How long can succulents live

Echeveria is also able to bloom more than once in their lives. Most Crassula ovata , or Jade plants, can live for over 20 years in the harsh conditions of the wild, but with the right care a Jade plant is capable of living for up to years. One of the longest living succulents is the Saguaro cactus, which has an average lifespan of to years. However, under the right conditions they are capable of living for over years. The most important aspect of keeping your succulent alive for a long time is proper watering.

Overwatering is the single most common cause of succulent death. Remember, succulents are drought loving plants so in most cases you want to water them heavily and let the soil dry before watering again.

To prevent root rot, you need to plant your succulents in the right type of soil. Succulents tend to prefer sandier soils as opposed to clay-heavy soils. Most species of succulent enjoy plenty of sunlight. Some species of succulent may also need fertilizer from time to time. Some plants may be fine with a simple repotting, while others may need more frequent feeding. It may seem obvious but protecting your succulents from pests and disease is essential in maximizing their lifespans. Common pests can be relatively easy to treat, as long as you catch the infestation in its early stages.

If the plants are not planted in soil and you begin to notice roots growing, you can carefully pull the plant out and plant it in soil. While growth may be stunted while kept in a tight pot, once replanted elsewhere and given enough room to grow, the plant should be able to keep growing and reach its full growth potential overtime. If you want to see the plant thrive, you inevitably have to repot to a bigger container.

The fun part is now you can pick out new mini succulents to plant in your mini garden once the other plants have outgrown it. I prefer to plant mine in soil because they seem to last longer. I also like using very tiny plants grown from cuttings, often leaf cuttings because they are very slow growers at first and will stay tiny for a long time.

Once fully rooted and established, I carefully plant them using cactus soil mix combined with perlite for extra drainage. I also like to use pots with a drainage hole in them.

Since these are tiny plants, it is best to keep them out of direct full sun to prevent sun damage and sunburn. If you cannot plant them in soil, you can use coir or sphagnum moss along with wire or glue to hold the plants in place.

I separated these two plants and put them in their own pots to give them more room to grow and spread out. They could have stayed together in the same pot for a few more months, or even a year, but I wanted to speed up the growth so I put them in their own pots.

It depends on the environment they are in and the care they receive. Typically, they last longer when planted in soil rather than when glued on or placed in sphagnum moss or coir materials.

When planted in soil, their roots will have something to hold on to and secure themselves. When the plant becomes rooted in, they are able to absorb the water from the soil better than when the roots are not holding on to something or are glued or attached to something. They also get some nourishment from the soil they are planted in. When given the proper care they can live for a long time, from a few months to even years in the same pot or container.

Caring for a mini succulent garden involves proper watering techniques, the right soil medium, and enough sunlight. Since the containers are small, they hold less water and dry out quicker. What I like to do is use a squirt bottle or a spray bottle and aim towards the soil and not the top of the plant when watering.

You want the water to get to the roots of the plant and not the body or leaves to avoid rotting. Prior to starting with the business, I have tested a lot of plants by putting them in a box and leaving them in complete darkness for up to 2 weeks.

All plants tested would live for two weeks without any major sign of stress, though I could see a loss of colour after day Ideally, we try and get plants to our customers within seven days as most succulents will look no different to when they were packed.

Succulents would survive even past 14 days, but the growth would likely start distorting. The leaves would grow larger and far apart, the plant would start stretching from the centre in search of light and on the whole it would become more fragile. After about a month of no light whatsoever, many succulents would start dying. Plants like these do not belong in dark places and will need over 5 hours of direct sun to look colourful and compact. There are many scenarios where you may need to keep succulents in darkness.

It could be sending succulents in the post, decorating a house or an office for special events, storing wedding favours, keeping succulents safe from a spell of bad weather etc. To not stress the succulents too much, limiting the time they are in no light to under 10 days is important.

As mentioned above, after 10, succulents will slowly start deteriorating. The plants should also be kept dry. Watering succulents when they are in darkness is never a good idea. What you need to do is to add fertilizer or other nutrient sources. Because succulents do not need nutrient-rich soil, it will be enough for the succulents to grow and thrive healthily. The second thing you can do is to add moss or coir into the driftwood. You can just attach the succulents on the coir or moss. These organic materials will serve as the main nutrient sources for the succulents.

If you do this, make sure that you lightly mist to provide enough water and also prevent the plant from dying. This is because the moss holds more moisture. So be careful not to overwater the succulent. In my experience, the amount of soil that a succulent plant need depends on its size. The bigger the size of the plant usually requires a bigger pot and more soil in it. If you have a small succulent plant, you do not need more soil. You can just plant it in a small pot that requires only a little amount of soil.

But generally, succulents are not like other plants that need too much soil. As mentioned, they also need inorganic materials to provide drainage and aeration. That said, what I usually look into is the type of soil I use for my succulent plants. Wrong soil will definitely harm the plant.

You can make your own soil for your succulents. In my case though, I order all my supplies from online stores click here to check my recommended succulent soil on Amazon.

A good succulent soil mix is the one that has a good ratio for organic and inorganic materials.