White & Silver Succulents are elegant, ethereal beauties that draw the eye. They get their ghostly pale tones from a number of different features: powdery farina, bright white spines, or woolly hairs. This rare coloration tends to be found in types like Echeveria, Cotyledon, Kalanchoe, Pachyphytum, Sempervivum, and cacti. They're usually adapted to full sun conditions, so give your white and silvery plants as much light as possible to bring out their most opaque white tones.
In arrangements, white and silver succulents make quite an impact when grouped together. You can also achieve eye-catching contrast by pairing them with dark colors such as Purple & Black Succulents.
Some succulents get a pale silver to white coloration from a natural wax that coats their leaves. This powdery coating is called "farina". It protects the foliage in direct sun and gives an elegant, matte finish to the plants. Avoid touching or watering the leaves of these powdery types if possible. Farina rubs off easily and once removed it will not grow back on old leaves. Exposure to full, direct sun can thicken the layer of farina, giving a plant its most intensely white appearance.
Other succulents from groups like Kalanchoe, Sempervivum, and cacti can have white hairs known as "cilia" or "webbing". This covering provides the plant with a degree of shade to protect it in direct sun. Webbing can also collect water and will induce rot if left wet for too long. You can keep the webbed portion of your succulent dry by watering the soil (as opposed to the leaves) and Top Dressing the soil with a layer of fine gravel or sand.
Succulents are adapted to long droughts and like to be watered in a cycle of soaking and drying periods. Only water when the soil is completely dry and the leaves start to feel limp. Then, deeply drench the plant and don't water again until the soil is completely dry.
Succulents of all colors thrive in well-draining pots and soil. Use a gritty soil mix with a high proportion of coarse sand, perlite, pumice, or other mineral grit. A lean soil like Bonsai Jack's Gritty Mix helps a succulent develop strong roots and prevents rot. Pair it with a container with a drainage hole to help your succulent thrive and show its best coloration.
