Succulents usually take up little space and need a little watering, these features have made them a modern game to add a touch of color to our home. However, the need for these indoor succulents will not be the same as other groups of plants. Pay attention to them!
Succulents are plants in which they store water in much larger quantities than in the rest of the plants, and therefore an excess of irrigation can be fatal for this type of plant. You should also give them plenty of light but not direct sun and good drainage. But let's talk more calmly about it:
There are key boxes for growing succulents properly in our home and it is related to their need for light, water and food. Once you know the general properties of the plants, you will be ready to trade in one of the indoor succulents that we have chosen.
Light: The five we propose today are succulents that require partial shade in their natural habitat to develop normally. But we cannot confuse shadow with lack of light. Succulents need many hours of sunlight to develop, so they should be placed near a window and avoid direct sunlight during the central hours of the day.
Irrigation: Succulents store water so that they can survive in dry and arid environments that other plants find uninhabitable. Overwatering can be fatal to these types of plants, which by default prefer that we sin. The general recommendation encourages us to water only when the substrate is completely dry during the growing season and reduce it drastically in winter.
Sewer system. To eliminate excess water, we need to give them good drainage. The pot must have drainage holes in the bottom, and we need to let the plants drain well after watering, which prevents it from accumulating on the plate.
Substrate: Succulents grow in rocky and poor soils. The ideal is to reproduce these soils using a cactus substrate and mix it with perlite and coarse sand.
- 1 Crassulas
- 2 Gasteria
- 3 Haworthia Fasciata
- 4 kalanchoe tomentosa
- 5 Pachyphytum
Crassulas
Crassula Ovata it is a very common species in Mediterranean environments. It is a very compact bushy plant with thick stems and thick, fleshy leaves, often with a slightly reddish hue at the ends. During the autumn-winter it can primarily bloom and give us small clusters of starry and whitish flowers. It is important for its development that it receives a lot of light (the more the better) and that it remains in a dry environment.
Another type of crassula suitable for indoor use is known as "Gollum". You will recognize her for her peculiar tubular leaves that give it a really curious look. These curious magazines are what give it the nickname "Shrek's Ears" because of its resemblance to those of this animated character. It also develops flowers that are very similar to their family.
Gasteria
Gasteria is a genus of succulent plants, native to South Africa. Most species prefer light shade, making them suitable for growing indoors. Of course, you will need to grow them in a well-lit place and in the spring you will need to transplant it into a 1 or 2 cm pot higher.
Gasteria Gracilis and Gasteria Little Warty are some of the most representative species in the group. They are stemless plants with rosettes of tongue-shaped fleshy leaves and with variable color, from light green to braided green or light gray green. The flowers are reddish pink and if you are lucky they will be born between winter and spring
Haworthia Fasciata
Haworthia Fasciata and Haworthia Attenuata are the most popular in our home thanks to their rosettes of «Zebrada» leaves arranged imbricate and spiral. Both also have 30-40 cm long clustered inflorescences with small, whitish flowers with light reddish-brown bands.
These types of Haworthias work very well in southeast-south facing areas of the home where they get the most sun. They are plants that do not need an annual pot change. Prefer small pots where the roots are tight, so it will be enough to change your pot every two or three years in the spring.
Kalanchoe Tomentosa
Kalanchoe tomentosa is characterized by being a slow-growing, small to medium-sized plant with quite branched stems and oblong and jagged leaves. Its main attraction is precisely these, as it presents itself in its terminal region of the margin and top of the leaves, a dark brown color in forms of discontinuous spots that contrast very well with the whitish color of the villi.
Flowering in this species is rare and occurs only in mid-spring. The flowers are very small and are characterized by being bell-shaped to tubular with pink hues. Like the previous ones, it must be provided with long hours of sunshine. They can receive direct sunlight except during the central hours of the day in summer as it can cause severe burns on the leaves.
Pachyphytum
The genus Pachyphytum includes some 17 species of succulent plants native to Mexico. The most popular are characterized by their thick and fleshy oval leaves with a rounded section, covered with a dust that should not be touched as fingerprints are marked.
The flowers are reddish, bell-shaped, and open in the morning and appear in hanging spikes above the leaves. Although they are not the most precious of these plants; the color change of its almond leaves with the sun makes them really special. Place them in a bright display, but avoid the sun's rays during the central hours of the day.
These are just a few indoor succulents ideal for beginners. However, the fact that they can be grown indoors does not mean that they cannot be grown outdoors. If you prefer to grow them in your garden, however, check their hardness index to see if they can withstand the winter conditions and at home, if so, choose the best place for them according to their needs.