. After the flower dies, gently twist off the stalk and plant a chick in the space.

Winter care:

Succulents that are planted in the garden and established usually do not need winter cover. Cold areas usually have a snow cover for protection. In areas that are cold but have no snow cover, you can use balsam boughs to lightly mulch for the winter, but this is usually not necessary

Article by, simplysucculents.com/plant-care-information/