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Eden Succulents

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Succulents have taken over the world for these past few years. They are really cute and quite lovable. Succulents are commonly used as an aesthetic boost for any living room’s appearance. These can also be a great addition to any garden arrangement and any outdoor landscape design.

It may seem easy to care for because of their nature but a lot of individuals have been facing problems when they attempt to grow succulents, if you are one of them, we want to help you and share our knowledge about them. In this article, we will be discussing how to care for succulents outdoors. Read on below so you will learn more information about succulents and how to properly care for them.

Succulents can be added to any garden or any landscape design. Succulents have fleshy leaves, thick stems, and extensive shallow roots that are used to store water during dry seasons. They come in different shapes, sizes, colors, and flowers and can be used in xeriscapes as they can tolerate hard freezes as most succulents experience winter dormancy during the winter months.

Succulents outdoors can be used as focal point plants and also be used for difficult slopes, patio ornaments, or be arranged in beautiful and lovely color combinations. Succulents can be planted in roofs, living fences, as a brush fire defense and even as homegrown protection for burglars.

Outdoor succulents can be either grown in the ground or grown in containers like this or planters like this. Some succulents need to be moved indoors when the cold weather comes.

Outdoor succulents

Succulent plants can be grown outdoors in a lot of ways:

  • In containers, planters, and pots.
  • As a succulent border
  • As a part of a rock garden
  • Used as a succulent ground cover

What are the Different Factors That Must Be Considered When Growing Succulents Outdoors?

Three major factors need to be considered for growing succulents outdoors: Temperature, Sunlight, and Rainfall. You must also choose the right plants for your area, use a succulent/ cactus mix soil that you can get here, and you must also consider protecting the succulents from the hot summer sun.

1. Temperature – Most garden succulents can withstand mild freezes such as Aloes, golden barrel cactus, Senecios, cholla, pincushion cactus, Echeveria, and Graptopetalum. Succulents outdoors can survive winter months depending on the zone where you are in.

Certain species of Yucca, Agave, Sedum, Opuntia, Sempervivum, and Delosperma can survive to be outdoors even during wintertime if you are located in USDA Zone 4 or 5.

If you are growing succulents in containers, you can keep them close to the buildings to help protect them from having a cold injury. Some cold tolerate alpine succulents and also including the London Pride saxifrage will not be able to thrive if grown in warm climates.

2. Sunlight – Succulents thrive when given the right amount of sunlight. Some species will become weak and will get leggy if they are not exposed to at least 6 hours of sunlight exposure every day. When succulents become leggy, they will grow towards a light source. Plants with colorful variants prefer getting more sunlight than their green counterparts.

When growing succulents, you must watch out for possibilities of them getting sunburn, fade, or get spots because of the intense heat of the sun. Humid climates can have temperatures above 90F and you must consider getting your succulents some shade during mid-day until early afternoon. You can protect your succulents by using lattice, arbors, shade cloth, or some plants that have fine-textured foliage.

3. Rainfall – Succulents are known for being tolerant of dry and arid climates. They just need to be watered and allow the soil to dry out in between watering while they are actively growing. Some succulents can survive in dry parts of the country and will only need watering at least every few weeks and sometimes more if the area tends to be extremely hot during the summer months.

During the rainy season, most gardeners allow their outdoor succulents to become dry before watering them again, while during winter months, the frequency of watering must be lessened to prevent rotting and allow them to survive low temperatures. You can cover them from rain or move their containers and place them under a roof that can serve as protection.

Pink petaled flower

How to Care for Succulents In-Ground

If you are living in a warm climate, you can consider planting the outdoor succulents in your garden, in the ground. Succulents are desert natives and they can tolerate both weather extremes compared to other plants. Gardeners have a preference prefer for these because they can help preserve water usage since they only need watering every few weeks.

When planting succulents in the ground, you have to use well-draining soil to prevent rotting because too much amount of water is not advisable when growing succulents. When planting a succulent you can use a 6-inch mound and add succulent/cactus soil mix then you can plant your succulent in the mound.

Succulents like hens and chicks tend to grow and multiply fast so make sure to allow enough space when planting it in the garden. Most succulents spread as they grow and mature. During hot summer months, you must water the succulents to prevent them from withering and dying out. Always check if the soil is dry in between watering.

How to Care for Succulents in Containers

How to Plant Succulents Outdoors

Succulents can be grown in pots, containers, and planters. When the succulents are grown outdoors they can be soaked by heavy rains, so you must use containers that have drainage holes. Terracotta pots like this can be used as they are capable of wicking away moisture from the soil.

Outdoor succulents must be potted using a succulent/cactus soil mix like this because well-draining soil can prevent the succulents from rotting. Overwatering succulents can also cause rotting of the stems, leaves, and roots.

Succulents in potted containers living outdoors will seldom need watering. If the temperature is extremely hot or dry, check the plants. If the leaves are shriveled and withered and the soil appears dry, you have to water them. Most succulents enjoy abundant exposure to the sun; while others do best when placed in an area with partial exposure to the sun or have shade.

Succulents, just like other plants need sunlight to live, you must keep them in an area where they get enough sunlight, and they may wither and die if they don’t get enough sunlight. They need sunlight for the process of photosynthesis.

Importance of Moving Succulents Indoors During Wintertime

If you are living in an area with a cooler climate, you must move your potted succulents indoors before the first frost of the season occurs. Check your succulents for any pests like mealy bugs so you can prevent it from spreading to your indoor plants.

When you have your succulents indoors, they will need exposure to the sun. If you don’t have areas that are exposed to sunlight, you can use grow lights like this.

Some succulents grow dormant during wintertime and will require little to no water at all. Other succulents continue to grow even during winter so they will need to be watered, as long as you keep the soil dry out in between watering. Make sure to research each plant so you will know how to properly care for them.

Succulents can also be grown indoors and you can be successful growing them by following our guides, make sure to check out our website EdenSucculents.com for more facts and information about succulents.

How to Plant Succulents Outdoors

How to Care for Succulents in Containers

1. Pick the right succulent plants. Some succulents can thrive being outdoors and exposed to the sunlight and some succulents prefer getting sunlight for a few hours, so they can be grown indoors near a window.

If you are not sure which succulent grows best in your region, you can buy from local suppliers such as nurseries, botanical gardens, and succulent plant groups.

2. Plant as early as possible before winter comes so you can allow the succulents to grow properly, during the first winter; you must protect your cold-hardy kinds as they will take some time to adjust to the extreme cold.

3. The soil needs to be adjusted to increase water drainage before the rainy season starts. You can add pumice stone like this to loosen the soil. You can add the pumice to at least the top 6 to 8 inches of the native soil to increase its drainage capability.

The soil mix can be firmed as you plant your succulents, you can use sand or gravel. Then you have to allow the succulents to settle for at least 2 days before watering and you can use a garden fertilizer with low nitrogen.

You can grow succulents in-ground side by side with succulents in containers in your garden. You can use a wood fence or stone. You can also complement your succulents with other drought-tolerant plants such as Poppy, Lantana, Oleander, Acacia, Iris, and Artemisia.

Check out the list of succulents you can grow outdoors:

1. Aeonium – This succulent is a native of North Africa’s Canary Islands. The Aeonium prefers more moisture and some species like the Aeonium ‘Zwartkop’ can thrive being exposed more to the sun than its lighter counterparts. This succulent forms a cluster of flowers and rosettes so they are often used in container gardens and bouquets or flower arrangements.

2. Crassula – This succulent is a native plant commonly found in South Africa. The Crassula have fleshy leaves and are usually arranged in different patterns. Some Crassula plants tend to branch out while others are low-growing plants that have thick foliage and can be used as succulent ground covers.

3. Euphorbia – This succulent is also known as spurge, there are more than 1000 species out there. Some species of Euphorbia look like a cactus, others have a globe shape and some can be used as a striking focal point in gardens or landscapes. The most popular euphorbia is the poinsettia; they can be grown into shrubs or trees in areas that have mild climates.

4. Haworthia – Haworthia is a native succulent plant of South Africa, this plant is filled with a translucent gel that looks like the ones produced by the Aloe vera. Haworthia has different varieties and comes in different sizes and the colors range from green to brown and some have colors that resemble the Zebra Plant.

The Haworthia prefers getting shade than full exposure to the sunlight and they are capable of growing during wintertime in milder climates. Avoid overwatering your Haworthia as it can kill them.

5. Graptopetalum – This succulent is commonly found in Mexico and the southwestern part of the United States. Most Graptopetalum species have fleshy white or light grey color that resembles a lovely cluster of rosettes. This succulent can survive a freeze and can be revived even after being exposed to low temperatures.

Graptopetalum

Are you searching for guides on how to care for succulents outdoors? You came to the right place! Eden Succulents loves everything about succulents. Our passion for growing and taking care of succulents drives us to do more every day and we are on a mission to share our knowledge about succulents so more and more individuals will become familiar with them.

We always aim to help and inspire others so they can learn more about succulents. Succulents differ from other plants and they need a lot of care, despite their hardy nature. To learn as much as you can to be successful in growing them and know more information, you can visit our website for more details. If you have any questions or inquiries, comments, or suggestions please let us know. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

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