Succulents are fascinating and beautiful plants, but they require slightly different care than other plants. Do you want to know what are the common mistakes when growing succulents? Then we show them to you.
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1. Above the water
Probably the biggest mistake people make when it comes to growing succulents is overwatering them. When a succulent receives too much water, the roots can rot.
Your succulent may look fine for a while until one day you suddenly see that some of the lower leaves have turned black and slimy.
If you see any of your leaves looking slimy, yellow, or translucent, you may have overwatered. It is best to let the soil dry out before watering again.
The way to know when to water succulents is to pay attention to the soil. When the soil is dry, it’s time to water it.
To find out, stick your fingertip into the ground to see if there is moisture an inch or two deep. If there are, wait a few more days before watering. Watch: How and when to water succulents and cacti.
2. Using the wrong ground
The way succulents get their water is not through direct contact with their roots like many other plants. Instead, they absorb water molecules from the air. That’s why the last thing you want is for your succulents to be in soggy, compacted soil.
As you can probably tell, since succulents do not absorb water from the soil, the soil can stay moist much longer than other types of plants.
Therefore, you should not use regular garden soil, but buy or make your own succulent potting soil.
Soil for succulents should be porous, well-drained, and have a lower percentage of organic matter than traditional soil mixes. Ideally a loose, gritty soil mix with lots of sand and perlite or pumice. Watch: How to make a good substrate for succulents and cacti.
3. Overcrowding
No one will blame you for making a succulent plant arrangement because they are amazing to look at. That said, you don’t want to put too many in one pot.
Although succulents do better with close planting than many other types of plants, if you crowd them too much, some plants will be overwhelmed with lack of nutrients.
4. Not giving them enough light
Remember that succulents are desert plants. This means they want sun, sun and more sun. If you keep your succulents in a room with no windows or dim lighting, they may not be very happy.
Not all of us are lucky enough to live in apartments with lots of sunny windows, but you should try to give your succulents as much light as possible. This may mean investing in grow lights, putting them outside once in a while, or placing them in a sunny window.
Failure to do so will result in slow growth, droopy foliage and faded colors. If you have a sunny window that receives bright light for most of the day, keeping these plants nearby would be a great idea.
Avoid growing succulents in a windowless room at all costs.
5. Using the wrong container
Succulents should be in well-drained soil and containers. If the succulent containers you have don’t have drainage holes, they will hold too much water. This can lead to root rot.
You can turn pretty containers into succulent pots, but be sure to drill a few holes in the bottom first. The best materials are those that are porous like wood or terracotta.
Another of the main mistakes is planting succulents in a pot that is too big; this increases the volume of soil around the plant, which traps excess moisture, leading to wet soil and root rot.
Succulents also have shallow root systems and don’t need large pots. If you want to repot these plants, it’s always a good idea to move them to a pot one size larger than the one you already have.
6. Plant with other varieties
Again, the arrangement of succulents with other plants can be amazing. That said, you should only do this temporarily and not as a permanent display.
Although planting different varieties together sounds appealing, growing succulents with other types of plants is not recommended, as each has different growing needs.
Succulents require very different growing conditions than other plants. Succulents hate getting wet and many other plants need to be watered much more frequently.
If you wish, you can grow several succulents and cacti together, but never herbs, flowering plants and succulents in the same pot.
7. Mist the succulents (wet the leaves)
Many gardeners confuse sparse watering with misting succulents. However, misting results in the sedimentation of water droplets on the surface of the leaves, which further leads to leaf rot, mold and other fungal infestations.
Although succulents don’t need a lot of water compared to other houseplants, that doesn’t mean misting is the way to give them the water they need. In fact, misting promotes leaf rot.
It may also be interesting to read: Guide and tips for the care of succulents and cacti.
Consider the natural environment of most succulents. In the dry, desert climate, they do not receive water from frequent misting. On the other hand, when it rains, it really rains, and they take what they can.
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