How To Overwinter Succulents To Keep Them Beautiful All Year Long

Even if it’s February, the snow wave hits again. I’m not complaining about winter, because I’m a huge fan of snow. But, as a plant lover, I’m a bit concerned for my houseplants, especially for keeping sun-loving cacti and succulents healthy throughout the winter.

Succulents are considered low-maintenance plants even when grown indoors. The leaves and stems hold water as an adaptation to growing in arid areas. So, if you love growing succulents indoors here’s the best thing you can do to get these warm-growing, sun-loving plants through the cold, dark days of winter: you must lose you’re watering can.

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Fertilize Succulents

  • Feed the succulents one last time at the end of summer.
  • That’s because succulents don’t need fertilizer during the winter months.
  • Succulents need diluted fertilizer only while they are actively growing.
  • Too much fertilizer causes succulents to develop soft leaves, which are prone to rot.

Provide Warmth And Light

  • Place a dormant succulent in an area with at least three to four hours of bright light.
  • Succulents need less light during the winter than when they are actively growing during the summer.
  • Succulents can survive with indirect light during the winter.
  • Extreme temperature changes can harm succulents, so bring them in before winter temperatures dip below freezing.
  • Keep the temperature of the room the succulents are in no cooler than 50 degrees Fahrenheit during the winter.

How to Water Succulents In Winter

  • Succulents get their name from the fact that they store water in their leaves, roots and stems, thus requiring much less moisture than other types of plants.
  • Over-watering them can lead to root rot.
  • To water your succulent, pour water into the top of the succulent container until it drains out the bottom.
  • Water the succulents deeply but less often in the winter.
  • Water the plants about once every one to two months or when you notice them looking droopy.

Look For Pests

  • Check the leaves of your succulents every month for aphids or mealybugs, which look like tiny cotton balls.
  • Look under the leaves as well.
  • Move an infested succulent away from other plants.
  • Fill a spray bottle with 3 parts rubbing alcohol mixed with 1 part water, and mist it onto the plant to kill the pests.
  • Keep the succulent away from the rest of the plants for a couple of weeks just in case a few of the bugs survive the first spray.
  • Repeat the rubbing alcohol application until all the pests are gone.

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