If you've ever owned a succulent, you know that while they are some of the lowest maintenance plants to care for, they still can be difficult if you do not have the best succulent care tips. Unfortunately, many first-time succulent plant owners mistreat their succulents, causing them to dry up from lack of water or die for other reasons, such as overwatering their succulents. Some people think succulents do not live long or have short lifespans, which is not the case. Succulent plants in their natural habitats can live up to decades. And even though you might not be able to replicate their natural habitat, your succulent at home should be able to live up for more than a decade; If you know how to take care of a succulent properly. 

Succulents - How to Care for them: 

At Succulent Club, we work to ensure your experience with succulents is enjoyable and rewarding. Knowing how to take care of a succulent or cactus is the first step in that journey. We will give you the ten top succulent care tips to help you enjoy years with your succulents. So, without any further ado, let's jump into the ten best tips on taking care of a succulent. These tips will include both indoor succulent care and outdoor succulent care.

Succulent Care Tip #1: Make Sure Your Succulent Gets Enough Light

It might sound like common sense, but shockingly, it's one of the indoor succulent owner's top causes of dying succulents. This tip is less critical if your succulents are in a garden outside. However, if you are like many other succulent plant lovers, then you most likely enjoy having your succulents indoors, and thus getting enough light is a critical succulent care tip. 

Succulents are incredible indoor decorations and can hold a touch of elegance anywhere in your home. But it doesn't mean you have to keep them indoors all the time. On a sunny day, if they're not placed in direct sunlight, bring them outdoors. You can put succulent plants in a pot under the sun for around four hours daily and bring them back indoors. This will ensure they get enough sunlight to keep them alive for a long time.

Succulent Care Tip #2: Avoid Glass Containers

Some people might put their succulents in a glass container to make a terrarium. Although some glass containers are specifically designed for this purpose, most don't. Putting a succulent in a glass container, whatever the type of soil you put them onto, will keep the soil wet.

Glass containers may result in soggy and watery soil that could kill your succulents and cause root rot. Instead, please put them in a breathable container such as terracotta or clay container with holes under it so the water can flow easily and keep the soil inside the container dry.

Succulent Care Tip #3: Water Your Succulent Properly 

Proper watering is a critical succulent care tip. How you water a typical house plant versus a succulent is radically different. Succulents require far less watering than your run-of-the-mill houseplant. The succulent soil and leaves will be your best indicator of how much water you need to give to provide the best succulent care for your little plant indoors. It would be best to dry out the soil between watering. If you do not water your succulents right, they can get overwatered or underwatered and result in a dying succulent. 

One way to tell if a succulent is overwatered or underwatered is to look at the leaves. The leaves will tell you which direction you need to go with the watering. If the succulent leaves are slightly yellow and heavy or if they fall off when you touch them, you have given too much water to your succulent. However, if the leaves are wrinkled and dried, you have underwatered your succulent. You can review our succulent watering articles to gain clarity and learn more succulent care tips.

Another thing to remember is that the amount of water you need to give your succulent differs depending on your weather. In the hot summer, the water in your succulents might evaporate faster, and they need more water. While in the winter, the evaporation might slow down, and you can water them less often. Once a week in the summer and once a month in the winter is good guidance. But if you want to check the water in your pot, you can easily poke a one-inch hole on top of the soil and see whether there is any water left. If the soil under the one-inch hole is dry, it's time to water.

Succulent Care Tip #4: Watch The Temperature Of Your Succulent

Succulents, while they look different, they are still in the cactus family, which generally lives in the desert. While they are pretty sturdy, they might also die if the temperature gets too cold (under 5o C) or too hot (above 40o C).

But, there's still a solution here to take care of your succulent. If you place them in a hot environment, you can help a succulent survive by giving them more water than is usually needed. And if the environment is too cold, you can help them by simply placing them inside or giving them a halogen light to keep them warmer. Succulents are beautiful and rewarding little plants. However, they require the proper care and a little love to ensure they have a long life. 

Succulent Care Tip #5: Rotate Your Succulent Periodically

Now, if you've placed your succulent in a spot where it can get direct sunlight, you must never forget to rotate your succulent. Not rotating your succulent may result in your succulent only growing to one side where the sun comes in and looks a bit dying on the other side. An outdoor succulent might have already gotten an even amount of sunlight on all sides, while an indoor succulent will most likely get it only on one side. So you need to rotate them periodically to help all sides get enough sunlight and grow evenly.

Succulent Care Tip #6: Fertilize Them Gently

It might also be common sense that your succulent also needs fertilizer. But go easy on fertilizer; your succulent needs less fertilizer than your other plants. 

Fertilization is another essential succulent care tip to remember. Providing fertilizer will help your succulent have the proper nutrients it needs to grow at optimal levels. Spring is often the best time to fertilize your succulents. 

Succulent Care Tip #7: Clean The Dust

For succulent owners, you might notice that your succulents attract dust easily, especially in the gap between their leaves. Some of you might not even clean them up or spray them with water because you are afraid to damage the leaves. But actually, this is the wrong approach.

Accumulating dust on your succulents might slow the growth of your succulents because they have less surface that gets hit by the sun. All you need to do is get a soft brush and brush them gently to get rid of the dust. Also, your succulent will looks much better without the dust. 

Succulent Care Tip #8: Keep The Pest Away

There are bugs and other pests that might be interested in your succulent. They might even colonize inside your succulents, causing your succulents to die slowly. 

To take care of your succulents, you can regularly spray them with a solution of 2:1 water to 70% alcohol ratio. By spraying this, you can keep the bugs away and prevent them from eating your succulents. 

Succulent Care Tip #9: Use The Right Soil

Succulents are different from other plants. They live in sandy soil in nature, while some of you might be using dense soil usually used for other tropical plants. The problem with overly dense soil is that it doesn't allow water to flow fast enough and makes the succulent die from over-watering. To take care of your succulents, you need to use mixed soil for succulents (the best mix is garden soil, compost, and pumice with the same composition each). And also, don't forget to replace the soil every one or two years because they tend to get too consolidated over time.

Last Succulent Care Tip: Have Fun!

The last tip we can give you is don't be too rigid about owning your succulent. The truth is that most succulents do best when they are slightly neglected. Most succulents thrive indoors and outdoors with the right amount of succulent care and not too much water. Remember our last tip, and please make sure you have fun placing them as decorations, taking care of them, and slowly watching your succulent grow. Because if you're not having fun, then what's the point of owning them? Taking care of a succulent might be challenging and hard for beginners. But when you get used to it, it's an easy and fun process. And the best part is watching your succulent grow slowly into a more beautiful plant, sure to bring life to any environment you place them in. 

At Succulents Club, we love these little plants. We aim to ensure you enjoy them as much as we do. Please visit our succulent blog, which covers a wide range of questions and information about succulents, and if you haven't joined our Succulents Club, we recommend you do so you can start enjoying your new succulent each month. We want you to have the best experience with your little succulent.