Succulents

Succulent Plant Care

Giving your succulents the right environment and TLC will ensure they thrive and grow.

Light

Because succulents hail from environments with lots of sunlight, they tend to crave a good amount of UV rays. “At a minimum, most succulents need more than six hours of light daily,” Chad Massura, co-founder of the sustainable potting mix brand Rosy Soil, says. “Aim to place plants in a south- or west-facing window for the best results.”

The exact amount of light a succulent plant needs, however, can depend on the variety, whether you’re growing it inside or outside, and the climate where you live. “As a general rule, most succulents can handle more shade in hotter, dryer climates, and will need more sun in cooler climates,” Ryan Guillou, curator for the San Francisco Botanical Garden, says.

Masura also adds that succulents grown in low-light conditions can flatten and stretch in an effort to get more sun. If you notice your succulent leaning toward the sun, “try rotating your plant each month to help them stand up straight,” he suggests.

Temperature and Humidity

Because succulents are native to hot, arid climates, they generally prefer warm temperatures with lower humidity, though it can depend on the species. For a general range, Diane Glaub, plant arbor manager at the San Francisco Botanical Garden, says, “Most succulents prefer temperatures between 40°F and 80°F Fahrenheit and humidity levels between 40 and 60 percent.” Since succulents have adapted to desert extremes, they’re pretty good at handling both hot and cold conditions within reason, Massura says, noting that humidity is the bigger concern here.

“High-humidity environments quickly lead to rots, wilts, and a slow death,” he says. However, Massara explains, succulents can combat high humidity (as high as 70 to 90 percent) as long as they get plenty of daily sunlight to keep their leaves and the soil dry.