Bring Potted Succulents indoors for Winter

Winters cold is not the easiest condition for potted succulents, plants, bushes, and trees to stand up to. Especially if they are planted in clay flowerpots or clay containers.  Most succulents are hard enough to keep healthy under normal weather conditions but winter brings a whole new set of issues.

It at all possible it is a best practice to bring your clay containers of succulents indoors or at least into a garage or garden shed.  This isn’t a necessity but a helpful step to assure the potted succulents have the best chance of surviving the cold.  If it’s not possible you can take added steps to mulch the potting mix, wrap the whole planter in bubble wrap or burlap or just let them tough out Winter and re-evaluate next Spring.

If you can bring all clay flowerpot succulents indoors give them one good watering before you do. That way they will be nice and moist and you won’t have to start with the watering process right away. This means you need garden saucers for each clay planter or you will have to move the clay flowerpots to the sink to water them.  Like most houseplants, succulents need well, draining flowerpots or garden bowls.

Now check the potting mix in each terracotta flowerpot.  If it’s compact and hard it’s best to replace it or at the very least work it to soften it up.  All root systems like the loose potting mix to grow and expand in.  Clean up the planters so that you don’t bring any bugs indoors.  Remove old leaves, twigs and other debris that may be on, in or around the pot.

Lastly, trim the succulent up if necessary.  Any old spent leaves or climbing string of pears can be clipped off and cut shorter.  Since succulents don’t grow fast you don’t need to go overboard here.  The idea is to just give it a manicured look not so much a hair cut and a shave look!  LOL

Place your garden pots in a sunny window, don’t overwater, make sure it’s not too warm in the house and your outdoor potted succulents will give you a steady stream of beauty all thru the cold winter months until you move them outside again come Spring.

Winters cold is not the easiest condition for potted succulents, plants, bushes, and trees to stand up to. Most succulents are hard enough to keep healthy under normal weather conditions but winter brings a whole new set of issues.

It at all possible it is a best practice to bring your containers of succulents indoors or at least into a garage or garden shed.  This isn’t a necessity but a helpful step to assure the potted succulents have the best chance of surviving the cold.  If it’s not possible you can take added steps to mulch the potting mix, wrap the whole planter in bubble wrap or burlap or just let them tough out Winter and re-evaluate next Spring.

If you can bring all potted succulents indoors give them one good watering before you do. That way they will be nice a moist and you won’t have to start with the watering process right away. This means you need garden saucers for each planter or you will have to move the pots to the sink to water them.  Like most houseplants, succulents need well, draining flowerpots or garden bowls.

Now check the potting mix in each planter.  If it’s compact and hard it’s best to replace it or at the very least work it to soften it up.  All root systems like a loose potting mix to grow and expand in.  Clean up the planters so that you don’t bring any bugs indoors.  Remove old leaves, twigs and other debris that may be on, in or around the pot.

Lastly, trim the succulent up if necessary.  Any old spent leaves or climbing string of pears can be clipped off and cut shorter.  Since succulents don’t grow fast you don’t need to go overboard here.  The idea is to just give it a manicured look not so much a hair cut and a shave look!  LOL

Place your garden pots in a sunny window, don’t over water, make sure it’s not too warm in the house and your outdoor potted succulents will give you a steady stream of beauty all thru the cold winter months until you move them outside again come Spring.

Today Succulents and Cactus are very popular.  You see larger selections of them to choose from at your local garden center or nursery.  They look so fantastic with their weird leaves and spikes yet are the perfect plant to put into garden containers or indoors decorative pottery.  If you have tried to pot these plants and had issues with over or under watering we would like to offer a few tips.

Did you know that the word succulent means a plant that can hold excess water?  Their leaves look really puffy and fleshy almost like they will squirt liquid.  Now there are other succulents like cactus that may not look that way but don’t require a lot of water to survive.

When it comes to how much and when is best to water a succulent container, the rule that works best is to allow the soil to become dry between watering but not hard and compact.  Usually what happens is you see some top soil that has dried out, usually from the wind conditions, and think the plant needs more.  That is incorrect.  Over watering is the one main reason for potted succulent problems.

The correct way to water is to wait till the water drains out the drain hole of the planter base.  Water again and let drain completely.  This allows the potted succulents roots time to drink in water.  You don’t want your garden container sitting in water or the plant will continue to suck up the liquid.

If you question whether you need more water or not it is best to go with under watering than over watering.  Remember that succulent garden planters grow slowly in winter so they need much less water than summer months.  If your pots are indoors you may need to water every 4 days if your homes indoor air is arid.

The best way to water is to use a small watering can and place the spout on the soil.  It’s best not to water the leaves only.  By watering the soils surface you give the roots of the potted succulent a longer time to absorb the liquid.  It won’t hurt the leaves if they get wet but aim for the soil surface first.