The 5 Best Tips To Make A Mini Succulent Garden
You love nature, but can't seem to find a place in your crowded city. Or you just don't know where and how to start. I suggest you try planting a mini succulent garden. It's really easy to grow and doesn't require too much effort taking care of it. You can plant it anywhere, maybe in your garden, or just a simple portable pot that can be placed on your work desk. It'll make the whole room much more lively. Haven't known about this yet? Don't worry, just follow these tips to make a mini succulent garden in your house.
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Tip 1: Make Sure You Prepare The Soil Properly
Succulents can grow in almost all type of soil with good drainage. Which means that silt, sand, and foam are what you should look for when choosing soil to grow your plant. You can also grow succulent on clay soil, but I don't really recommend that since it doesn't have good drainage. But if that's all you have then I suggest you put a little work on tilling and cultivating the soil.
Also, mix some mulch to the ground to promote its texture. Among the three mentioned type of soil which is good for succulent, sand is the best. It provides excellent drainage and breath-ability. Also, add some compost and fertilizer to the soil to enrich it with nutrition. A simple formula which I often use when planting different types of plants is mixing sand, silt, and clay in this particular ratio. 40% of sand, 40% of silt, and 20% of clay in weight is what you should look for.
You'll also need to deal with weeds before start planting anything. It is an invasive and persistent species. If you don't deal with them appropriately, they'll destroy the whole garden after a few months. You can use landscape fabric or herbicide to deal with them. Using chemical will be more efficient and have a quicker result but might damage the soil. So you must do it carefully.
Tip 2: Proper Seeding And Planting
You should use organic seeds to start planting. And if you don't want to start from the beginning, you can choose planted succulents from your local store. Make sure it is organically grown. You may ask me why must choose organic plant? The answer is pretty straightforward. This type of plant is more robust and will grow quicker. I have good resistant to pest and diseases. Organic plants are the type of plant that is growing in organic farms.
During the process, only organic matters (mulch, compost,...) are used to nourish the soil. And the seed is sown, make sure you till the soil properly and mix it with compost to ensure the best living condition for the succulent. And aside from the different shapes which might overwhelm you, succulents also come with different colors that you should choose properly to make sure they fit in your room or garden.
Tip 3: Watering, sunlight and other elements
You would probably hear this a thousand times, but I think I need to repeat it. Too much water is not good for succulents which are also why I told you that clay soil is not suitable for growing succulent. But one thing you might not know is that succulent want to be soaked by water then let it dry out the next time you water it. The reason is that most part of the plant is made of water. It needs water to grow and develop. And when the earth is soaked, the root will drink it and provide it to the stem. The moment your soil turn dry is when it has finished drinking. So don't overfeed it by pouring more water. It will kill the root. Let it rest for a few days them start soaking the soil again.
One more thing you need to know is that your succulent need sunlight to grow. Well, most plants do because they need sunlight to complete their photosynthesis. But different species require different amounts. Succulents love being bathed in the morning sunlight. So you might want to place your next to the window in the morning and afternoon. But remember to put it back inside because the noon sunlight will burn it. A sign showing that your plant is not getting enough light is that it looks like it is "sketching" with the leaves reaching out and the plant seems taller than before. So make sure you give it enough light. And if you are planting multiple plants, make sure you place them far enough to receive better light and air.
Tip 4: Dealing with weeds, pest and diseases
If you're planting it in your garden, you might notice some weeds pop off the ground and invade your succulent. This is a result of not having your soil prepared properly. Remember to pluck them out the moment you see them. And for bugs, pest, and diseases, like I've said on the second tips, you can use a sprayer to apply chemicals to it. But this might not be necessary if you only own one or two pot of succulent. Try doing this. Use a small cotton swab then soak it with alcohol or insecticidal soap. Apply this directly on the infected surface. Make sure you rub it thoroughly. You succulent will be safe then.
Tip 5: How to correctly propagate
One thing I love about succulent is that it is really easy to multiply them. Which is also explain why it is cheap to purchase one from the store. You can just directly take any leaves and stems from the succulent and plant it on the ground. Make sure the soil is moist and nutritious. Usually, it will begin to grow roots and turn into a different plant after a few weeks. You can speed up the process by using rooting hormones. This can be applied to all parts of its body.
