How To Get Succulents Grow Huge In Pots

Most succulents are fantastic plants to grow in pots. They tolerate confined space well and will be fine if the soil in the pot goes dry. Succulent plants are also quite unusual and eye-catching with their bold colors and swollen leaves. And there's nothing more mesmerizing than a pot overflowing with chubby leaves. In this video, we'll have a look at how to help succulents grow huge in pots. In my opinion, this is one of the most important things to get right. Not all succulents will grow big and some are naturally small growing. For instance, this Echeveria minima will always grow small rosettes no matter what you do. Same with this Echeveria halbingeri. Or this Andromedicus cristatus. If you're unsure which succulents grow big, you can simply search in Google. To pick the best plant for the job, also search other criteria based on what you want from your succulent. For example, if you have the pot placed in full sun, you'll want a succulent that can deal with the heat. Some succulents like this Haworthia cuprae grow best in filtered light or bright shade and could die if grown in full sun when very hot. The simplest way to grow big succulents in pots is to give them the root space. Bigger the pot, bigger the plant. Also, don't be scared of deep pots. Succulents grow quite well in them. I have a full video where I do loads of comparisons. It will be tagged at the very end and also in the description. When it comes to pot materials, in my experience, plastic and ceramic pots tend to do better than unsealed terracotta or concrete. The reason is unsealed terracotta dries out extremely fast and this can be beneficial in climates where it rains often, preventing root rot. But when the weather is hot and dry, succulents can go dormant if they don't have enough water to sustain new growth. Because terracotta is porous, it can dry out so fast the plant will not have a chance to get a proper drink. It can also cause hydrophobic potting mix which means it will repel water. While succulents are well equipped for tough conditions like this and will survive even when dry for a long time, they certainly won't grow big. But as I said earlier, terracotta may be really good in cooler climates with regular rain. My little nursery is based in Australia and it can get incredibly hot and dry here, even outside of the summer months. I grow succulents in all sorts of pots and they always without a fail get nice and big in glazed ceramic or plastic pots that can hold water for long enough. Succulents have evolved in places where the soil quality is pretty low and lacking nutrients. Personally, I give my plants very little extra fertilizer as they can develop abnormal growth or split leaves if they have way too much. This especially applies to fertilizers that are very high in nitrogen. Having said that, if you want a potted succulent to get big without repotting all the time, fertilizers will definitely help. Slow release fertilizer with a balanced NPK is best. Blood and bone can also be used. You can simply sprinkle a bit on top of the potting mix once per month throughout the growing season and let it do its thing. I always get asked about seaweed and it can be a good idea to use that too, but as an addition. Seaweed contains important nutrients but has very low nitrogen levels and is not good enough to use as a sole source of nutrients for plants. If you are going with seaweed, use it as well as either slow release fertilizer or blood and bone. If the succulent is in a small enough pot where it can be comfortably taken out, you can repot and then plant it back into the same pot. I already have a full video on this. But basically, you take the succulent out, shake off the old potting mix and use a new fresh bag to repot it back into the same pot. This will give you a chance to check on the health of the roots which can be important with pests like root mealybugs and grubs. You can also clean off any dead or dying leaves. The fresh potting mix will provide new nutrients that will help the plant grow bigger. In smaller pots, say to about 15 liters or 4 gallons, I'd advise to use good succulent potting mix. It will have the right nutrients for succulent plants. In bigger pots, you can get away with using any potting mix, though I'd steer clear of vegetable potting media as they can have way too much nitrogen for succulents. Using soil straight from the ground may also be unsuitable as it can be too heavy for healthy growth. The succulents will tolerate it but are highly unlikely to grow big unless your garden dirt is of exceptional quality. Potting media that are way too gritty and super well draining may not be the greatest idea either. They can drain too fast in hot dry weather and leave your succulents parched. Succulents tolerate drought and dry conditions well but will grow bigger if they are watered regularly, especially during the warm months. A good rule to follow is to water when the potting mix has dried out. Sometimes succulents can stop growing completely when kept too dry. Succulents tend to behave differently indoors and will often grow at a much slower rate if at all. The majority of succulents are also not suitable to be grown indoors long term as it is simply not bright enough for them in an average house. You will need to choose shade tolerant succulents such as Rhipsalis or Haworthia that will tolerate the lack of good light. Even they tend to just survive and may never reach their full size. You can help them out with plant growing lights though which will provide what these plants crave the most. You may also be in luck if you have a sunroom or a huge sunny window. But without these none of the things I mentioned previously will work to make them grow big. And succulents like these will almost certainly eventually die. They can survive overwintering in the house but longer term they tend to stretch and when they can't find sufficient light they'll slowly die off. So to summarize if you want big succulents in pots you'll need to make sure they have enough root space and or nutrients, sufficient water, good potting medium and when indoors ample light. And on that note it's time to call it a day. I really hope this video was useful and if you'd like to add anything or ask a question you can do so in the comments below. To learn more about succulents hit the subscribe button or go to succulentgrowingtips.com. Thank you very much for watching!