A Succy Environment

Hey Succas! Thanks for checking out this post. Just a warning, this blog post is a little longer than the other ones thus far. This is also a pretty informative one so you will learn more facts in this one. You will probably learn more about succulents’ environments than you ever cared to know. It is all about a succulent’s environment. In the post you will find out: What does environment even mean? What is a succulent again? Where are succulents found the most? Why do they survive there? Is it more inside vs outside, OR does it depend on what country one is in? Do they survive other places? Do I affect the environment of my succulent? What other outside factors affect my succulent? What weather do succulents like the best? With these questions being answered, you will most likely learn how to better care for your succulents, and also learn about where succulents come from.

Let me tell you, I have some experience killing a succulent or two. Ironic that I have a blog about tips for having succulents when I’ve killed some myself. After a couple of succulent murders, I figured I owed it to them to either fix the problem or not get anymore. Since I’m selfish and think they are so cute, and wanted more, I decided to do a little bit of research. I will admit before researching I was not sure exactly what type of climate, they thrive in. I knew that they didn’t need much water, but I didn’t know if they could survive in climates that have a lot of water or not. I also needed to learn how to properly take care of household plants. I needed to learn how much I affect the health of all of my poor succulents. I was hoping I would find out that it actually wasn’t my fault.

Let’s start out at the very basics with the definition of a succulent. A succulent is: plant that have some parts that are more than normally thickened and fleshy, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. What is an environment? An environment is the surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates. One thing I found interesting when I did some research was that succulents need some shade, but not total shade. They also do not do well with temperatures over 90 degrees. This was surprising because cacti are succulents and when I picture cacti, I picture them in the middle of a desert in the blazing hot. One thing research says, that I did know, is that succulents do need little water to survive, but over watering is way more common than under watering. Also, succulents do need food. However, they can survive on once a year feeding which is way less than any of the other plants. Another thing that I assumed is, that although a few types of succulents can survive in freezing temperatures, most succulents cannot.

A cool fact about succulents is that they can be found on every continent except for Antarctica. This makes sense since they cannot survive in freezing climates. Many succulents originate from Africa. This is because they have long dry seasons there. There is a decent amount that come from Mexico as well. Echeverias, Graptopetalums, Sedums, Agave are common succulents found in Mexico. This is also not surprising because Mexico is associated with a warm climate. One might recognize Agave… it is what Tequila comes from. Since Tequila and Mexico go together, it is not surprising that this is found in Mexico. Aloe is one of the most common succulents found in Africa, but there are many other ones as well. This is probably good because Africa is so close to the equator and there are probably a lot of sunburns and aloe is a cure.

So, as I’ve mentioned, I killed my succulents. I just want to say I don’t think it was completely my fault. I mean it probably was, but to make myself feel better I say it wasn’t. I got these four cute tiny little succulents from a bridal shower. The girl who bought them ordered them from Etsy. They were super cute, but I’m going to go out on a limb and say any time you order a succulent online it is risky. Some of the ones she bought were already dying by the time the bridal shower came around. When I was picking mine out, I tried to pick ones that looked like they were healthy. At the time I lived 3 hours away from where the party was hosted. When I got home I put them around my room, and decided I was going to put them in different pots than the plastic ones they came in. I bought these two glass fish bowl things (as seen in the my life succs video). When I went to put the plants in them, one of the succulents “leaves” all just completely fell off. I know I could’ve made new succulents from them, but that was too much work. Since I only had 3 left I decided I would place 1 succulent in each glass bowl and keep the third in the plastic thing. The next day after I had planted them I was glad I picked the ones I did. The third one that was still in the plastic was completely brown and dead. I still don’t know what the reason was. But, I was assuming none of them had been watered. Naturally, I decided to water the other ones. I did a pretty good job of keeping up with them and watering them the rest of the summer. Then, it came time to move back to school. One of the living succulents had already lost a leaf or two, but it still looked good so I kept it. However, on the way to school the poor thing lost the rest of them. To top it all off, I was going to keep the last survivor, but I placed it on my dresser in my room at school and someone knocked it off.

Although Mexico and Africa are the greatest contributors of succulents, South America and the rest of North America also have a decent amount. In North America most of the succulents are found in California, specifically Catalina Island. Since California has a similar climate to Mexico this is not surprising. It is interesting that Catalina Island has their own species. In South America there is a native large genus of Cacti called Echinopsis. There are over 128 different species of them found in South America. They all vary in color, size, and shape. So basically, succulents can survive in many different places. It depends on the species as to where it is commonly found. This makes sense though since they are low maintenance plants.

One thing people don’t think about when they are buying household succulents is the quality of the soil. Succulents always come with soil and one would think that it is always the best kind for it. However, if one decides to replant their succulents, they must know what kind of soil they should use. There are actually mixes of soil that you can buy that are specifically for succulents, or certain kinds of succulents. One can also mix their own soil if they want a specific kind for their individual succulent. This would require to more research and could possibly be more expensive. However, this would most likely be more nutritious for the plant. Another suggestion for succulents is to have some type of watering chart to keep track of when the plants have been watered. This will help for over or under watering the succulents. An easy way to water household succulents is to have a spray bottle close to them so one does not over water them.

One of my roommates actually got me in the spray bottle habit. It is so much easier because two of my succulents are right above my bed. Watering them I would always end up spilling water on my bed. Now, I just use the spray bottle and don’t have to mess with a cup. As for soil, I have not used or made different soil than that has come with the succulents before. However, if the new succulents last a little while, I have thought about replanting them. I would then do more research (and post about it of course) about putting rocks under the soil they are planted in. I have used Pinterest to get cute ideas for the glass pot I have. I saw one that has rocks and then the soil. However, I do not know if that is a good idea for the health of the succulent. If I want to do rocks, I might have to end up getting some fake succulents.

This post has exposed my lack of green thumb even for succulents. It may have even made caring for succulents to seem harder than it actually is. I want to make it clear that caring for succulents isn’t that bad. By reading this blog you are already doing more than I did before I got my first succulent. If you have your first succulent my advice would be to keep it simple. Do not try to replant it when you first get it. Keep a simple watering chart. Don’t go over the top trying to make it fancy. Once you get in the rhythm of caring for a succulent you can get fancier. Also, if you do want to do something, just Google it before. There are many ideas you can find on Pinterest and if you want to do it make sure you know how to do it correctly.

While researching I have found many areas If I had to go back to all the succulents I killed and changed things I would. First, I would do more research about how to repot succulents. Also, I would check to see exactly how much water I should have been giving them. If they still died, I would also think more about possibly propagating other succulents from the leaves. I feel like it would have been good to learn about and it would have made me a better care taker. With these new succulents I have been keeping an eye on them more and trying to make sure I give them the proper care they need. I think these ones are better quality than the last ones which hopefully will help them last longer. I will definitely keep you informed on the progress of these succulents.

So, I hope you learned a little something by reading this long post. A reminder of the questions this covered since it was so long, and you probably forgot. What does environment even mean? The surroundings or conditions in which a person, animal, or plant lives or operates. What is a succulent again? A plant that have some parts that are more than normally thickened and fleshy, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions. Where are succulents found the most? Africa and Mexico. Why do they survive there? The dry hot climates and temperatures cause them to thrive here. Is it more inside vs outside, OR does it depend on what country one is in? Succulents are usually found outdoors but indoors with proper care doesn’t hurt them. Do they survive other places? Yes, all the continents.

Do I affect the environment of my succulent? Absolutely, you set the environment. What other outside factors affect my succulent? Soil, how much you water it, sunlight. What weather do succulents like the best? Hot and dry.

For more about what a succulent is you can check out my blog creatively titled “What is a succulent?” If you want to hear about my new succulents, you can get out my video “my life succs.” Once again, thanks for continuing for visit our blog.