Succulents, the Avocado of the plant world, as popular as Oprah but more decorative. Actually, the are pretty sensitive, which I didn't know. I always thought they are easy roommates, but they're not. Keeping succulents alive is an art, I always wondered how I managed to kill them each few months, but were getting to the point, when I manage to realize they can also survive, when following a few rules:
1) use cactus soil
Since they won’t survive in sand or rock and usual soil gets moist too easy, you should get some special cactus potting soil. Sometimes you already buy them like this, but most of the time the pots are too small or they use cheap soil and repotting gets important.
2) sunlight
Basically, everything that is alive needs sunlight, plants included, the only thing that varies is the amount of it - Succulents are flexible when it comes to seasons, but they won’t do well in absolute darkness nor in direct sun. Moving the succulent in and out of reasonable levels of sunlight will help it thrive.
3) drowning, cause of death nr.1
My favorite problem is to worry about the fact if they might be thirsty or not. And they are definitely not as thirsty as I thought.. you have to watch them, because there is no golden rule to water them correctly - Since the climate in my flat (ground floor problems) is usually coldish and dark, the air is pretty dry and I should not do it more than once per month. Water only when the soil has completely dried from the previous watering. Allowing the water to drain completely through the soil is the best way to avoid root rot, misting bottles are a nice way of watering.
4) feed them with calcium
I used to think that “plant food” was just a marketing ploy. It’s not. Since these plants aren’t growing in their natural habitats, they can’t absorb the nutrients (e.g., calcium) that they naturally need. Cactus/succulent food is cheap and will last a long time; you only need one drop for every gallon of water.
5) open your window
Seeing those nice glas Planters from Urban Outfitters, and those Terrariums, I already know they won't live for too long, even succulents need air.
6) only a big pot is a good pot
Little succus can look so cute in their egg-shell sized pots, but they’ll grow bigger, if they stay there. Some succulents can grow to be over ten feet tall, while others will comfortably grow within a foot or two, repotting them in bigger pots will help them to survive for a long time, instead of forcing the roots in a tiny pot.
7) Potting and increasing!
This is the fun part - repotting the buds - since you really are a pro now, you can start increasing your collection by repotting them correctly and potting their little buds. Some Succulents tend to get plenty of buds and with some you can just pick out some leaves and repotting those. HERE you can find a really good way to repot them correctly, I am currently about to raise a killer army of succus and they definitely will take over the world.
BE PREPARED.