A Complete Guide to Keeping Your Succulent Gift Happy and Healthy

With the right conditions, succulents are among the easiest plants to maintain indoors, requiring minimal effort in exchange for a gift that lasts for years. This guide will detail exactly what your succulent gift needs to thrive, from lighting and watering to reading the subtle signals when a succulent needs a bit more attention.

Even for those who swear they have a brown thumb, the fundamentals below will set them up for success!

Lighting Requirements: Succulents are naturally suited to bright conditions and generally require around six hours of sunlight a day.

Tip! If there's no room near a window, try adding a grow light! This will provide plenty of light to promote new growth and prevent the stretched, leggy growth that often occurs when a succulent can't find light.

Placement: A south facing or west facing window is ideal, as they typically provide consistent natural light throughout the day.

Expert tip: Rotating your succulent gift every week or two encourages even growth on all sides!

Watering Guidelines

Follow these few tips, and you'll feel more confident when watering your succulent gift!

Water the soil, not the leaves: Succulents absorb moisture through their roots rather than their leaves, so water should always be applied directly to the soil. 

Adjust with the seasons: Succulents are mostly dormant during the winter season, which means less water is needed! Summer season is active growing time, so more water is needed then. While succulents need more water in the summertime, "more" is still a small amount compared to regular houseplants.

Water according to need, not a calendar: Try checking your succulent plant rather than following a fixed schedule for watering. This method is better for your succulent long term, and will ensure that watering between seasons is adjusted correctly! Water when the top inch of soil is dried out. 

Quick tip: Pick up your succulent gift. If the soil looks dried out, and the pot feels noticeably light, it's time to water! Overwatering is the number one problem people deal with. When in doubt, give your succulent a couple more days to dry out!

Reading the Leaves

Your succulent gift's leaves communicate its hydration level clearly, making it easy to adjust care as needed.

• Plump leaves: Succulent is well hydrated!
• Wrinkled leaves: Succulent is underwatered and would benefit from watering soon.
• Mushy/translucent leaves: Typically a signal of overwatering, and the soil should be allowed to dry out fully before watering resumes.

Remember!

Don't fear if there's a couple of leaves dying each season. Lower leaves naturally shrivel and drop over time. This process is a normal part of a succulent's growth cycle and isn't a problem! 

However, dropping leaves at the top of the plant, where new growth forms, is worth taking seriously. This pattern can indicate overwatering, and reducing water frequency while allowing the soil to dry thoroughly is the best course of action.

Once the basics of light and water are in place, maintaining a healthy succulent becomes remarkably easy. This low maintenance nature is precisely what makes succulents such a practical and appealing choice for indoor spaces, and such a fitting gift for beginners and experienced plant owners alike!