Succulents are considered low-maintenance plants even when grown indoors. The leaves and stems hold water as an adaptation to growing in arid areas. These plants offer unusual shapes, textures and forms. They make good houseplants for year-round growing inside. Plants grown in pots outdoors can be brought indoors during the winter to protect the cold-temperature sensitive succulent varieties.
1. Feed the succulents one last time at the end of summer. Succulents only need diluted fertilizer while they are actively growing. Stop feeding when the plants stop growing for the year and go dormant, which occurs when the temperatures drop and the light level falls. Too much fertilizer causes succulents to develop soft leaves, which are prone to rot.
2. Place the dormant succulent in an area with at least 3 to 4 hours of bright light. Succulents need less light during the winter than when they are actively growing during the summer. Succulents survive with indirect light during the winter.
3. Keep the temperature of the room the succulents are in around 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 13 degrees Celsius) during the winter. Many succulents such as Aeoniums do not tolerate colder temperatures.
Care Tips for Growing Succulents Indoors During the Winter
Photo via humideas.com
4. Pour water into the top of the succulent container until it drains out the bottom. Water the succulents deeply but less often in the winter. The dormant plants do not use as much water as when they are actively growing. Water the plants about once every one to two months.
5. Check the leaves every month for aphids or mealy bugs, which look like tiny cotton balls. Look under the leaves as well. Move an infested succulent away from other plants. Fill a spray bottle with 3 parts rubbing alcohol mixed with 1 part water, and mist it onto the plant to kill the pests. Keep the succulent away from the rest of the plants for a couple of weeks just in case a few of the bugs survive the first spray. Repeat the rubbing alcohol application until all the pests are gone.
