Succulents are usually regarded as a plant that thrives in heat temperatures. Nonetheless, with just a little additional care, succulents in winter can just do as effectively! Right here’s methods to overwinter succulents and maintain them thriving all 12 months lengthy.
With succulents on the top of recognition, there may be now an excellent number of attention-grabbing new vegetation out there for the house backyard. There are such a lot of lovely and ornamental specimens that you simply very effectively could have collected some succulents that you simply want to develop for years to return.
Some succulents are alright to stay exterior, whereas others profit from being introduced inside. Don’t fear, I’ll break all of it down!
That is how I overwinter succulents, each hardy and tender, in order that they proceed to thrive in my backyard.
What’s a Succulent?
A succulent is a fleshy-leafed plant that’s tolerant of drought because of the retention of additional water within the leaves or stems. Succulent plant varieties embrace:
Sedum
Sempervivum
Echeveria
Aeonium
Crassula
Aloe
Haworthia
Cacti
Generally, the time period “succulents” is used to categorize vegetation which have fleshy elements and an analogous want for some water, shiny mild, and a tolerance of drought. Whereas there are about 60 households of vegetation that fall into the class, not all vegetation in all of these 60 households are succulents.
As you possibly can think about, it’s tough to have a care normal for “succulents” as there may be a variety of vegetation that fall into the class.
Three Catagories of Succulents
That being stated, I are inclined to separate them into three classes and use these pointers to look after my vegetation. This enables me to know methods to overwinter them too. The three classes I exploit are:
cacti
hardy succulents
tender succulents
Personally, I don’t develop any cacti outdoor—I actually don’t have the correct local weather for it! So, on this submit, I’ll deal with caring for succulents in winter which can be hardy and tender.
The way to Overwinter Hardy Succulents Exterior
Earlier than getting began with overwintering, I clear up my vegetation and transplant the pups or offshoots into their very own containers. If I’ve tall or spindly succulents that I don’t love the look of, I take away the tops and transplant them.
Some winter-hardy varieties don’t want a lot particular care. The truth is, some succulents love a chilly interval, which helps them thrive for the remainder of the 12 months.
Winter-hardy succulents like many Sedum, Sempervivum, Agave, Ice Plant, Lewisa, and Yucca will overwinter effectively as much as Zone 5-6 and better. Once more, it is a generalization, and most of the varietals in every household may have roughly cold-hardiness.
If these hardy succulents are planted within the backyard, I usually go away them over winter and simply clear up the brown leaves or transplant them within the spring.
If they’re in containers, I transfer the containers underneath cowl. Merely inserting the pots underneath a bench, deck, or eaves close to the home saves each the pots and the succulents some put on and tear.
The way to Overwinter Tender Succulents Indoors
Tender succulents in winter similar to Aeonium, Echeveria, and Crassula will want a bit extra hands-on care throughout the temperature drops. Nonetheless, it’s price doing what you possibly can to guard them. These are fantastically ornamental succulents and so they can add a number of wow-factor to subsequent 12 months’s containers and tasks.
Simply as I do with the hardy succulents, I clear up the plant as a lot as potential and transplant any offshoots. It’s not price saving a plant that’s wanting a bit tough across the edges or one which has illness and pest issues. Simply add them to your compost bin and deal with the wholesome vegetation.
In case your plant is just a little bit overgrown, then it is perhaps price taking some cuttings and propagating these for brand spanking new, younger vegetation subsequent spring.
The Finest Soil for Succulents
Exchange the soil by eradicating the plant from the pot, shaking off any soil from the roots and replanting the succulent right into a sterile cactus & succulent combine. This can maintain the critters which can be within the soil from overwintering alongside together with your succulents.
Yow will discover my home made succulent soil combine right here. It’s simple to make and works very effectively!
Location Wants: Temperature, Mild, and Humidity
Transfer the vegetation indoors right into a cool location like a storage or basement that will get at the very least a few hours of sunshine per day. When the succulents go dormant within the winter, they don’t want 8 hours of shiny daylight (however in case you maintain them indoors the place it’s fairly heat, then they may want daylight as a result of they gained’t have the ability to go dormant).
Preserve the succulents in a location that will get sufficient warmth to dry out the air. In areas that get fairly a little bit of moisture within the winter (like the place I reside in Vancouver), I discover that an unheated storage or chilly house in a basement can have an excessive amount of moisture and trigger the succulents to mould.
I set my succulents on a north-facing window in a heated storage that I maintain a lot cooler than the home and they’re blissful as might be.
Watering Wants
When tender succulents have gone dormant for the winter they don’t want as a lot water. You can provide them some water each 1 to 2 months and permit the soil to dry out between watering. The soil shouldn’t be soggy or else it’ll promote rot.
With the following pointers, each hardy and tender succulents may have a pleasant winter’s relaxation. Within the spring, when the temperature warms up, they could look just a little bit scraggly. Pop them exterior once more, pull off any brown leaves, and place them out within the backyard. Very quickly, your succulents will probably be shiny and delightful once more. Let’s hope they even multiply!
FAQ About Succulents in Winter
No. Your succulents (and most houseplants) go into dormancy throughout the winter, and so they gained’t require any fertilizer since they’re not in an energetic progress interval. That is additionally why they require minimal daylight and water throughout this time.
It is determined by the place you reside, however the storage may very well be the perfect place on your succulents. If it’s chilly, you possibly can transfer your hardy succulents in pots into the storage, and so they’ll be protected fairly effectively.
My tender succulents are in a north-facing window in my storage studio under the bottom line, and so they go semi-dormant within the winter. It will get fairly chilly in there. As soon as I transfer them again exterior for the spring, they perk proper again up. Nonetheless, in case your storage will get tremendous chilly, it is perhaps too chilly on your tender succulents.
It’s very tough for succulents to get sufficient daylight indoors. I choose to place my succulents in an space the place they get just a few hours of sunshine a day, and it’s chilly. This forces them into dormancy.
If it’s heat, they gained’t go dormant and would require the same old 8 hours of daylight. So, if so, you wish to put them in a south-facing window with as a lot daylight as potential within the winter. They’ll most likely get leggy however ought to perk again up within the spring.
Extra Ideas for Rising Succulents
