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How to winterize succulents


How to care for succulents in winter |

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Knowing how to care for succulents in winter will help these eye-catching plants survive changes in temperature and humidity. 

These plants can of course grow all year round, but knowing how to care for succulents differs wildly from season to season. Here, we are dealing with winter succulents. Some succulents can tolerate very cold weather, making them great winter garden ideas. However, others are tender and need more careful treatment.

Whether you're winterizing succulents usually kept outdoors in a dry garden or want to find out how to care for house plants in winter to help succulents cope with the dry atmosphere caused by home heating, these expert tips will allow you to take good care of yours. 

How to care for succulents in winter

Succulents are known for being drought-tolerant – and for hating being over-watered – but it isn't widely known that some succulents – often called 'hard succulents' can tolerate – and, in fact, thrive in very cold weather, making them some of the best winter plants for pots and borders. Other succulents, called 'soft succulents' will not survive temperatures below freezing and must be brought indoors. 

Winter is perhaps the most common season to ask yourself, 'why is my succulent dying?' and all for a good reason. In these months, it is important to change your plant-care routine to avoid overwatering. Here's what you need to know about caring for succulents over winter, and how it changes, depending on their type.

Which succulents can stay outside in winter?

Hardy succulents, such as sedum, euphorbias, sempervivum, can tolerate temperatures as low as -20ºF. Always check the label when buying a plant to ensure it will suit temperatures in your zone.

Tender succulents, such as aloe, prefer clement weather, so either need to live indoors, where they prefer a room temperature of around 50ºF, or outdoors if the temperature never reaches freezing – even a light frost can damage tender leaves. If left outdoors, they will need frost protection.

Why can't some succulents tolerate freezing temperatures? The answer down to the amount of water they store in their leaves and stems (hence their drought-tolerance). This will freeze in cold weather, expand and damage the plant. The best route to success? Choose hard succulents over tender ones for outdoors if the zone you live in is subject to severe frosts, or be prepared to bring them in or protect them.

1. Winterize succulents by moving them

The best way to winterize succulents is by protecting them from freezing temperatures. You can do this by bringing them indoors, moving them to a covered porch, into a sunny spot – they love light – next to a sheltered wall, into a greenhouse or conservatory. Do this in fall or before temperatures get below 5ºF. For those succulents that have to remain outside, you can protect them in various ways.

2. Raise succulents off the ground in winter

If your succulents are in containers, and whether you've moved them to a sheltered spot or not, if they are still outside, raising off the freezing ground will help to protect  their roots and leaves from ground frost. 

3. Remove dead leaves

Before take any more steps to care for your winter succulents, do some pruning. An important way to care for succulents in winter is to remove dead or dying/damaged leaves. Leaving them on can cause rot to spread.

4. Protect succulents outdoors with fleece

Caring for succulents in winter does require some work. One way to protect them from freezing weather is with a heavy horticultural fleece. Wrap your succulents in fleece in late fall/early winter and you will protect them not just from cold but from really wet weather, which can lead the leaves to rot, especially if any have existing damage. The upside of horticultural fleece over other materials is that it will allow air to circulate around the succulents and light to filter through, helping to keep the plants happy. 

5. Add a layer of gravel around the succulents' roots

While you might protect other winter plants with mulch, succulents planted in a border or in containers will benefit from a good thick layer of gravel or pebbles. These will, of course, provide some protection from frost, but will also stop your succulents' leaves from drooping into wet soil, which will increase the chance of rot infecting the plant.  

6. Ensure succulent drainage is efficient

Succulents do not like to sit in water – after all, they are drought-tolerant. For this reason, it's important to ensure that succulent containers drain efficiently – especially in winter when any water left in the bottom of the container is likely to freeze. 

Should I feed succulents in winter?

No, you should not feed succulents in winter. Feeding them will encourage growth when what you want them to do is to concentrate their energies on becoming hardier. Begin feeding again in warmer weather.

Should I water succulents in winter?

Knowing when to water succulents can make or break your success with these plants. Outdoors, succulents will be unlikely to need watering in winter. Indoors, limit watering to once a month, max. When watering succulents, always ensure the roots are soaked, but that the water in the plant's pot is able to immediately drain out. Succulents do not like their roots sitting in water.  

Does leaf loss mean my succulents are dying in winter?

Leaf loss does not mean your succulent is necessarily dying – outer leaves often fall off in winter and this is not something to worry about. If, however, new growth is dying, you should be worried. It's likely this is being caused – as it often is with plants – by over-watering or over-feeding; if you catch it early enough, you will be able to save the plant.

Do succulents survive winter indoors? 

Yes, succulents can survive indoors in winter but there are some steps you should take to guarantee plant health – with many of these succulent care tips worth doing anyway in winter. 

Check your succulent is pest-free: you don't want to bring pests indoors, so check your plant's health and treat accordingly.

Tidy the plant: remove dead, dying or damaged leaves, weed around the succulent's roots. This isn't just about aesthetics – just as you don't want pests to spread to other house plants, you don't want weeds to either.

Provide drainage: just because it is warmer and drier indoors that out, it's still important to ensure that the succulents roots aren't sat in water, so ensure the containers have good drainage. 

Stop watering succulents indoors in winter: you can allow the soil to dry out, then water very sparingly – they can be kept just on the wet side of dehydration.

Put succulents in a bright spot: succulents like sunlight so put them in a bright spot away from drafts. 

Get the room temperature right: succulents like room temperatures of around 50ºF and 60ºF.

Lucy Searle has written about interiors, property and gardens since 1990, working her way around the interiors departments of women's magazines before switching to interiors-only titles in the mid-nineties. She was Associate Editor on Ideal Home, and Launch Editor of 4Homes magazine, before moving into digital in 2007, launching Channel 4's flagship website, Channel4. com/4homes. In 2018, Lucy took on the role of Global Editor in Chief for Realhomes.com, taking the site from a small magazine add-on to a global success. She was asked to repeat that success at Homes & Gardens, where she has also taken on the editorship of the magazine. 

Winterize Succulents: How to Prepare Succulents and Cacti for Winter

Winter is coming.

Or that's what I keep hearing, anyway. Depending on where you are in the world, it's probably getting cold for you. Heck, it might have already snowed. I'm glad I don't live in a place where it snows in October!

The first thing I think when the temperature starts to dip is "Are my succies okay??". This guide is for all like-minded people.  So let's learn how to minimize winter casualties!

Jump to:

How cold is too cold for succulents?

Winter is dangerous for these plants, most of which are acclimated to hot, arid environments. Some succulents and cacti begin to suffer damage when the temperature reaches 45° F. For the most part, though, you should be okay as long as temperatures don't go below 40° F.

youngs-garden.com

No matter what though - don't expose your succulents to freezing temperatures! The reason succulents are so wonderfully voluptuous is because they store a lot of water inside their leaves/trunk/stem. We all know water expands when it freezes (that's why potholes get worse every year...). When the water inside a cell expands it can burst through the membrane of the cell - killing it. This makes the plant very sad.

However, there are ways to mitigate the effect of temperature. We'll discuss some of those below. Some succulents don't even mind the cold all that much!

Winter Dormancy

Before we get to the good stuff, you should know how winter affects succulents and cacti.

Many succulents do actually encounter cold and warm seasons in their native habitats. They have adapted to the changing conditions in a manner somewhat similar to animals: they can go dormant. Dormany looks a little different for plants since they don't really sleep. Instead, they severely slow or even stop all growth. They need less water and little or no food. Since they're not doing much, they don't require a lot of light either.

Plants can tell when winter is coming because of two things: the days get shorter and the temperature gets colder. Succulents are no exception. When fall rolls around, the onset of these conditions signal they need to go dormant soon to survive the winter. You can fool your plants into thinking they have perpetual summer, however, by bringing them inside and giving them lots of light, food, and water before the outside ever gets cold. You'll get lots of growth, but some plants use seasons as a signal to flower or reproduce, so you could miss that.

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It's important to note, however, that some succulents are quite the opposite. One of the most common examples is the Aeonium genus. They are summer dormant and winter growers - but they are NOT frost-resistant. They just get a kick from being a little chilly. Hard to please, huh?

How to prepare your succulents for winter:

1. Bring them inside

This is the obvious answer. The inside is warm (hopefully). If you're able, you should bring all your succulents inside to escape the winter chill. But that's not always easy... especially when the inside of your house is already full of succulents.

So get some more space!

There are a few options. If you're a window person, like me, put them on every window in your house. While south-facing windows provide the best light (assuming you're in the northern hemisphere), any light is better than no light. But you can make your southward window have more real estate:

There are a lot of window shelves and window ledge extenders so check them out. You can also get something more utilitarian like a plant shelf. They provide loads of space for small to medium sized succulents and cacti. Get an outdoor one and you can move it outside come spring! I like plant shelves because they let me organize my plants by their watering needs.

Since we're talking about winter, though, another benefit of plant shelves is that they provide infrastructure for you to connect grow lights.

Reduced light indoors means you might need to supplement light with grow lamps.

If you want to prevent your plants from getting all etiolated and leggy, you might need to invest in a couple of grow lights. It can be confusing to navigate the variety of grow lights on the market, or even to decide if you need one! Sublime Succulents put together a guide about grow lamps that tells you everything you need to know. If you want the short and sweet version: I highly recommend a full spectrum T5 grow light. They're relatively inexpensive, and very efficient at growing your fat plants. The tube variety also jives really well with a shelf, perfectly illuminating the whole space. Now your indoor succulents aren't relegated to window space alone!

Lastly, even if you brought your succulents indoors, they're likely still in winter dormancy mode. Being near the window is cold enough to tip them off, plus the days are shorter. Water them half as often as you normally do, and don't fertilize. If you want to skip winter dormancy, bring your plants inside before summer ends and stick 'em under a grow light.

2. Cover your plants

Covering plants can help mitigate the effects of a frost or a cold front, but it's not a permanent solution. If temperatures in your area only get to freezing a few times during the winter, this could be a feasible solution for you. Plant covers come in many shapes and sizes. A simple tarp or even a blanket will serve the same purpose as these frost-resistant covers.

There are also little tent versions for bush-sized succulents. Like I said, though, I would recommend against relying on these for any real winter conditions. Succulents are very hardy, but the only thing worse than overwatering is prolonged exposure to the cold.

3. Home Greenhouses

This might seem extreme, but these days you can get one of these bad boys delivered to your front door! Greenhouses also come in a variety of sizes. Some are as small as a linen closet...

And others are much bigger...If I had a backyard though, I'd probably go for something in the middle, like this one:

But there are loads of options! They've got little walk-in ones that fit on your deck, or lean-to kinds that go on the side of your house.

Will a greenhouse keep my plants warm?

This is important to consider before you purchase! If you're getting a greenhouse it's probably because you don't want to or can't bring your plants inside. They'll need to stay warm.

Now, greenhouses do produce the greenhouse effect (duh). The inside should be warmer than the outside. However, their ability to maintain temperature is dependent on how much space they have inside, sunlight, and ground insulation. Bigger greenhouses hold heat better because it takes longer to change the temperature of all the air inside. Putting a tarp or concrete under your greenhouse will also hold in the heat better than just having it on dirt. If it stays cloudy for a long time, well, not much you can do about that (although most people put grow lights in their greenhouses anyway).

If you're worried about the temperature in your greenhouse, they make heaters that fix that!

Bonus Tip: Frost-Resistant Succulents

Since you stuck it through all the way to the end, here's a few succulents that can survive snow and frosts! Plant these outdoors and enjoy them year-round!

Perry's Agave

These awesome agave are cold hardy to about 10°F - well below freezing! These are small- to medium sized, but they look so good in a garden with those long, elegant leaves.

Almost all Sempervivums

I love this genus of succulents. Sempervivum, or Hens and Chicks, are almost universally cold-hardy (and many are frost-resistant too). They propagate so easily - once you get one you're set forever

Here's another Sempervivum, but this one is from Leaf and Clay:

Leaf and Clay has awesome, really high-quality succulents. I love how they're all shipped safely and quickly. Would recommend!

Many Sedums

Lots of Sedum - especially those common called Stonecrop are frost-resistant. Some sedum are even edible!

That's all about winterizing your succulents! Any other good tips we should add? Comment below!

Care :: Wintering and frost resistance of succulents

Minimum temperatures that succulents can withstand.

The minimums depend on the duration of low temperatures, the type and condition of the plant, the degree of drying of the soil.

Based on long-term observations, I have identified approximate minimums that plants can withstand, including without dying off / shedding leaves.

Wet ground Dry ground 10 3 0
Sansevieria 12 5

Depending on the species, rot/mold may appear.

Some succulents, such as peperomia, cannot tolerate temperatures below 10 degrees in any condition. Also, dovetails can die from cold drafts. nine0005

Outdoor wintering succulents.

Despite the fact that succulents are in the vast majority, residents of hot countries where there are no frosts, among them there are plants wintering in Udmurtia in the snow.

The most unfavorable conditions are if the plant leaves for the winter in a pot, and not in open ground. To significantly increase the chances of overwintering, the plant should be transplanted from pots into the soil, where it will be warmer.

The next unfavorable conditions - if the plant did not grow in the strongest sun and leaves for the winter without shelter in wet ground. This happens if the autumn is rainy and frosts come immediately after the rains, without allowing the earth to dry out from above (usually this happens in Udmurtia). In such unfavorable conditions, only the false stonecrop can overwinter without loss, but, by and large, it is a non-succulent plant. No succulent succulents, at least their aerial parts, will survive this. nine0005

In dry soil without shelter, a greater number of plants growing in a sunny place can overwinter. Stonecrops: caustic, six-row, Spanish, Kamchatka, rocky, white, varietal false stonecrops. Rejuvenated: Russian, roofing, offspring and others.

Even more species can overwinter in dry ground with shelter. In addition to the stonecrops mentioned above, very decorative species can be added here: Evers, Siebold, pink, linear. In such stonecrops, the upper part dies off, and only the rhizome hibernates. nine0005

Now a little about the organization of dry wintering under cover. Autumn is the rainy season, so in autumn it is important to dry the ground before frost, and slightly dried plants will winter better. To do this, the area must be isolated from precipitation, but at the same time ensure good ventilation. Therefore, a simple cover with a film will not work - the soil with plants will not dry out. A good option is to install a sheet of polycarbonate, glass, films on top like a greenhouse without closed sidewalls - and it will protect from rain and free air access. Further, when the earth dries out, and the night temperature reaches +1 + 5 degrees, the plants can be covered. Roll covering material is suitable for shelter. Sawdust will not work - they are moisture-intensive, less ventilated, and plants can rot in the spring. As a rule, the shelter allows water to pass through, so the greenhouse does not need to be removed until frost, when the snow no longer melts and the water does not soak the ground. Harvest in the spring when the minimum nighttime temperature is above freezing. nine0005

There are, so to speak, non-standard ways to increase the likelihood of overwintering of the above plants. The first is the organization of a "cellar" - a small hole near the wall of a residential building, where plants are placed for the winter. From above, the "cellar" is closed with a lid, which is covered with a layer of snow. It is important that in the spring it is not flooded with water. Whoever has a cesspool on the site, I can say that planting plants above the cesspool also increases their chances of overwintering.

Attention! This information does not guarantee that your plants will definitely overwinter, so I recommend leaving only part of the plants of one species outside for the winter, and keeping the other indoors until spring. nine0005

Cold and Warm Wintering of Succulents in the Apartment

Care

10/11/2020

Many already know that succulents live in hot countries and cannot exist without sufficient lighting. Moreover, without light, it is difficult for them to maintain their beautiful shape and their bright colors . Especially in the central part of Russia, when daylight hours become shorter in autumn and winter.

Succulents need to overwinter for two reasons:

For the normal development of any plant, it is necessary to provide it with conditions that are closest to those in which it grows in nature. The change of seasons is one of the important factors in the proper development of the plant. The dormant period triggers certain processes, including future flowering (for cacti)

Succulents tend to stretch due to lack of light, especially echeveria. The solution to this problem is dry wintering at low temperatures. Thus, you will create conditions under which the metabolism of succulents will significantly slow down, i.e. they will stop actively growing, so they will not stretch up.

Strong healthy succulents benefit from wintering, but there are exceptions when it is not necessary to organize a dry cold wintering :

Since the seedlings are still developing and not strong enough, it is better to grow them in conditions that are comfortable for them - in warmth and with additional light.

It is difficult for babies to endure a long time without watering, low air temperatures, and even more so, to remain without additional illumination. For young succulents, a warm wintering with additional lighting is more suitable.

Dry wintering is contraindicated: for rooting succulents, severely dehydrated, after treatment, with fungal diseases, etc. Succulents can travel from Korea for up to a month, and sometimes not at all. The work of the Russian customs leaves much to be desired.

Plants experience a lot of stress while traveling in a dark box, and then it takes a long time to recover in our conditions, where the climate is completely different. Naturally, what can be a cold winter? nine0005

Haworthia, crassula, aloe, gasteria, kalanchoe, living stones, etc. These species are the least stretched. You can not arrange a cold wintering and not stop watering, but subject to at least minimal illumination.

Cold dry wintering

Wintering usually lasts from October to March, when the air temperature drops and daylight hours decrease. In hot countries, where many types of succulents come from, on the contrary, a hot summer sets in, so they also fall into rest state . This process is considered natural. However, in Russian conditions, in southern cities, succulents can also fall into stagnation at the height of summer. For example, echeverias practically stop growing in extreme heat.

For proper dry overwintering, it is important to ensure that:

Be sure that your plants store enough moisture before wintering, because they will be without water for several months. nine0005

The best option for cold dry wintering is a glazed balcony. The most comfortable temperature for wintering will be +10 - 15 C, by no means minus. The temperature on the balcony can be regulated using heaters. Those who have a private house organize a dry wintering in the basement, but even there you need to monitor the temperature so that it does not drop to extreme values ​​​​for succulents.

It is important that the soil in pots is completely dry during cold wintering, otherwise it is fraught with rotting of plants.

However, do not completely abandon the plants and forget about them. Check the turgor of their leaves from time to time. If you notice that the succulent is too soft and dehydrated - water it! All succulents can behave differently, some are stronger and some are weaker.

If you decide to water the succulent during the winter, then you need to do it in a warm place, otherwise there is a risk of rotting in conditions of moisture and cold. Bottom Irrigation is best suited. As soon as the soil is completely dry, the plant can be returned to a cold window sill or balcony.

Warm wintering ⠀

Not everyone has the opportunity to provide cold wintering for succulents. Some people may have very hot batteries, because of which the window sills are heated, others do not have a balcony. In such conditions, succulents will not fall asleep, but will continue to grow and have to be watered, which is fraught with stretching, especially if most of your collection is echeveria, graptoveria, graptopetalums. In this case, there is a way out - to arrange a warm wintering, but under bright artificial lighting .

If your collection is dominated by echeveria, I would recommend additional lighting during cold, dry wintering. In any case, in winter, succulents continue to grow, although not so actively, and echeveria will begin to stretch.

Succulents are best suited for LED lamps or spotlights with white light, at least 18 watts. The more powerful the lamp, the better. You should not save on this, because with experience you will understand that even 18 watts is not enough and succulents can stretch. Now you can easily find ready-made kits of a lamp and a stand for sale, on which you can attach a lamp. This will be a great solution if you are placing succulents on a windowsill. It is better to invest in quality lighting than to spend time re-rooting plants later. nine0129

In a warm winter, ideally, it is better to place the pots on the windowsill as close to the glass as possible.

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