Designing with SucculentsHow to incorporate succulents and cacti into your garden design
The secret to succulent caution and growing them successfully is to give them weather condition similar to their aboriginal habitats , which for the most part are warm , desiccated and receive minimum rain ( under 20 inches a year ) .
Photo by : Debra Lee Baldwin
1. Temperature
Although succulents can usually deal more rainfall than they ’d get in their native home ground , their roots may rot if the soil stays soggy . Very few succulents flourish outdoors where temperatures drop below freezing ( 32 stage F ) for prolonged full point . Cold - hardy varieties are in the main finely - leaved , perennial stonecrops(Sedumsp . ) , and hen - and - chick ( Sempervivumsp.)—genera that also do n’t do well in temps above 80 degrees .
2. Water & Fertilizer
Raindrops on echeveria . exposure by : Debra Lee Baldwin
The pattern of ovolo is to water succulent thoroughly once a hebdomad in summer , twice a month in springtime and gloaming , and monthly during their wintertime dormancy . Keep succulent on the dry side , and give their roots superb drainage .
When under - watered , succulents subsist on salt away moisture . If the soil dries completely , stem may desiccate and growth cease . Some succulent are capable of regenerate roots when the rains return , but it ’s dependable to keep soil about as damp as a wrung - out sponge .
Increase or diminish the amount of weewee with these considerations :
Apply a balanced liquid fertilizer , stretch to half speciality , once or twice in spring ( or autumn for summertime - inactive varieties such as Senecio and aeoniums ) .
3. Sun and shade
At the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix , a shade bodily structure protect non - aboriginal cacti from rime and scorching Dominicus . Photo by : Debra Lee Baldwin
In general , give succulent half a day of full Dominicus ; ideally full sun in the morning and then lustrous or dappled shade the rest of the mean solar day . Keep in mind that the intensiveness and duration of sunshine varies according to latitude and elevation , throughout the seasons , and in dissimilar orientations and locations in your garden . Moreover , the same succulents that bask in full - day sunshine along the California sea-coast may scorch in under 30 minutes in Arizona .
Varieties that will desire more Lord’s Day — and wo n’t bloom without it — are those native to the Southwest such as cacti and yuccas , and aloes from South Africa .
Succulents do take passable light for balanced growth ( so they do n’t extend ) , and any succulent — any plant for that matter — that has been cultivated in low - light source or in a glasshouse should be harden - off ( introduced gradually ) to great sun exposure .
Here are a few things to keep in creative thinker :
4. Soil and drainage
Pumice is a volcanic rock with zephyr pockets that assimilate excess wet and enhance aeration . exposure by : Debra Lee Baldwin
The good soil for succulents , whether in the ground or in containers , is a coarse , tight - draining mixture . you may buy bagged cactus mix , but it ’s less expensive to make your own .
Although grease type motley from region to part and even within your own garden , the basic rule for in - ground plantings is :
If you ’re growing chiefly desert succulent , boil down the amount of compost and add discriminating ( large - grained ) sand , such as constructor ’s sand or decomposed granite . If your aboriginal soil run out poorly ( distinctive of clay ) , avoid having roots sit in water supply by planting atop the clay in raise beds or mounded dirt .
For container , commingle any bagged potting soil half - and - one-half with pumice . Increase the percentage of pumice for cacti and rotund genus Euphorbia , and fall it for alright - provide succulents , such as sedum .
5. Pest control
Cotyledon bud damage by aphid may not open . Photo by : Debra Lee Baldwin
Prevent infestations by give succulents excellent breeze circulation . Aphidsandthripslike flower buds;scaletends to colonise stems ; andmealybugs(which calculate like bit of lint ) tunnel into leaf axils .
Spray pesterer with 70 % rubbing intoxicant diluted 50 % with water . graduated table can be scraped off , but if it persists , plow it withhorticultural soap(not dish max ) andhorticultural oil . Isolate any infested industrial plant directly to keep the pests from spreading , and exhaustively clean the sphere .
molding may be a trouble in humid climates ; keep succulent as dry as potential ( which sound easy , but of course is n’t ) .
If pests seem to be gain , take cutting from insensible growth and establish them in overbold territory . Discard the morbid plant , soil and all , and strip the pot before reusing .
Can’t grow succulents outdoors where you live?
The banana tree bash for outdoor cultivation of succulents year - rung is coastal California from the Bay Area south . But no matter where you live , you may have any succulent you envision ; simply grow the grumpy ones in sheltered microclimates or containers . Succulents , being shallow - rooted , thrive in pots that can be move and sheltered when the weather turn too live , frigid or wet . And even potentially enormous succulents tend to remain minor when their roots are confined .
At my house , an outdoor countertop is a heavy location for succulents that I opt not to develop in the open garden .
Books by Debra Lee Baldwin
Designing with Succulents
succulent Simplified
Succulent Container Gardens
