Succulents are well-suited for being grouped with other low-water plants in containers
- All cacti are succulents, but not all succulents are cacti.
- Care instructions for succulents are often generalizations and awareness of the needs of individual varieties will usually result in better results.
- Succulents are low maintenance, not no maintenance.
- Succulents are plants that have adapted to environments in which water was not available for long periods of time.
- There are three environments that caused this adaptation, the desert, hot and dry, the alpine regions, cold and frozen, and the tropics, wet and salty.
- Many succulents appreciate some shade or protection from intense sunlight. Most do well in as little as 2-3 hours of direct sun each day.
- Succulents appreciate soil that is well aerated and drains well. Coarse bark or crushed lava work well for this, sand does not.
- It is the nature of a succulent to be very efficient at collecting, storing, and using water. Generally, succulents are also efficient in their use of nutrients.
- Succulents appreciate regular feeding, but because of their efficient nature they are happy with smaller doses than most plants.
- Most balanced fertilizers work fine at a low dosage rate and no more than once each month.
- Succulents get bugs and diseases like other plants, so watch for signs of a problem and use your expertise to find a solution to the problem.
- Succulents, like other plants, will be healthiest when they get the proper mix of water and nutrients and the appropriate environment.
- The foliage of succulents is quite attractive. There are a number of things that can damage the foliage making it less attractive. Protect plants from snails, earwigs, and hail.
"Succulents are the conservationists of the plant world"
— Robin Stockwell
