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Quick Read

• Water deeply but only water when the soil is completely dry AND the leaves feel less firm
• Let your plant guide your watering—strict watering schedules and moisture meters tend to lead to overwatering
• When in doubt...don't water yet!

Signs it's time to water succulents

Succulents thrive with a "soak and dry" watering cycle. That means you should only water when the soil and plant are dry.

You can see if your soil is completely dry by feeling for moisture down at the drainage hole. If it feels totally dry, check if the plant is showing signs of thirst. Signs of thirst are:

• Less firm, bendable leaves
• Slight wrinkling
• Tightening inward of the leaves

Succulents ready for water

Long droughts eventually lead to crispy, brown leaf tips that spread as the desiccation progresses. If this continues, the leaves will ultimately fall off.

At any point in this drying processes, all you need to do in response is water your succulent. Here's how!

How to water succulents

Many succulents are native to climates with very infrequent rain. But when it does rain, it pours! Mimicking this pattern in your own watering will help your succulent flourish.

Succulents need deep but very infrequent water, especially during the growing season and while establishing roots.

• Drench from above using a faucet, hose, or watering can
• Do not mist with a spray bottle (the only exception is for Air Plants)
• Fully saturate the soil. Water should run out the container's drainage hole
• Try to water the soil rather than the leaves; gently shake any droplets off the foliage
• Keep the succulent in a location with enough sun and airflow to dry the soil out in a few days

If your container does not have a drainage hole (not recommended), give about 1/4 the volume of the container when you do water. Only water again when the leaves show clear signs of drying.

When NOT to water succulents

Watering too frequently is one of the most common succulent mistakes. The real skill in taking care of succulents is knowing when to leave them dry. Do not water if:

• The soil feels at all damp
• The leaves feel perky and firm
• Any leaves feel mushy
• Any leaves are a translucent yellow or brown
• You just transplanted

Pro Tip: Succulents are much more tolerant of under-watering than over-watering. Additionally, an under-watered succulent is far easier to fix. So when in doubt, err on the side of less frequent watering.

Watering too frequently leads to rot

Watering frequency varies

Rigid watering schedules are not useful in the long run for succulents because there are so many variables that affect drying time. This includes:

• Soil: Heavy soils with more organic matter take longer to dry than gritty, well-draining soils
• Pot size: Large containers take longer to dry than small pots
• Pot material: Plastic and glazed ceramic pots take longer to dry than unglazed terracotta
• Humidity & precipitation: Succulents in wet climates take longer to dry than those in dry regions
• Season: Succulents need little to no water in their non-growing season. This is winter for most varieties, unless specifically noted
• Plant age: Young succulents need more frequent water to establish new roots. Mature succulents can tolerate longer droughts

Got more questions? Feel free to reach out to us at mountaincrestgardens.com/contact. We love talking plants!

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Quick Read

• Succulents are living, growing plants and they do need sunlight to survive
• In general, succulents like lots of sunshine, but there are types that can tolerate lower, indoor light
• It's helpful to know how a succulent looks when it's getting too much or too little light so you can move it into better lighting

Here's the quick and dirty on succulents and sunlight!

Finding the right light for your succulents

Succulents ordered from Mountain Crest Gardens come with name tags or ID legends. This makes them easy to find on our site where every plant has "Recommended Light Conditions" listed.

If you don't know the name of your succulent, you can make inferences based on the color and form of your plant.

Need Full Sun & South-Facing Sills:

• Colorful varieties with pink to purple tones like Echeveria
• Types with thick leaves or stems like cacti

SHOP FULL SUN SUCCULENTS

Tolerate Lower Light:

• Green types like Haworthia and Jade plants
• Succulents with thinner leaves and stems like the trailing "Strings of Things"

SHOP LOW LIGHT SUCCULENTS

What do full sun and lower light actually look like?

A succulent that can tolerate low, indoor light can still be in a room with a sunny, south-facing window, it just doesn't need to be right next to it. Alternatively, place these types near windows that only get dappled light or a few hours of sun.

Pro Tip: Windows filter out a lot of the light plants need, but our eyes adjust for it. A room that seems well-lit to you can actually be pretty dark for a plant, so try to keep them near windows.

Succulents listed as needing bright, indoor light should be right on a sunny sill. For most people, this means a south-facing window. If you're having trouble finding enough sunlight for these indoors, you’re not alone! A Succulent Grow Light can be a great way to supplement your natural light.

If you have a variety that needs filtered / partial sun, look for moderate outdoor sun. Try areas with dappled light or a spot that gets morning sun and afternoon shade.

Succulent types listed as needing full sun should be outdoors in direct sun for at least five hours per day.

All the succulents at Mountain Crest Gardens have more than one of these tags as their "Recommended Light Conditions". That's because plants can tolerate a range of light levels and it varies depending on if the plant is indoors or outdoors.

These guidelines are a great place to start, but your plant will also show you if it needs more light or less.

Signs of too little light & what to do

Too little sunlight is one of the most common issues people have when growing succulents. It's known as "etiolation". In response, a plant will stretch in search of more light and you will see:

• Leaves open wide and turn downward
• Stem stretches upward with gaps between the leaves
• Vibrant pigments fade to green and eventually go pale and white

What to do when you see this? Gradually move the succulent into brighter light over the course of 1-2 weeks so it can slowly acclimate to the sun. Moving a plant immediately into more light can cause permanent sunburns.

If you order succulents from Mountain Crest Gardens, they ship to you in a dark box. That’s why we also recommend you take 1-2 weeks to gradually move them into brighter light after delivery.

Signs of too much light & what to do

Extra sunlight is a safe, easy way to bring out vibrant colors in your succulents. But when taken too far, it can overstress your plant and lead to permanent sunburns. Here's what to watch out for:

• Leaves turn very dark red to purple tones
• Leaves look washed out and bleached
• Blotchy, copper sunburns appear, often while leaves are dry, crispy, and falling off

If your succulent shows signs of too much light, you can move the plant immediately to a less sunny spot. Unlike an etiolated plant, a scorched plant does not need gradual acclimation. You will also likely need to water deeply, since sunburn is often coupled with heat and drought.

Got more questions? Feel free to reach out to us at mountaincrestgardens.com/contact. We love talking plants!

Maybe you’re new to gardening, and you’ve recently bought a few succulents for your home. Maybe you have a lot of experience tending to plants but not with succulents in particular. Without any prior knowledge, repotting a succulent can seem like a scary process with lots of potential mistakes.

There’s no need to worry! We’ll give you some key tips on how to repot your succulents successfully so that they have room to grow bigger and even more beautiful. Succulents may be quite tough as far as plants go, but repotting them still involves some risk if you aren’t sure how to do it correctly. If you follow this guide, you should be able to repot your succulents without any issues, allowing you to watch them reach their full potential.

When Should You Repot Your Succulents?

The frequency for repotting your succulents is not cut and dry. Every plant is different, so there is no exact measurement of time you should wait before repotting them. Thankfully, there are a number of signs that indicate that you should move your succulent to a bigger pot. We’ll go over the most common ones here.

You Buy a Brand New One

When you buy any new plant from a nursery, it’s important to practice good plant hygiene by moving it into a fresh pot with new soil. This minimizes the risk of any nursery pests finding their way into your home.

Brand-new succulents usually come in the plastic pots in which the nursery grew them. These containers won’t give them enough room to grow much bigger, and they are often quite basic and not very visually appealing. For succulents from Mountain Crest Gardens, we recommend transplanting within six weeks of delivery.

It’s Outgrowing Its Pot

One of the clearest signs that you need to move your succulent to a bigger pot is when it starts to look much bigger than the pot itself. Some succulents can grow quite large and overtake their pots. While this can look nice at first, it eventually leads to stability issues and snapped-off stems. Transplanting to a larger pot lets your succulent establish a wider, more sturdy root system to support its aboveground growth. The roots will soon run out of room, and the soil will be too depleted of nutrients to support further growth.

Its Growth Has Stagnated

Alternatively, you might notice a succulent whose growth has somewhat flatlined. Even if you plan to keep it in the same pot, replanting with fresh soil can provide the nutrient boost it needs to resume healthy growth. Succulents are not heavy nutrient feeders, so a soil refresh can be a better option than applying strong fertilizers. Just be sure to use gritty, well-draining soil that dries out quickly.

Steps for Repotting Succulents

There are a few key differences in the way you repot succulents compared to transplanting other plants. There is a little bit of risk involved in moving any plant, but the following steps for repotting your succulents successfully will let you proceed confidently and effectively.

Carefully Remove the Plant From Its Current Pot

Take the current pot with your succulent and turn it on its side. Find the strongest part of the succulent’s stem and hold onto it. Once you have a hold of it, gently start to wiggle the succulent back and forth to loosen it from its current pot. For a gentle assist, slide a slender tool around the edge of the pot to loosen the soil. A chopstick, butter knife, or screwdriver works well for this. Keep pulling gently and wiggling back and forth to pop the succulent out of its pot.

Pro Tip: Really Stuck Succulents

If you really can’t get the succulent out of its old pot no matter what you do, you may need to break the pot to free it. Flowerpots are usually fragile, so a few careful, gentle taps with a hammer can help you extract your succulent from its confines.

Loosen the Soil and Roots

You’ll next want to free the succulent’s root ball from some of the old soil. This is a simple matter of knocking off what you can without damaging the roots themselves. If the roots are very tightly bound together, you can gently massage them with your hands to loosen the roots and prepare them for their new home. Don’t panic if some of the roots break away or snap off by accident. As long as you’re planting into dry soil, the snapped roots will heal, and the succulent will be totally fine.

Plant in a Well-Draining Pot With Gritty Soil

Select a new container with a drainage hole in the bottom. With one hand, hold your succulent at the desired height in its new pot and use the other hand to fill in the soil around the roots. A small trowel or scoop works well for this. Be sure to use gritty, well-draining soil that will dry out relatively quickly. For more information on what type of succulent soil to pick, check out our Ultimate Guide to Succulent Soil.

Once filled with new soil, pat the soil down to ensure the plant has a snug base of support. Unlike most plants, succulents should not be watered directly after transplanting. Do not water for at least three days to give any broken roots time to callus and seal. This will help prevent bacteria and fungus from infiltrating the roots.

Optional: Cover With Top Dressing

Some growers chose to cover the soil in their pots with a rocky top dressing. This serves two purposes. First, it mitigates rot by creating a barrier between the leaves and the soil. This prevents the foliage from resting on damp soil after watering. Second, it can help create a clean look for your succulent containers. Pick a neutral color for top dressing so that your succulent can be the center of attention.

Then just place your freshly repotted succulent in a sunny spot, and it will be good to grow! If you’re looking to start your own succulent garden or you want to expand your current one, check out the succulents and MCG Trifecta Kits here at Mountain Crest Gardens. We also carry a diverse selection of cacti for you to choose from. We’re always glad to help our fellow green thumbs find their new favorite plant.

Utilize Rocks for Proper Drainage

Preventing rot will be one of your biggest challenges when gardening succulents. Make sure your succulent garden has excellent drainage capabilities to combat this. Grittier soil, such as sandy loam, will allow your succulents to drain better. You can also use mineral grit like coarse sand and gravel.

Coarse sand and gravel can also improve the aesthetics of your garden, as rocks and succulents pair beautifully, creating a very natural look. Gravel top dressing over your soil can also protect your succulents’ leaves from damp soil, so it’s an excellent choice both functionally and aesthetically.

Ensure Adequate Sun Exposure

Succulents thrive in full sun in the wild. The exposure to light helps prevent rot and brings out the succulent’s vibrant coloration. One of the simplest tips for creating the perfect succulent garden is to grow it in a very sunny spot, so each variety can really show off its colors.

Succulents can get sunburnt, especially in very hot and dry climates. If you live in a climate like this, place your garden on the East side of buildings or trees, giving them access to the early morning sun, but protecting them from harsher rays later in the day.

Choose Compatible Succulents

Starting a succulent garden from scratch is easier than you think. The best way to get started is to buy bulk succulents here at Mountain Crest Gardens. You’ll receive a wide variety of beautiful succulents at a much more affordable price per plant.

Make sure you get succulents that will work for your area’s hardiness zone. Warmer climates that don’t get any frost can support brightly colored tender succulents, but you’ll have better luck with hardy succulents if you live anywhere that gets frost.

Keep Succulents Close Together

Your garden will look more natural by mimicking the way wild succulents grow—packed close together in tight, rocky crevices. Succulents can handle tighter root balls, making it a better bang for your buck to get multiple succulents and place them tightly together.

Hardy, outdoor succulents are small, but they spread out when they produce their offsets. These offsets encourage your whole colony to expand if you plant them close together.

Arrange in Groups and Odd Numbers

The best way to make a natural-looking succulent garden is to cluster and plant similar varieties of succulents. Compared to a random assortment of succulents, this layout will allow your eyes to simultaneously focus on and appreciate specific clusters.

Planting succulents in odd-numbered groups also prevents everything from looking too even and grid-like, creating a more natural and pleasing garden.

Mountain Crest Gardens is always happy is help you create the succulent garden of your dreams. Buying your succulents in bulk here is the best way to get started.

Succulents and cacti often get lumped into the “easy-to-water” category, and not without good reason. They are resilient, forgiving plants, but their drought tolerance makes them quite different from most other houseplants. It can take a bit of time and experimenting to get accustomed to their low-water needs. Using these must-know tips for watering your succulents will make sure that they get the water they need when they need it so that they’re happy and healthy long into the future.

Watering Succulents vs. Watering Other Plants

It would be a mistake to treat your succulents like any other common houseplant when it comes time to water them. They are fundamentally different plants that don’t benefit from the same kind of watering schedule or technique that something like a fern might.

Succulents have exceptional drought tolerance because of how they store water. Depending on the kind of succulent you have, you can see them storing water either in their stem, leaves, or roots because these areas will be much larger and more bulbous than the rest of the plant.

Because they have this unique water-storage capability, you don’t need to water succulents nearly as often as your typical houseplant. The same adaptations that make them resilient to drought can make them more prone to rot. To master succulent watering, it’s key to learn when not to water.

Tips for Efficient Succulent Watering

Whether you’re  new to owning succulents or you just want to make sure that you’re doing everything you can to keep them healthy, we have a few tips for watering your succulents that should help sustain them for a long time.

We are speaking of succulents as one large group, and it’s important to remember that these tips are general guidelines for caring for your succulents, and not hard and fast rules. The species of succulent that you have might require slight modifications to these rules as necessary. These guidelines are a great starting place, but refer to each variety’s care info in our online catalog to understand its specific, seasonal water needs. For example, even if they are both succulents,  echeveria and crassula plants require different watering methods based on the season you are in.

Soak the Succulent’s Soil Completely

There is a persistent (but untrue!) myth that succulents should be misted with a spray bottle. +In fact, succulents in the wild are accustomed to deep but infrequent water from occasional rainstorms. To grow healthy succulents, we want to mimic their natural conditions by giving them a deep, soaking drench when we do water them.

To that end, you want to fully soak your succulent’s soil to the point where water is running out the container’s drainage hole. Fully saturating the soil like this will provide sufficient water for your succulent in the long term that it can draw from as it needs it.

Never Leave Standing Water

A crucial point to remember about watering succulents is to make sure you stop when the soil can’t take any more water. Overwatering is an issue for most plants, and succulents are no different. Ideally, you’ll use a soil medium that drains water very efficiently so that there isn’t any standing water left to fester on its surface.

Standing water becomes a breeding ground for contaminants that can attack your succulent at the stem and roots. If you have a pot with a saucer that catches the extra water, don’t allow it to sit there for too long. Drain out the excess water, and your succulents will stay safe from rotting too early.

Succulents Can Go Longer Than You Think Without Watering

We’ve said many times that succulents are drought-adapted plants that don’t need frequent water to thrive. Because of this, you’ll likely go much longer between watering sessions if you’re used to caring for other plants. Depending on the size of your pot, you might go over a month without watering your succulent.

You can check when the best time to water is by feeling the soil. If you can feel that there is still moisture inside of the soil, don’t add more water. You want to wait until the soil feels completely dry before you give any more water.

Decrease Water Amount During Dormant Periods

Most succulents protect themselves during colder periods and periods with less sunlight by going dormant during these times. As they go dormant, they require less water to sustain themselves, and the water you do give them will take a longer amount of time to get used up.

This is when it becomes very important to check your soil’s moisture level before you water. If you keep your succulent indoors in a place that doesn’t receive a lot of light, it’s possible that you could go for a few weeks without needing to add any more water. Also, keep in mind that the size of the pot your succulent is in will affect the frequency of watering as well.

Outdoor Succulents Will Need More Water

If you keep your succulent outdoors, there isn’t a huge adjustment that you need to make. Succulents placed outside will receive more sunlight and therefore start to use up more water than a succulent you keep indoors. When you plant succulents outside, it’s a good idea to place them somewhere where they will only receive direct sunlight for a small portion of the day.

Continue to feel the soil and only add more water once it dries out, which will likely happen sooner than with a succulent that you keep inside.

Avoid Getting Water on Succulent Leaves

Some plants do well with a misting of water placed over their leaves, specifically plants that thrive in humid environments. When it comes to succulents, you don’t want to use this method for a few reasons. The first is that succulents don’t gain much of anything from having their leaves wet, and moisture in the soil is far more important.

The second is that this water can sit on the leaves for a long time, causing the leaves to possibly accumulate unwanted contaminants and fungus that can prematurely rot your succulent. Even when watering normally, do your best to avoid getting water on the leaves themselves.

Mountain Crest Gardens wants to arm you with all the knowledge you need to care for your succulents. Take a look through our store, and you’ll find a huge selection of beautiful succulents that you’re sure to fall in love with.

Succulent Planting Tool Set

Succulents can be delicate depending on the species, so they often require small hand tools to make sure that the gardener has full control without damaging them. Small shovels, trowels, and brushes make taking care of multiple succulents much easier. If you know your plant lover takes pride in how well they take care of their plants, a thoughtful succulent gift would be some new tools to help them out.

Succulent Pots

Many succulents are small enough that their pots are just as big as they are, so cute pots are extra important. Stylish pots are perfect to complement your plant lover’s succulent collection.

Succulent Sampler Gift Boxes

Do you know what plant lovers want most of all? More plants! A tidy gift box presents them with 9–16 new succulents of all different types. It’s the ideal way to help them expand their collection and discover new varieties.

DIY Succulent Arrangement Kit

Give your favorite plant lover the gift of both plants and an experience—because planting is half the fun! Mountain Crest Garden’s Trifecta Kits supply everything you need: plants, soil, a container, and a top dressing. These handy kits are the perfect way to quickly pot up a beautiful, healthy succulent arrangement.

The Ultimate Succulent Club™ Subscription

Here at Mountain Crest Gardens, we have the perfect succulent gifts for anyone who loves succulents. The Ultimate Succulent Club™ is a plant-of-the-month club that delivers vibrant and healthy succulents to your loved one’s door every month. You can send them anywhere, and the subscription provides two to five plants per month, each in a new fun theme. It’s a gift that lasts beyond the giving season, reminding that person every month how much you care about them and what they love most.

What Are Hardy and Tender Succulents?

You can break up succulents into hardy and tender varieties by knowing whether or not they tolerate frost. Hardy succulents tend to come from areas where the weather can get very cold and harsh. They also often come from more mountainous regions. Tender succulents (aka soft succulents) originate in places where the temperature almost never drops below freezing.

Examples of hardy succulents include Sempervivum and the frost hardy subset of Sedum (Stonecrops). Some common types of tender succulents include Crassula, Senecio, Echeveria, and Aeonium.

Important Differences To Consider

Depending on the kind of succulent you’re working with, you may need to change how you take care of them or what kind of environment you place them in. Take a look at some of these differences between hardy and tender succulents so you can take the best care of them.

Temperature Resilience

As the name would suggest, hardy succulents can handle more extreme temperatures when it comes to dealing with the cold and snowy winters. Hardy outdoor succulents can survive below-zero temperatures, some all the way down to minus 40 degrees Fahrenheit. They do this by slowing their growth or going completely dormant during the colder months. Frost-hardy succulents tolerate the cold best when they are planted in-ground (as opposed to in a container), kept relatively dry, and insulated under a layer of snow.

Tender succulents will not tolerate temperatures below freezing. Deep or prolonged frost will burst their cells and turn them into a mushy, unsalvageable mess. To grow soft succulents, you’ll need to keep them protected from frost all year.

Where to Grow

Frost hardy succulents should be grown outdoors year-round. They thrive when they get the seasonal cycles of temperature, precipitation, and day length that only the outdoors can provide. They tend to languish indoors and often turn faded, stretched, and prone to rot.

Soft succulents, like all plants, grow best outdoors. Most climates, however, experience below freezing temperatures that would kill frost tender succulents. Fortunately, they can thrive indoors when they’re grown in sufficient sunshine. Another strategy that many succulent growers employ is to keep their soft succulents outdoors for as much of the year as possible and bring them indoors to a sunny, south facing windowsill before there is a chance of frost.

Sunlight Exposure

Both hardy and tender succulents require sunlight to thrive. If you do have to keep a hardy succulent indoors, you’ll need to put it somewhere where it can get lots of sunlight. A grow light can be extremely helpful for both kinds of succulents to ensure that they get enough light to show their best colors and put on healthy growth without stretching.

No matter what kind of succulent you prefer, Mountain Crest Gardens has the widest selection you’ll find online. Take a look through store to find the perfect addition to your home or garden.

So we know that succulents can change colors, but what exactly is going on that causes these changes? Whether you’re curious as to why your own succulents have recently shifted in color, or if you want to experiment with shifting their colors yourself, we can help give you a little more understanding about the science behind the phenomenon. We’ll explore how and why succulents change colors in this article so that you can understand these unique plants a little bit better.

What Causes Succulents To Change Color?

Numerous factors play into how succulents’ colors change over time. While many succulents have a reputation for being easy to take care of and good for beginners, all plants are sensitive to their growing environments. The biggest factors that go into how and why succulents change color are the amount of water they receive, temperature, and sun exposure.

Controlling these factors will allow you to influence and improve your succulents’ colors over time. Let’s take a closer look at each of the main factors to see what part it plays in the process.

Sunlight Exposure

Most succulents thrive in bright, sunny conditions. Depending on how much sunlight a succulent receives throughout the day, its colors can change to adapt. In fact, sunlight exposure is arguably the most impactful factor in succulent color changes.

Large amounts of sunlight will cause "light stress" and lead to succulents changing color to compensate for this stress. Many green succulents start to develop red coloring when left in the sun for long periods. On the other hand, a lack of sunlight will cause them to conserve their energy by turning lighter and greener as they produce more chlorophyll.

Water Amount and Frequency

While sunlight is a large factor in succulents' color, the amount of water they receive can also inhibit or promote more color. Different varieties of succulents respond to water in various ways, so it’s best to experiment with your watering frequency and individualize it for each unique succulent.

Just as the stress of full, direct sun induces vibrant flushes of color, so does drought stress. Succulents that receive frequent water will be largely green, but succulents that go a long time without water will show more intense pigmentation. If getting more color in your succulents is the goal, try to spread out the amount of time between waterings.

Ambient Temperature

The temperature at which you keep your succulents also plays an important role in their coloration. This is also due to stress, as the succulents try to regulate themselves to their surroundings. In colder environments, many succulents will develop colorful tones as a stress response.

For soft, frost-tender succulent varieties, temperatures around 50 degrees Fahrenheit can bring out colorful blushes. However, the frost-hardy outdoor types like Sempervivum often respond to deep, extended frosts with intense burgundy and purple tones. This is why frost-hardy succulents are such a great option for adding winter interest to your garden.

Note: What Does “Stress” Really Mean?

The idea of putting your succulents under stress just to change their color might seem a little off-putting to some people. However, remember that this is just a term we use to describe a situation where succulents respond and adapt to their environmental conditions. Putting your succulents under small amounts of light, drought, or temperature stress won’t hurt them—succulents are excellent survivalists and experience far more extreme conditions in nature. So don’t stress stressing your succulents!

What’s Happening Inside the Succulent?

Now that we have a better idea of the conditions that cause succulents to change color, we can start to look at what’s chemically going on inside the plant to cause the color change. Here’s a deeper look into the pigment-shifting compounds inside your succulents.

Pigment Shifting

Your succulents have a specific color because of the pigments inside of them. What kind of pigments the succulents will produce is based on the environment they’re in and what they need to continue surviving.

Chlorophyll

Succulents that don’t receive sunlight for long periods will start to produce more chlorophyll, which the human eye perceives as a green color. Chlorophyll helps the plant capture more sunlight, which is why your succulents make more of it when they aren’t getting enough sun.

Carotenoids & Anthocyanins

Depending on the variety of succulent, stress will cause them to either create more carotenoids or anthocyanins. Carotenoids are pigments that we perceive to be orange or yellow, while anthocyanins are pigments that we tend to perceive as red or purple. Succulents will make these pigments to protect themselves from getting too much ultraviolet exposure and from colder temperatures.

Best Tips for Changing Your Succulents’ Color

To encourage pigmentation in your succulents that isn’t green, you can apply what you’ve now learned about how and why they change colors. Use the following tips to slowly shift your succulents’ coloration to the deeper orange, yellow, red, and purple you might want:

• Leave them in more sunlight for longer periods
• Lengthen the time between watering
• Place them in colder environments (appropriate to their frost hardiness)

Whether you’re looking for beautiful greenery or you want to play around with coloration, succulents are an excellent choice. And if you’re as passionate about your succulents as we are here at Mountain Crest Gardens, our succulent subscription service is perfect for you. When you join The Ultimate Succulent Club™, every month you’ll receive new and colorful succulents—delivered right to your door—in fantastic varieties you likely haven’t seen before.

Physical Identifiers

Perhaps the most obvious difference is plain to see with the naked eye. Cacti have spines that protrude from their surface. These spines emerge from small white bumps known as areoles, another feature that other succulents do not have.

Succulents that aren’t cacti commonly have many distinct leaves. Cacti will rarely have leaves, and when they do have them, they are small and few. Succulents store water in their leaves, which can make them looking large and swollen. Without leaves, cacti store water in their stems, which gives them bulbous forms like columns and barrels.

Fruit Creation

Cacti and succulents can flower over time, but only a cactus will produce fruit from its flowering process. These fruits can get very large on a mature cactus. You are likely familiar with several cactus fruits, the most common of which are dragon fruit and prickly pear.

All succulents do flower, but the flowers of non-cacti develop into seed pods, not fleshy fruit.

Flower Differences

Speaking of flowers, the kind of flowers these plants create is another major difference between succulents and cacti. Cactus flowers tend to be much larger and display bright, eye-catching colors. They are also known for being showier. This helps them stand out in desert expanses and attract the attention of the limited number of pollinators. Their big blooms allow larger pollinators like bats and birds to pollinate some cactus species.

Non-cactus succulent flowers are (in general) much smaller. They tend to be a good size for pollination by bees, flies, and butterflies.

Propagation Methods

Propagation is the process of multiplying and growing new plants. All succulents, including cacti, can be propagated, but people tend to use different methods.

Non-cactus succulents are often propagated vegetatively from leaves or stem cuttings (learn how in this Guide to Propagating Cuttings). Their fast growth and high density of meristem cells make this a quick and easy process.

Due to the slower growth rates of cacti, growers tend to propagate them from seed instead of from cuttings. Some varieties will also produce new offsets at their bases, which you can remove and transplant.

Mountain Crest Gardens can help you find the perfect succulent, whether it’s actually a cactus or not! Take a look at the varieties we have available in our store and you’re sure to find a plant that fits your taste.

Reminder of Your Connection

One of the best things about giving succulents as gifts is that they aren’t a “one and done” kind of present. A succulent becomes part of the recipient’s home and might be something they can look at and enjoy every day. This constant reminder of the connection between you and the recipient is something that can spread a lot of good cheer, even beyond the major holidays.

Lasting Beyond the Holidays

When properly cared for, succulents can stay alive and healthy for extended periods of time. This allows them to be a present the recipient can enjoy even after the holidays are over. All too often we give people gifts that only celebrate a single moment of time, specifically the holiday season. With a succulent as a gift, you’re giving that person something that goes beyond just the spirit of the season, which shows them how much you really care.

Greenery in Dreary Times

If you live in an area where the winters aren’t full of the biting cold and howling winds, you should count yourself lucky. The winter blues is something that can get to anyone, no matter how positive and optimistic they normally are. Gifting a succulent is a perfect way to inject a little more life and vigor into someone’s household during the drearier months of the year. Especially after the holiday excitement is over, a succulent can stay bright and lively through the cold winter months.

Good Fit for Any Aesthetic

Not everyone knows just how many different varieties of succulents there are. Giving any other plant as a gift can be hit or miss because you might not be able to find one that fits the taste of the person that you’re giving it to. However, because succulents come in a vast array of colors, shapes, and sizes, they make the perfect, simple, and beautiful holiday gift for someone you know and love.

If you would like to gift a succulent to a loved one, or if you need bulk succulents for an event such as an office holiday party, consider Mountain Crest Gardens your go-to source. You’ll find a huge variety of succulents to choose from in our store that are sure to impress anyone.