Although a lot of people don’t realize this, succulents can be planted outside, no matter what the landscape is. After all, these unique and quite adaptive plants use their roots, leaves, or stems for storing water to survive in dry seasons, however, this doesn’t necessarily mean that they should simply be placed anywhere and in any condition.
This is why you might be wondering – how can I grow and care for my outdoor succulents? Fortunately for all individuals that are thinking about planting their succulents outside, the article below can help you understand what you need to do. So, without further ado, let’s look at the list of things you should do:
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They Do Need Some Shade
As we mentioned at the beginning of our article, succulents are quite adaptive and can survive in arid, cold, and warm environments. But, you should know, if they are small or if the temperature mark hits 90 degrees, they won’t be capable of surviving. This means that you should ensure that you put them in a place that has some shade and that isn’t directly exposed to the full sun.
Additionally, options that are pale or solid green are in most danger of withering from the sun, so, if you want to plant them in your backyard, it might be best if you chose to purchase succulents that are blue, gray, red such as the ones offered by the Succulent market.
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You Must Use The Right Soil
If you want your succulents to thrive, you should ensure that you place them in the right soil. Now, there are two options that you could choose – you could either create a DIY soil mix or you could opt for purchasing a fast-draining soil mix that is most commonly used for cacti.
On the other hand, if you want to create the DIY soil mix, you should purchase traditional potting soil, however, you must make sure that it has coarse perlite or pumice. One of the things that you might want to try is to add one part amendment and four parts of the potting mix.
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Be Careful About Watering Them
In most situations, people kill their succulents by overwatering them – which is more common than forgetting to water them – something that will cause them to rot. Now, keep in mind, just because they need a little bit of water to survive, this doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t be watered at all.
How can you tell when they need to be watered? Well, it’s relatively simple, when the soil is close to being completely dry, you should water them. If the pots are smaller, you should add water to them at least once a week, and if you put them in a gardening bed or larger pot, water them every two weeks.
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Drainage is Important
If there is one thing that you should take away from this article, it’s the fact that the roots of succulents hate excess water. So, no matter what container you choose to place them in, you must include drainage. Now, it’s possible to add them to pots that don’t have drainage, but if this is the case, you must be extra careful not to overwater them.
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They Need Food as Well
Why do they need food when they’re capable of withstanding a wide range of environmental factors? Well, it’s quite easy to understand, if you want them to thrive, you must ensure that you add fertilizer to them. Keep in mind, you don’t have to add the fertilizer frequently, instead, once a year will be sufficient.
To achieve the best results, you should purchase a well-balanced organic fertilizer, split the dosage into two, and add it to the containers at the beginning of the growing season. If you do this, you’ll quickly notice them growing and thriving, and more importantly, you can guarantee that they have the nutrients they need.
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Frost Can Be Dangerous
There are some options on the market including Sedum that can withstand extremely cold temperatures, while others can’t. Since their leaves and roots store water, cold temperatures will cause them to freeze and burst, which will make them turn to mush. This implies that frost will kill or damage the plants.
What should you do in this situation? Well, when the temperature starts dropping, you should take the containers and move them into your home or garage, or if this isn’t possible, moving them under awnings will be sufficient. Keep in mind, they’ll have a bigger chance of surviving if their soil is dry.
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Prevent Pests From Damaging The Plants
If you want to prevent infections and pests from attacking the plants, you should place them at a spot that has good air circulation. When you notice pests on the stems or leaves, you should spray them with 70% alcohol that was mixed with 50% water. You can scrape off scales, however, if it continues appearing, you should treat it with soap specifically manufactured for horticultural needs. You should never wash it with dish soap or some other products that weren’t meant for plants.
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Don’t Worry if You Don’t Succeed
Last on our list, but still worth mentioning is the fact that you shouldn’t worry if you don’t succeed at first. Plants die from time to time, and you should look at it as a learning process. Hence, if one or more of your plants die, learn from your mistakes, and take care of the next one even better.
Conclusion
It is entirely possible for you to plant succulents in your backyard. Although they’re quite low maintenance and easy to grow, there are still some rules for taking care of them, which is why you should definitely follow most of the maintenance tips we mentioned in our list above.
So, now that you’ve learned what you’ll have to do in order to properly grow and care for outdoor succulents, you shouldn’t waste any more of your time. Instead, you might want to start browsing different online stores in order to find the plants that will grow and thrive in your backyard.