The succulent trend is still going strong in the Kitchener Waterloo area. Odds are, if you are a Charmed customer, that you have at some point brought home a new succulent friend. There seems to be a myth out there they they are the “unkillable plant”. Having cared for them for years and hearing a constant stream of customers telling me they can’t keep them alive I can tell you confidently: that is not true!

Succulents are very sensitive to over watering. In their natural desert environment they would rarely experience heavy rains.

To help with the basics, we found some helpful info graphics from https://apairandasparediy.com/

Scroll down for common problems and our experiences.

Above: a lot of our succulent arrangements do not have drainage holes. In this case, you simple use the right soil, make sure there are rocks below the soil and adjust to less water.

The graphic below covers most of the common problems we get asked about. However, it’s important to note: a few dried up/shriveled leaves at the base of your succulent are nothing to be concerned about. They tend to loose the occasional bottom leaf as they grow.

You may also find that your succulents are thriving, but they look terrible as they become overgrown-see image below.

Healthy succulents can look bad as they out grown the design/container they were in.

The simple solution is to prune your succulents. Succulents can be cut at their base and stuck back in soil. After some time they will take root again and be in the original short state you likely bought them in. This can be done in a new container or the old one.