Succulent Soil & Pots
Succulent Soil: What Makes a Good Mix
What a succulent mix should contain and why: the ingredients that hold water, the ones that open the mix, a starting ratio to adjust for your home, and two quick tests for drainage.
Guides
30 guides published
Succulent Watering
How to Water Succulents: When, How Much and How to Tell
A reliable way to water succulents without a calendar: how to check that the soil has dried through, how to soak and drain the pot properly, and what changes in a cool, dim season.
Succulent Light
Succulent Light Requirements: How Much Light Do They Need?
Find out whether your window gives a succulent enough light: what direct sun, bright indirect and low light mean, a simple hand-shadow test, and the signs of too little light or too much sun.
Succulent Care Basics
Succulent Care for Beginners: A Simple Starting Guide
New to succulents? Learn the four things that decide most outcomes (light, watering by soil dryness, gritty soil and a drainage hole) and what to do in the first two weeks with a new plant.
Seasonal Succulent Care
Succulent Care in Winter: Light, Water and Cold Windows
How to get indoor succulents through winter: find the brightest window, water far less and only after checking the soil, protect leaves from cold glass and heaters, and bring outdoor pots in before frost.
Indoor Succulents
Succulent Care While You Are on Vacation
What to do with your succulents before a trip, what to tell a plant sitter, why watering gadgets are a poor fit, and how to assess your plants when you return.
Seasonal Succulent Care
Succulent Dormancy: How Growth Changes With the Seasons
Why succulents slow down at certain times of year, how warm-season and cool-season growers differ, and what to change in watering, feeding and repotting while a plant rests.
Succulent Problems
Succulent Pests: Mealybugs, Fungus Gnats and Other Visitors
How to tell mealybugs, fungus gnats, spider mites, scale and aphids apart on succulents, and the calm first steps to take: isolate, remove by hand and adjust conditions.
Succulent Care Basics
How to Clean Succulents: Dust, Dead Leaves and Water Spots
A gentle routine for dusting succulents, removing dry leaves and handling water spots, with the right method for smooth, powdery and fuzzy leaves.
Succulent Care Basics
Fertilizing Succulents: A Light-Touch Guide
Succulents need far less feeding than most houseplants, and often none. Learn when a light feed helps, when to skip it, and how to spot and flush out a buildup.
Succulent Care Guides
Haworthia Care: An Easy Succulent for Lower Light
A plant guide to zebra haworthia and its relatives: the bright indirect light they prefer, how to water thick roots that dislike wet soil, the small pots and gritty mix that suit them, and what offsets and leaf changes mean.
Succulent Care Guides
Jade Plant Care: Light, Water and Pruning Basics
How to grow a sturdy, tree-like jade plant: the light it needs, how to tell when to water, why a heavy pot matters, how to prune for a thick trunk, and what to check when leaves drop.
Succulent Care Guides
Echeveria Care: Keeping Rosettes Compact and Colorful
A plant guide to echeveria: the strong light that keeps rosettes tight, how to water without marking the powdery leaves, the right soil and pot, and what flowers, offsets and fading bottom leaves mean.
Succulent Care Basics
Best Succulents for Beginners: 9 Forgiving Plants
Nine widely sold succulents that tolerate beginner mistakes, with the light each needs, one thing to know about it, what the ASPCA lists for cats and dogs, and how to choose a healthy plant in the shop.
Indoor Succulents
Indoor Succulent Care: Growing Succulents Inside Year-Round
How a home differs from a succulent's natural setting, and what to change because of it: light, soil mix, pot size, watering, airflow and feeding, plus a short monthly check routine.
Succulent Light
Where to Put Succulents Indoors: Windows, Shelves and Desks
A room-by-room placement guide: which windowsills, tables, shelves and desks suit a succulent, which spots to avoid, and how to keep plants out of reach of pets and small children.