Succulents: Main types, care and decorating tips

What is a succulent?

Succulents are plants that store water. in one or more of their fabrics and they do this because they are native to dry regions, thus keeping a reserve for periods without rain. This water storage takes place in the roots, stems, trunks, leaves, etc. They often have “chubby” leaves, trunks or stems, full of water, hence the name “succulent”.

Main types of succulent plants

colorful succulents

There are more than 6 thousand types of succulents, these are definitely the colorful species you’ll see most often out there.

Always Alive (Sempervivum Red Rubin)

This is a naturally colored succulent that turns a very strong red.

Black Prince (Black Prince Echeveria)

It’s a succulent with very dark foliage, almost black. In winter, it takes on a very dark red.

Painted Echeveria (Echeveria Nodulosa)

This plant looks like a painting. It develops concave foliage with striking red strokes.

pendant succulents

Most plants grow towards the sun, upwards. Pendants, on the other hand, do the opposite, instead of rising, they grow by falling, hanging from the vases. This happens due to the stems not supporting the weight of the cactus-like plant. Here are some outstanding succulent types:

Pearl necklace (Senecio Rowleyanus)

As their name implies, succulent pearl necklace pendants are as delicate as the gemstone. With proper care, the plant can reach 1m in length. Its flowers bloom in winter, they are white and super delicate.

Succulent girl’s finger (sedum morganianum)

The pendant succulents name finger of girl have clear, numerous and long leaves. Its flowers are red and vibrant.

mini succulents

This type of succulent is ideal for those who have little space, but still want to include a little green at home, or even on the office desk’.

Stone cactus (Lithops)

Available in different colors, which camouflage themselves in their natural environment, they receive this name because they look like a real stone. It needs a lot of sun, at least 4 hours, and its soil needs to be moist all the time (but be careful not to soak it).

Zebra plant (haworthia)

Native to South Africa, the haworthia It gets its nickname the zebra plant because of the stripes of white bumps on its leaves. She requires little water and is happy to be out of direct sunlight.

Jade Plant (Crassula Ovata)

With leaves that can turn red if exposed to prolonged sunlight, Crassula Ovatas are versatile succulents that thrive both indoors and outdoors. Ideal for gardeners of any skill level, they require minimal care such as partial sunlight and little water.

succulent flower

For those who prefer flowers, but don’t have a green finger, this type of succulent can be a good option, since the maintenance does not vary much in relation to other succulents, the main recommendation, in addition to watering and leaving it in the sun, is put fertilizer, so that it blooms healthy.

Desert Rose (Adenium obesum)

Desert rose is native to African and Arabian deserts, so it needs plenty of sun to develop well. Ideally, it should be in a garden or on a balcony where it receives four to six hours of sunlight a day. But be careful with watering, the plant cannot keep the soil too wet, because the root can rot.

May’s flower (Schlumbergera truncata)

This species should be grown on balconies without direct sunlight, but with good light. The flowers of varied colors are easy to grow. It is important to water two to four times a week.

shade succulents

Even though it is more common for plants to need sun or at least indirect light, there are types of succulents that, given their extremely adaptable and resistant nature, do well even in the shade. So, if you live in a place that doesn’t get the sun or want to decorate your office, the options below can do well in these spaces.

Elephant bush (portulacaria afra)

The size is somewhat reminiscent of the jade plant, however, its leaves are smaller, more delicate. It also has the appearance of a tree, resembling a bonsai. It’s a joker plant, which adapts to different growing environments, so low light won’t hurt it.

ruby necklace (Othonna capensis)

The succulent ruby ​​necklace originates from South Africa. It has this name due to its purple color, which becomes even more vibrant when grown in contact with the sun. It is not exactly an example of a shade succulent, but because it is a species that adapts to indoor growing places.

How to care for succulents

Lighting

Indispensable information and general knowledge is that most cacti and succulents need direct contact with the sun to live. However, there are species that prefer indirect light or a few hours of exposure to the sun.

watering

Succulent leaves are fleshy and plump, and there’s an explanation for that. Plants store water inside, making them resistant to drought. Therefore, they need little water to live.

Ideally, and this applies to all plants, there should be a routine. For succulents, the suggestion is that in summer watering is done once a week and in winter once or twice a month. And to carry out watering, wet only the soil. Avoid letting water fall on the leaves as they can rot.

To know if your succulent needs water or not, just analyze the soil aspect, if it’s still wet, it’s not necessary to water more.

Substrates

The best substrate for succulents is the composition of mixing two parts of soil for every two parts of construction sand. Finish with pebbles, which can be perlite, tile shards or even construction pebbles.

decorating tips

terrariums

Due to the ease of care, succulents are great options to have in the terrarium, which can even be done at home.

Table

Your succulent can be the centerpiece of the table, with the different types of succulents that we have already mentioned here, you will not lack options to make your meals more enjoyable.

Bookcase

Undoubtedly the best choice to compose a shelf are books, but you can also choose to include more differentiated ornaments, and a succulent will be fine sharing space with your favorite stories.

Balcony

As these plants get along very well with the sun, leaving them on the balcony will be great, as in addition to decorating, it also ensures healthy growth for them. In this case, large succulents or a vase full of different succulents can be used.

Bedside table

Succulents can, yes, go to the bedroom, you can place a succulent in the shade, otherwise there will be direct sunlight in the room. You can highlight it by using a pending type of succulent, flowering succulent, or any type of succulent in a cachepot.