Sam's Garden Centre | Gardening Tips

For the love of succulents

Gardening Tips & Advice For Growing Your Own Plants

We make gardening easy for beginners. These gardening tips will help you to get the best results from your shopping trip with us! These tips are for our gorgeous succulent range and we have kept them general since climates vary across Australia. Succulents are an amazing type of plant with thousands of colourful varieties all over the world! They are generally regarded as hardy, drought-tolerant and low-maintenance plants. While this can be true for many commonly found succulents, this blanket rule should not be applied for all succulents you buy. We stock many varieties and it is important you treat them according to their unique requirements. The following tips are general advice based on our experience. If you’d like specific information about your new succulent, please reach out to us!

Sun – An Adequate Amount of Light is Key!

Most common succulent varieties enjoy the full sun. But be careful of the harsh Australian sun – if you notice the leaves starting to burn, move them to an area with filtered sun until the temperatures decrease. If a plant has been in the shade and you want to move it to a sunny area, make sure you introduce it to the light slowly so it has time to adapt to the increasing light. Growing succulents indoors can be successful if they are placed in a spot that receives sunlight (e.g., a windowsill). A tip is to pick varieties that do better in low-light conditions if you want to place your succulents indoors. An adequate amount of sunlight is key to ensure photosynthesis occurs and your plants grow well. If your succulent starts to get leggy / stemmy, this means that it is in search of more light, so move it to a sunnier position. We have generally found that placing succulents in an area with filtered sun which receives the softer morning sunlight keep them happy in the Australian climate.

Water – Avoid Overwatering Your Succulents

Succulents do not require a lot of water. The amount of water depends on where you have placed the plants and the ambient temperature. For instance, if your succulent is sitting in the full sun and it is a dry sunny summer day, you may need to water it more frequently to make sure it does not dehydrate. Watch out for too much rain. If your plants are receiving too much water from the heavens, we suggest moving them to a covered area until the rain subsides. If your succulent is in a pot without a drain hole, simply use a spray bottle and spray a little water on the soil. Try not to water on the leaves to avoid water retention. Some varieties can be very sensitive. An underwatered succulent can start to wrinkle, shrivel or become droopy. An overwatered succulent can start to rot, become soft or mushy and the leaves can fall off easily when you touch them. Remember, it is usually easier to recover an underwatered succulent than an overwatered one.

Potting mix – Pick Ingredients that Promote Good Drainage

A good succulent potting mix is prepared with soil, sand and pearlite. You can even add coir peat and a slow-release fertiliser to the mixture. Succulents do not like a very dense soil mixture that promotes moist soil. Instead, the soil mixture should allow water to drain easily.

Fertiliser – Add a Little to Promote Healthy Growth

Adding a slow-release fertiliser every now and then to the soil can help promote healthy growth.

Design – You Have So Many Options!

Succulents look lovely in pots, planters and garden beds. Some succulents are even perfect in hanging baskets. Simply make sure that your pot has enough room for roots of the plant. As your succulent grows, you can even propagate more from cuttings.