Succulents

SucculentsBy Serena Yeh

Many of our succulents come from generic big-box stores like Walmart. When we bought them years ago, they were just a couple dollars, and quite small as well. Over time, with some watering (not enough to make the water muddy, but enough to keep its leaves plump), they’ve thrived and had to upgrade from smaller pots to the bigger pots. One misconception that has threatened to sabotage the life of other plants is that because they originate from desert environments, they don’t need water. Please, please do water your succulents! I learned this the hard way as well. I was gifted a small succulent keychain, with a live succulent in a plastic dome, like the rose in Beauty and the Beast. I left it unattended on my window sill, not watering it much or doing anything. By the time I realized the plant needed water, it was too late, and its stem was completely brown. After that, I took more care growing my little plants, like the little succulent in my rainbow chrome llama pot. Some advice for any prospective window sill growers: put some masking tape over the part of the pot that isn’t occupied by the succulent. I’ve made the mistake of tipping over the open pot to my carpet floor more than once. Sometimes I’d open my window so quickly that I completely knock over my llama pot to the ground. In fact, there’s probably still dirt on my carpet right now. Most of our succulents do well in indirect sunlight (like underneath some trees), but it really depends on the plant. If a plant seems droopy, try moving it into direct sunlight, or moving it into complete shade.