Indoor Succulents: Discover Made To Order Succulents For Use Indoors

There are many kinds of succulents you can grow:

succulents growing indoors by a south windowPin

… and of course, Indoor Succulents

In this article, we’ll look at growing succulents indoors, not air plants. Because anyone can grow succulents indoors!

Succulents are made to order and perfect for growing indoors:

  • They have low-maintenance requirements
  • Built for the indoor conditions of dry air in our overheated homes
  • Perfect for the forgetful gardener who frequently goes for long periods neglecting to water their plants
  • They require little space

In addition to their easy-to-grow and easy-going nature, succulents offer a fascinating variety of plant forms and bear flowers of rare exotic beauty.

Most everyone is familiar with the schlumbergera – The Christmas Cactus!

And you can keep many indoor succulents down to a small size or allow them to develop and fill whatever role you set.

There’s no end to the many interesting succulents an avid enthusiast can find. But let me warn you! Collecting these unusual plants may become a mania.

The First and Best Indoor Succulents

Many start their growing succulent’s journey by looking for a plant to put on their desk in an office with bright indirect light or as a simple way to add some life to the home office.

They begin with succulents like the:

Over time as they acquire more specimens, they line the facing window full of bright light with a unique succulent assortment.

Succulents and cacti are structurally adapted to withstand extreme drought and atmospheric dryness.

They have thick, fleshy stems or leaves and are found among such dissimilar plant families as the lily and amaryllis. milkweed, stonecrop, and thistle. Some have spines, and others do not.

Not Every Succulent Is a Cactus

Contrary to popular belief, not every succulent with spines is a cactus.



Cacti are members of a single family and bear their spines in clusters in defined uniform patterns on the stems rather than singly in the hit-or-miss fashion of other succulents.

Starting plants from rooted cuttings is always a preference. You not only get to enjoy watching them develop, but you learn more about plant care.

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If you like to keep your plants for decoration indoors, plant them in attractive glazed pots rather than those of red clay.

Either type is satisfactory if proper drainage material is provided. If you have ordered small plants, pots 3″ or 4″ inches wide are large enough.

Glass window shelves with a grow light will hold many small size plants to create an attractive succulent garden.

Caring For Succulent Plants Indoors

The Potting Soil Or Potting Mix

When you plant succulents, place a curved piece of a broken clay pot or a few small stones over the drainage hole and cover it with a generous layer of coarse sand.

Mix a little coarsely ground horticultural charcoal in flower pots without drainage holes with the sand to keep it sweet.

We prefer to use a succulent soil mix for the soil mix itself, but a mixture of equal parts of sand, good garden loam, and leaf mold will also work.

Add a little more sand to the cactus mix when potting cacti.

Before planting an indoor succulent or handling spiny cactus, it is best to put on an old glove for protection from the fine spines.

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Watering And Fertilizing

After your houseplant is potted, set them in pans of water until moisture begins to show on the soil surface.

Succulents prefer the sun (a south window), which will intensify the variegated coloration of many of them.

Most succulents come from desert locations and should be watered with care.

When to water and how much water for your succulents depends upon the temperature, season, and light available.

During winter or when plants are not in active growth, weekly watering is usually enough.

But they will use more water when the sun is bright and the plants are growing rapidly or flowering. Do not allow them to dry out.

How much do you water succulents on days when the sky is overcast?

If in doubt, skip the water for that day. Better to have dry conditions than a soil mix with too much water.

You can leave these plants over a long weekend without worrying about them.

Tips On Starting New Succulents

If your plant becomes too large or wants to increase your supply, start new ones from cuttings.

To do this, follow these steps:

  • Remove mature shoots with a sharp knife
  • Let the ends dry until they stop “weeping.”
  • Plant the cuttings in a tray of cactus soil mix, coarse sand, or crushed cinders
  • Water sparingly at first – just enough to keep the cuttings from shriveling
  • When the cutting has rooted, move the plant to a small pot

Sometimes new suckers are produced at the base of the old plant. These may be easily broken off and rooted.

Pests On Succulents

Do succulents attract bugs? Mealybugs are the only common pests that appear as small cottony patches.

Mealybugs can be removed with the end of a q-tip or a toothpick wrapped in cotton and dipped in alcohol.

Be careful to keep any alcohol from the plant itself. Mealybugs on succulents are easiest to control before they multiply, so keep a watchful eye on your plant collection.

Although cacti are essentially American in origin, others come from such faraway places as the African desert, Madagascar, and the Canary Islands.

Consider a collection on a window shelf representing many far-off lands.

Windowsill Candidates

Many succulents like Crassula ovata make wonderful candidates growing on a kitchen windowsill.

Echeveria plants, the most beautiful American succulents, are desirable plants for pot culture.

Their foliage includes shades of green, variously marked with red and purple, or tinted pink, rose, blue, and amethyst.

Echeveria setosa (Mexican Firecracker) – never bloomed for me, but its hairy leaves and symmetrical growth always intrigued visitors.

Echeveria Shaviana (Mexican Hen) – short stems, rosettes with smooth, fleshy pale powder blue-gray leaves radiating from the stem.

Echeveria rosea grandis, has broad red-margined leaves.

Crassula rupestris, like Echeveria, is a member of the stonecrop family but is somewhat vinelike.

Sedum rubrotinctum (aka Sedum guatemalense, Jelly Bean plant) has shiny deep green club-shaped leaves that turn bright red in the sun. Somewhat similar, but larger and with red tipped leaves and yellow flowers, is Sedum pachyphyllum.

Sedum adolphi (golden sedum) has pointed yellowish leaves and white flowers.

The succulent members of the lily family originated in South Africa. One of them, Haworthia radula, is a rather flatly rosette plant with long tapering leaves. Like the other Haworthias, it survives where sunlight is weak.

Haworthia fasciata – “zebra plant” stiff thick leaves, stores water, grows well with other cactus in succulent containers.

Another lily, Aloe variegata, the tiger aloe, is stemless, its white-spotted leaves growing in triangular rosettes. Aloe brevifolia is smaller and has leaves with horny white teeth. Both bear red flowers.

Of course, there is the tried and true Aloe vera – a good succulent to get started with.

assortment of succulents - zebra plant on rightPin

Other Succulents Candidates For Use Indoors

Crown of thorns or Euphorbia mili (Euphorbia splendens) originally came from Madagascar.

Its bright red bracts resemble petals and are borne on a spiny plant with vinelike growth.

Euphorbia pseudocactus is gray-green in color with distinctive yellow U-shaped marks on its leaves, while the leaves of Euphorbia globosa are small and drop off.

All three exude the milky sap, which indicates their relationship to the Poinsettia.

The fig marigolds (Mesembryanthemum) of South Africa are among the most numerous of the Old World succulents.

They are mostly creeping inhabitants with abundant flowers in many gleaming colors.

Stapelias A Delicacy?

In Africa, natives find the fleshy finger-like stalks of Stapelias a delicacy. While you would probably not eat them with equal relish, the plants are fascinating to view.

Stapelia bicolor and Stapelia peglerae bloom freely in a bizarre manner. Flowers of the latter species are about three inches across, deep maroon. and heavily fringed.

These are members of the milkweed family, as is trailing Ceropegia woodii. The latter bears heart-shaped silver-green leaves and pale purple or pink flowers.

You’ll also want to include some of the Cactaceae family in your collection. The light green silver torch cactus (Cleistocactus strausi) has 4″ inches long red flowers.

Rainbow cactus (Echinocereus rigidissimus) from the Arizona desert bears ethereal blossoms of pale rose and white during April.

They look as though they were made from China silk and the placement of their pistils and stamens is unusual. The only plant I know has them in straight rows – one row of pistils between two rows of stamens.

The golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii) reaches a height of four feet in its native setting. The golden yellow spines for which it is named become white with age.

In bright light, its brownish flowers open to show a bright yellow inside. The plant is native to Mexico.

True to its Latin name, Mammillaria fragilis is easily broken. It is commonly known as the thimble cactus because it grows in clusters of small balls.

Its cream-colored flowers are pinkish on the outside. Mammillaria dioica is a good example of the fishhook type of cacti.

Masses of long snowy hair give Pilocereus lanatus (Espostoa lanata) the name cotton ball. Growing in the wild to 15′ feet, it remains small indoors and produces pinkish flowers surrounded by its distinctive wool.

By contrast, Rebutia minuscula (Lobivia minuscula), is naturally small and globular, bearing bright crimson flowers.

Once you have become a victim of the succulent-cacti mania, only a lack of “headspace” will limit your choice of new specimens.

Cultural difficulties then become a challenge! For it is true that even in this easy-to-grow, easy-to-care group of plants, some require rather exacting conditions.

Have A Cat? Read our article – “Are Succulents Poisonous to Cats?”

Indoor Cactus and Succulent MUST

Certainly, the snowy cotton ball cactus Pilocereus lanatus (Espostoa lanata) belongs in every cacti collection.

The golden barrel (Echinocactus grusonii) and one of the small Opuntia plants – perhaps Opuntia microdasys or bunny ears are also distinctive in form and tolerant.

For cacti flowers the Mammillarias and Rebutia minuscula are good choices.

Echeveria setosa with its glistening leaves, is justly popular with growers, while Crown of Thorns has long been a reliable house plant.

Crassulas, on the whole, are easily grown from seeds or cuttings and usually flower freely. While the flowers of Haworthia rudula are of little consequence, it is an attractive plant and gets along with less light than other succulents.

Sedum rubrotinctum (jelly bean plant) with its leaves turning red in direct sun will round out an initial succulent collection.

You will find that many succulents are appropriate for hanging baskets, strawberry jars, and indoor plant and flower boxes.

An established basket of Crassula perforata, Sedum pachyphyllum and any mesembryanthemums planted around a central Stapelia plant will be a real eye-catcher.

With a small collection and a flair for experimenting, you can find many happy combinations and your plants will be an ever-growing fascination and hobby.