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How to Take Care of Succulents

Whether small or large, succulents need your attention and care to live and grow normally. It has to be placed at a conducive spot, cleaned often, removed of bugs, among others.

But, you don’t have to water them often thanks to their inherent water storage property. Another great thing about these plants is they can survive in hot and dry conditions at your house.

At any rate, if you’ve bought one for yourself or have been given one as a gift, read on, here’s how to take care of these unusual but simplistically beautiful indoor plants!

1) Give them lots of indirect light

Give them lots of indirect light

Succulents need six hours of indirect sun daily, but other types may need more or less than that.

Bear in mind to not leave a succulent plant under the hot sun because it can scorch its leaves. However, you can acclimate them to it gradually in terms of light exposure and temperature.

To do this, you can change where you put your succulent or add a sheer curtain to your window.

2) Water them when they’re dry

Water them when they’re dry

You have to be careful when watering your succulents. Only do so whenever the top 1.25 inches of the soil is dry, otherwise, hold it off.

They also tend to drink more water during spring and summer, and you should fulfill that need—but just enough to make the soil moist.

On the other hand, in winter, aim to pour or sprinkle less water on the succulents. That will already do for them.

For both of them, water should come out of the drainage holes after watering to allow the soil to dry.

Alternatively, you can also place pots over a pan of water and let the soil drink water via the drainage holes. Once you gauge the soil to be moist, stop and take out the pan of water.

3) Keep them clean

Dust and dirt can build up on the surface of the succulent leaves, especially if you leave them outside. This can inhibit their growth and make them look dirty.

To clean them, wipe the small particles off with a damp cloth. Also, you may not be able to reach narrow spots or crevices, in which case, you can use a mini paintbrush to clean the dirt off them.

4) Fertilize them in the spring and summer

The right time to fertilize your succulents is during their growing seasons—spring and summer. Remember to only feed them a small amount of fertilizer each time, or the plants will grow too quickly and become weak. 

In case you discovered someone has overfed them, you should act quickly and scoop up as much spillage as you can, and then pour water over the soil to mitigate its effects.

5) Take out the harmful pests

Succulents won’t likely attract any pests unless their soil is too moist or overfertilized. These conditions are typically favorable to two pests, namely mealy bugs and gnats.

It’s crucial to get rid of them since they can damage the plants or cause them to develop a disease. To take them out, spray the leaves or soil, or directly at them and their eggs or larvae with 70% isopropyl alcohol.

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