Trendymami - Tired of Killing Your Succulents (Plants)? Follow These 7 Tips!

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Tired of Killing Your Succulents
(Plants)? Follow These 7 Tips!
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• Question. How many plants do you have in your
  home? If youre turning up your nose either
  because A) youre trying to avoid thinking about
  how pitiful all of your plants currently look or
  B) you dont really have any because,
  unfortunately, the rooms in your house are where
  plants come to die, this is the kind of article
  that has your name written all over it.
• Personally, we love plants. Theyre not only
  pretty to look at and comforting to have around,
  but they also significantly reduce the amount of
  air pollution thats indoors. Also, there are
  studies to support that they can lower heart
  rates and blood pressure too.

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• Thats why, even if you werent naturally born
  with a green thumb, we want to help you to
  discover ways that you can keep your indoor
  plants living well beyond just a week or two. One
  of the best ways to do that is to opt for a
  succulent plant.
• Whats that? Basically, its the kind of plant
  that feel thick and fleshly more than other
  plants (for instance, all cacti are succulents).
  They also are plants that tend to retain more
  water. Some are even considered to
  below-maintenance (yepnot every plant is
  stressful to care for).
• Ah. Bet that piqued your interest, right? Whether
  you already own one of these kinds of plants or
  youd like to give them a try, here are seven
  things that will help you to keep them alive and
  well beyond just a couple of days.
• Also, if youre looking for more planting or home
  improvement products, Ace Hardware is our go to,
  we highly recommend checking them out!

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Study Plants Before Buying Them.
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• A huge mistake that a lot of people make is
  buying plants before researching what kind would
  best suit the climate they live in as well as
  their personal lifestyle. As far as succulents
  go, if you want to go with indoor ones that are
  aesthetically-pleasing and easy to take care of,
  some of our favorites include Burros Tail,
  Christmas Cactus, Jade Plant, Pincushion Cactus
  and Ponytail Palm. We like all of these because
  they dont require a ton of wateringor upkeep,
  in general.

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Choose the Right Containers.
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• If you decided to get your succulents from a
  nursery, its always a good idea to repot them
  once you get home. Try and avoid using glass
  containers they make it impossible for the roots
  of your plants to breathe which means they will
  probably rot overtime. Instead, go with a
  container that comes with a drainage hole and is
  about 2 larger than the one your plant was
  originally in (that will give it room to grow).
  Check out our favorite pots Here.
• Have the Right Foundation.
• Some people only have sand in their succulents
  containers. The reason why we frown on that is
  because too much sand can become super dense
  overtime. When that happens, it can result in too
  much water being in your plants containers.
  Instead, opt for a mixture instead potting soil,
  sand and pumice. The best mixing ratio of the
  three ingredients is two parts sand, two parts
  potting soil, and one-part perlite or pumice. 

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Choose the Right Windows.
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• Succulents can be pretty finicky when it comes to
  how much light they prefer. Your best bet would
  be to place yours near a window that either faces
  south or east. Its also a good idea to make sure
  that your succulents get no less (or more) than
  six hours of sunlight each day. Oh, and you might
  want to keep them kind of close (but
  not too close) to a vent that way, they can get
  a little air flowing in their direction as well.

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Use the Chopstick Trick.
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• If you absolutely hate forcing yourself to
  remember to water your plants, this is one of the
  main reasons why you cant go wrong with having a
  succulent or two. Some of them can easily go
  days, if not weeks, without being watered. In
  order to know how much yours requires, speak with
  someone at a plant nursery or even Google the
  name of your plant for some specific maintenance
  tips.
• But in general, a helpful tip is putting a
  chopstick into the soil (think of it like putting
  a toothpick into a cake that you are baking). If
  when you pull the chopstick out, you see some
  soil on it, your plant has a good amount of
  water. If you dont, its time to give it some.
  (Dont water its leaves just the soil.)

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Pay Close Attention to the Leaves.
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• Its normal for leaves to fall off of plants
  succulents are no exception. Just make sure that
  they are coming off from the bottom, close to
  where the soil is. If more leaves are dying from
  the top, that could be an indication that youre
  overwatering them, there are pests that are
  irritating the leaves or that the plant is
  diseased in some way (a nursery can diagnose
  all of this for you).

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Fertilize (Kinda).
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• Succulents (especially indoor ones) and
  fertilizers have an interesting relationship. We
  say that because, technically, succulents dont
  need fertilizer in order to survive. BUT if you
  want yours to really thrive, adding a little
  fertilizer certainly cant hurt.
• The key is to make sure that the fertilizer you
  choose contains equal parts N (nitrogen), P
  (phosphorous) and K (potassium) and that you
  apply about half the amount of whats recommended
  on the package. As far as how often you should
  apply some, once in the spring (preferably April)
  and once in the summer (preferably June) should
  be all that your plants need on an annual basis.
• If you do thisand maybe talk to them from time
  to timewed be shocked if your succulents didnt
  last for years to come. And if you just dont
  seem to have the space for succulents in your
  home or simply dont know how to make space in a
  sun lit aredenia, check out our vertical
  gardening tips! Good luck!