Growing Indoor Succulents Guide

Hey guys welcome back to my channel. Today’s video is going to be all about growing succulents indoors so let’s go ahead and get started.

Easy Care Succulents for Growing Indoors

So when it comes to growing succulents indoors one of my first choices are Haworthias. Haworthias are really easy to care for and they can handle low light situations and another good thing about Haworthias that they stay very compact. So they hold their really pretty kind of rosette shapes without stretching out too much you know without kind of getting that etiolated look. So the Haworthis attenuata or the Zebra Plant is a really good one to grow inside. It’s very easy to care for. Also this one this is Haworthia cymbiformis. It’s got really thick fleshy leaves and has a really pretty rosette formation and also puts out a lot of pups.

So these are both really easy to grow inside and they’re widely available at most garden centers or nurseries. So these are just two examples of Haworthias that I grow inside my house but there’s so many more out there so many different types of Haworthias you can grow inside. Gasteraloes, and three different types of aloes. There’s also like the Jade Plant, the Crassula ovata that’s a really good one. They also call it the Money Plant or Money Tree. They can grow inside and that can be a really cool looking one, it can look like a little bonsai tree. There’s also certain types of Kalanchoes or [unknown word] you can grow inside as well as certain Aeoniums.

And the Fairy Castle Cactus is a great one for growing inside because it’s very low-maintenance it’s not super sensitive to being you know over or under watered. So it’s a really great one to start out with especially if you’re just getting into growing cacti and you want to have them inside the house.

Then here’s an example of a succulent that is typically grown outdoors this is the Euphorbia Firestick and when it’s grown in full sun it’s going to get really colorful to go bright coral and peaches it’s really pretty. So that one is typically grown outdoors but you can also grow this inside as long as you have enough bright indirect lighting but when you have it inside it will turn all green rather than having those bright coral tips on it like when it’s growing out in the full sun. So it’s just a good example of a succulent that can go either way and it’s just going to change the color of it. But as long as you don’t mind that I should really like when it’s all green I think it’s pretty both ways and so I’ll just grow this back here on my desk or out on my coffee table or in a plant holder and it just has a really pretty sculptural kind of aesthetic to it.

Growing Full-sun Succulents Indoors

Echeverias are definitely one of the most popular types of succulents because they have that really pretty rosette formation. They’re absolutely gorgeous they come in all different colors but it’s very tempting to want to grow them inside. Unfortunately, Echeverias are very sensitive to light and they do need a lot of sunlight. So one tip that I recommend, if you do want to try to get away with growing a true full sun succulent inside the house, is definitely rotate your plants at least twice a week. So that way if you are growing your Echeveria inside the house say if I had it you know on my desk back here or something then you know twice a week I would go ahead and switch it out with another plant that I have growing outside. And also even within the Echeverias family, there are different ones that can grow inside easier than others.

So like this green one here, this one can grow inside easier than some of the more colorful ones so like the pastel gray ones, the succulents that have a lot of natural white farina on them. The white farina is the powdery coating on the leaves that acts as a natural sunscreen so those have evolved to be able to handle a lot of sun and they do prefer getting out in the sun quite a lot. So I wouldn’t try to grow one of these you know really pretty pastel gray ones inside the house because it’ll definitely start getting stretched out. Actually, these are really sensitive to etiolation and that’s the stretching of the stem and they’ll start kind of losing that really pretty tight rosette. So when you start to see that happening try to catch it beforehand, of course, but if you do start to see that happening you’ll know the problem. You’ll know that they just need more sunlight so think of sunlight as your succulent’s food it needs enough of that food to stay healthy and vibrant and grow really well.

So lighting is super important too and if you keep them in a dark or dingy space then their health can definitely start declining pretty rapidly. So the etiolation or stretching of the stem can happen to a lot of different types of succulents especially if you have to overwinter them. If you’re having to bring succulents that are normally outside inside for the winter to protect them from frost or what not they can end up you know stretching out and we can always talk about you know how we propagate those in another video.

But you can definitely just you know chop off the tops where the rosette is still nice. Chop that off remove some extra leaves and you can always let that callus over and repot it. But we can do that in another video.

But just a tip for the etiolation just keep an eye on that. That’s definitely a sign that your succulent is not receiving enough light. Another sign that your succulent isn’t getting enough light is if its leaves start to kind of drop open and go flatter. It shows it’s trying to kind of catch more light. So if it’s not the type of succulent that can stretch its stem out and it’s going to open its leaves up as wide as it can to catch more light.

Succulent Potting Soil

You want to choose a cactus and succulent soil it’s going to be grittier it’s going to be fast draining and you can purchase just a commercial bag at any garden center or nursery. Or you can mix up your own. I actually made a whole video on how I mix up my cactus and succulent mix and so I will post that link down below if you want to check that out for more information and details. So for soil, you want it made for cactus and succulents you want it to be super fast draining nice and gritty so that it doesn’t hold too much water and cause root rot for your cactus or succulent.

Repotting Succulents

So anytime you’re repotting succulents or cactus you want to repot from dry soil into dry soil and then don’t water for a few days at least. I actually like to wait about a week before I water my succulents that have just been repotted and the reason for that is because if you’re repotting in you know from wet soil or into wet soil or you can water it right away it has more chance of getting root rot. So anytime you’re repotting roots they are bound to break. So basically think of those broken roots as open wounds and when it’s in the soil as wet and soggy those wounds are more prone to getting bacteria and getting root rot going and that’s not good. So it’s always better to repot from dry soil into dry soil and then give it you know a few days to a week before you go ahead and water.

Watering Succulents

So one question I get from you guys pretty often is when to water and how much to water. So just to give you an idea of my watering schedule basically I water my indoor succulents about once every two to three weeks depending upon you know how hot and dry it is. Usually, it’s pretty humid out here so I don’t have to water too often. The soil isn’t drying out super quickly inside the house here definitely not as fast as they dry out when they’re outside and all that you know fresh air all the time and the wind and the sunlight that dries out a lot faster. So I definitely have to water my outdoor plants a lot more often than my indoor plants.

So for watering, I water until there is water coming through the drainage hole and that’s another tip is make sure that your pot has a drainage hole. Otherwise, salts can build up in there and you can end up with an unhealthy succulent over time.

Now in some cases you might have a terrarium you know maybe it’s glass and there is no drainage hole and so your succulents can grow in there for a long time and be pretty happy as long as you don’t overwater it. So if you have a terrarium that has like just glass bottom and there’s no drainage hole in it I like to water with a syringe and you can find bigger syringes than this. I just already had this so I’ll kind of press it in because the sand tends to soak up a lot of water so I try to get right under the sand to where it’s going to hit down in the soil near the roots and I will just go ahead and water that you know like three or four little syringes of water all around the base of the little agave.

So when it comes to watering your succulents you want the soil to be able to dry out in between watering. Not a completely bone dry but definitely let it dry out to the point of like a wrung out sponge. You can detect a little bit of moistness but definitely not wet right. So you want to water when it gets to that point. It’s better to you know if you’re unsure to just go ahead and skip watering until you’re absolutely sure that it needs water because like I said if it gets watered too much that’s the fastest way to kill it.

It’s okay if it misses a watering here or there so being underwater is better than being over watered because at least you have a chance to you know plump it back up again once it gets that water it’s going to be looking fresh and you know beautiful and plump all over again. Whereas if it gets too much water it’s going to probably shrivel up and get mushy pretty quickly get root rot and it’ll be a goner before you even know what’s going on.

Troubleshooting Succulents

If you can kind of get in the habit of just looking at your succulent and sort of getting to know it they will give you signs of what’s going on inside so if you see a little bit of say like a little bit of wrinkling maybe the leaves aren’t looking quite as plump and full that can be due to under watering. So just for example on a Echeveria if it’s leaves start to kind of curl up and they’re looking just a bit thinner than normal then that can be due to under watering and if they start to get sort of like yellow and mushy they can still have like a little bit of shriveling going on but it’s more like a mushy kind of shriveling especially down towards the bottom near the soil. So if you’re seeing yellowing kind of mushy leaves that can be due to over watering so your succulent will definitely kind of communicate to you in that way by what it looks like it will let you know what’s going on.

I’ve also gotten some questions from you guys about your succulents losing their leaves and it is completely normal for your succulents to lose their lower leaves. So if you see like any of the very bottom leaves can you know shriveling up or drying up then that’s okay. That’s totally normal for them to shed those lower leaves because they’re always producing new leaves from the top. So yeah totally normal if your succulents are losing those lower leaves you know if they’re just kind of slowly you know drying and shriveling and then dropping off or if they’re kind of still stuck on there you just don’t like the look of them you can go and pull those away too and just kind of you know groom them under there.

So if you have lost a succulent don’t feel bad just start again and try again and then once you realize like okay now I know what happened to that succulent and you know now I realize like maybe I overwatered it or something or maybe it wasn’t getting enough light or a combination of the two. That can really be like a major factor with killing succulents pretty quickly is the combination of not getting too dry out fast enough the soil not drying out so it’s not getting enough light it’s maybe in a dark location its soil is staying wet for too long because of that it’s not getting enough aeration. So again the soil isn’t able to dry out fast enough and then it’s getting over watered so it’s like that combination can kill a lot of succulents pretty quickly especially if they are growing indoors. So keep that in mind but don’t feel bad if you do this.

Secondly, it happens to all of us. I know I’ve lost a few, especially in the beginning when I was getting used to growing them and learning about them. But once you get the hang of it they’re really cool plants and are really fun to grow and they can be really cute you know decor pieces for inside your house as long as you choose the right ones and you’re able to give them the right conditions that they need.

Alright, guys so those are my main tips for keeping your succulents happy and healthy and growing them indoors successfully. So just a quick recap of what we went over. Your soil you want fast draining gritty soil. Grittier is going to make the soil be very fast draining and so that way it’s not going to be retaining too much water. If it retains too much water it’s going to cause a lot of sogginess and succulents don’t like to have soggy feet. So let that soil dry out in between watering and then give them a good amount of water enough where it’s going to run through the bottom of the pot.

And then when it comes to lighting make sure they’re getting enough light. They’re going to let you know pretty quickly if they’re not happy. Their health is going to start to decline if they don’t get enough light because remember that sunlight, that bright light is their food and they need that photosynthesis to be healthy. So soil, light, water, and aeration are all needed. They need a good you know airflow happening that’s also going to help the soil be able to dry out and not be like too soggy and too damp.

If you’re in a humid condition you’re not going to need to water as often. If you’re in a dry or very hot area you know climate then you may need to water them a little more often. So try to avoid keeping any succulents in a darker dingy area. They’re going to need at least a good amount of bright indirect light coming in on them. If you do keep them on a windowsill for example if it’s a sunny windowsill make sure that it’s like only sunny during the morning time. On high noon sun and afternoon like hot afternoon sun can end up sun burning your succulents. So if they’re still standing in a window because the glass kind of magnifies that sun.

So I think that’s all that I can think of right now guys.

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