Growing succulents: A step-by-step guide It's not surprising that succulents have become a popular choice among home gardeners: their beauty and durability make them such an excellent choice.

Technically, a succulent plant is anyone with thick, fleshy (succulent) water storage organs. Water is stored in succulents' leaves, stems, and roots. In addition to surviving in arid conditions, they are also adapted to survive intense heat and cold.

Adaptation to this environment has resulted in a staggering array of leaf shapes and leaf forms, such as paddle leaves, tight rosettes, and bushy or trailing columns of teardrop leaves. Succulent plants include some of the most well-known, such as aloes and agaves, as well as numerous, nearly unknown species found only in their natural environment. Cacti also are a unique subgroup of succulents, featuring their own care and appearance.

Whatever succulent you're growing, the rules are similar across species. You can grow succulents of top quality by following these general rules.

Light
A succulent should get six hours of sunlight a day, whether kept in or out of the sun. As you watch their leaves for the right amount of light exposure, some species will scorch if suddenly exposed to an excessive amount of direct sunlight, others will turn brown or white as they bleach out and the soft tissues disappear.

Alternatively, under-exposed succulents will begin to stretch, resulting in an elongated stem and widely spaced leaves in a condition known as etiolation. Plants with this problem will benefit from getting more light and being pruned to their original size.

Soil
Cacti and succulents require a fast-draining mixture that's specifically designed for them. Instead of succulent leaf propagation timeline specialized mix, consider using an inorganic agent such as perlite to increase aeration and drainage.

Alternatively, you can choose to pot your succulents in terracotta or clay pots to assist with drainage. This porous nature of the materials helps to disperse moisture and prevent root rot, which is detrimental to succulents.

Water
During the summer, succulents need to be watered liberally. Between waterings, it is best to let the potting mix dry out. kalanchoe flowers dying should not be submerged. If you are watering the plants during the winter, cut back to every two months when they go dormant.

Overwatering (and the subsequent plant rot) is one of the main reasons succulent plants fail. Overwatered succulents may at first plump up and seem very healthy. However, the cause of death may already have set in underground, with rot spreading upward.

Overwatered succulents develop soft, discolored leaves that turn yellow or white and become brittle.2. In this case, it might be beyond repair, but you can take it out of the pot and look at the roots. You can cut off the brown and rotted roots and repot them in drier potting soil, or you can take a healthy cutting and propagate it.

Under-watered plants will first stop growing, then begin to shed their leaves. The plant may also develop brown spots on its leaves.

Temperature and Humidity
It is not widely known that succulents are quite cold-tolerant. Deserts have distinct day and nighttime contrasts, so succulents do best during the cooler nights, when temperatures can drop to 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Temperatures ideal for succulents are between 70 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit during the day, and 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit at night.

large sedum varieties require a higher humidity than others. Generally speaking, they do not mind humidity levels slightly above or below 80 percent as a rule of thumb.

Fertilizer
Fertilize succulents during the summer as you would any other houseplant. During the winter, you should stop fertilizing completely.