5 Things to Know Before Buying Succulents

Not long ago, I bought my first succulent plant. I was super excited because I had been wanting to buy some for several months, but a few weeks ago I finally got around to it. Sure I had done a little research before going for it, but there were a few things I encountered after purchasing my plant that I was ill prepared for. Succulents have a reputation for not needing much care, and while that is true, little care is different from no care. If you are an avid succulent purchaser, you probably won't get much out of these tips, but for anyone new to succulents, I have provided you with 5 things you should take into consideration before purchasing succulents.

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1. Know Where You are Wanting to Put Them

Some succulents require more sunlight than others and more sunlight than you'd think. If you know that you are wanting to decorate your windowsill, you can go with one of the higher light options, but if you know that the location won't receive much light, try to look for a low light option.

2. Succulents Grow

While you may think your cute little plant will stay small forever, succulents do in fact grow. The little pot the plant comes in may not be sufficient forever, so make sure you have the supplies for re-potting. The growth rate is often much slower than other plants, but before purchasing your plants make sure you know the relative growth rate.

3. Different Succulents Require Different Care

Some succulents such as cacti can go longer without water than other breeds. As mentioned earlier, some require more light. Make sure to know remotely how bad of a black thumb you are before choosing the succulents you buy.

4. Not All Are Sold Ready to Display

Not all succulents come with a cute potting, so depending on where you buy them, you may have to transfer them quite soon. I bought my fist succulent from the garden center at Walmart, and it came in the same plastic container that a flower needing to be transferred into the ground would come in. Not that is was too big of a deal, but I hadn't bought something to put it in yet.

5. Succulents Are Real Plants That Require Real Soil

So most of you are probably saying "duh" to this, but when I bought a succulent, I did not buy any potting soil to accompany it. So, something to keep in mind is that if you are going to need to re-pot, due to growth or just transferring containers, you may need to purchase some potting soil.