HOME & GARDEN
Shannon Holden
Succulents:
Good Starter Plants WRITER/ PHOTO Shannon Holden Associate Degree in Applied Animal Science Technology and Associate Degree in Horticulture Technology from Wilkes Community College
Life is so busy these days. When you love plants but don’t have a lot of time to put in to care for them then it’s a struggle and disappointment. Succulents are the way to go! They are cool looking, low-maintenance, and last but definitely not least, easy to take care of. One neat feature that separates succulents from a regular plant is they store water in their leaves. Also, they are real cute and they can go in several different places. For example, on a window sill, a side table in your house, or even in your car on your dash. They are great starter plants if you are the type of person that can’t keep a plant alive. One of the main questions I hear about succulents is, “How much do I need to water them?” There is no certain schedule you have to follow because it depends on where it’s located, how much sunlight it gets and the environment it’s in. Succulents like to dry out their soil between watering and they don’t like to have wet feet/roots. Some people call it using the “Soak and Dry” method. I will say it’s better if the morning sun hits the plant instead of the evening sun because it isn’t as hard on them. My succulents are near a window in our kitchen and they tend to get more morning sun than evening. They do great! Succulents seem to thrive better with well-drained soil. If they don’t get enough sun then 68
Succulents at Midtown Market in North Wilkesboro. they can turn more of a pale color and with too much water they rot. Most of the time I water mine once a week. Some may only need watering every 3 to 4 weeks. A good little hint to remember is it’s easier to save your succulent from dying with too little of water than with too much water and drowning it. I have found using a squeeze bottle to water is a good way. Just an important tip when you water your succulents is to use more warm water then cold so it won’t shock their roots and result in death. There are two types of roots on succulents and both are crucial to the plants’ life, stability and growth. The main root is called the tap root which anchors the plant and it’s a long root usually straight down in the soil to find the nutrients. This helps with soaking up moisture from deep in the soil. Fibrous roots surround the plant near the surface and are more fine hairs. They are used more to soak up the shallow water it gets. The best soil mixture for a succulent is sand,
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