Overwintering Indoor Succulents
Succulents are hardy plants. Many live for decades crammed into a tiny rock crevice in the most inhospitable environments on the planet, but the same species suddenly dies in your climate-controlled windowsill. The winter can be a particularly tricky time for indoor plants. Here are some tips for getting your indoor succulents through the winter.
Do not overwater. Getting the watering right is the single most important part of growing succulents. Succulents are desert-adapted. They have evolved to conserve water and live off very little of it. In the winter when it is cooler and there is less light, water evaporates more slowly. Most succulents go dormant and stop growing in the winter which lowers their water needs further. Because they have so many adaptations to conserve water, they do not have a way to deal with too much water. The lower water needs and lower water evaporation rates combined makes the winter the most likely time to accidentally overwater. But the question is, of course, how much is too much? You want to let the plant dry down between watering cycles. The potting media should turn light brown and the whole pot itself should get lighter as the water evaporates. You will have to test your indoor succulents regularly to see when they need water. How much you watered last time, pot size, pot material, light levels, humidity, temperature, and drainage of the container will play a role in how often the succulents will need water. Once you start monitoring your indoor succulents, you may find they only need water every 6 or 8 weeks and that’s fine! You may also find they need water every other week. Overwatering will lead to diseases, rot, and pests. The shorter days and cooler temps of the wintertime mean it will take longer to recover your plants if you do overwater.
Adjust the light as needed. Those of you living at higher latitudes don’t need to be told that there is a lot less daylight in the winter. Succulents are typically classified as full sun plants which means they need at least 6 hours of sunlight a day. But the sun changes angles over the seasons, and what is a very sunny window in the summer might only be a semi-sunny window in the winter. For example, a fence or neighboring building might cast a longer shadow in the morning or evening, causing your growing window to dip below that 6 hour threshold. In the Northern Hemisphere, south-facing windows are best in the winter to maximize sunlight. You could also extend the day length of your indoor plant with an indoor garden light.
Keep them away from cold drafts and hot air. Succulents are adapted to a wide range of environments and can generally tolerate extreme temperatures in their natural habitat. So why do they stress out in our room temperature homes? The key is that our house succulents are acclimated to the temperature of the room. Extreme variations, even brief ones if repeated often, can cause the plant to stress, drop leaves and die. Imagine a situation where the outside temperatures are below freezing and a plant is placed next to a frequently used outside door. That blast of cold air will come in every time that door gets opened. The species of succulent might be capable of surviving freezing temperatures, but not in this situation. When outdoors, the plant would have the entire fall season to acclimate to colder temperatures. The indoor succulent next to this door has not built up any defense against these cold temperatures and it suffers the consequences every time the door is opened. Extreme heat is the same. Frequent blasts of heat from ovens, forced air heaters, and fireplaces will cause the same problems. This doesn’t mean your succulents require you to go without heat or never leave your house during the winter. Simply keep them away from vents and doors and keep the room temperature in a range that is comfortable for humans.
Do not apply fertilizer in the winter. As mentioned above, most species of succulents go dormant over the winter. They are not actively growing so they aren’t taking nutrients from the potting media at a very fast rate. Applying fertilizer in the winter is a waste of time and money and will cause your potting media to accumulate salts. High salt levels will eventually kill the plant. Succulents are slow-growing plants that need very little fertilizer in the first place. Consider applying a low rate of fertilizer less than once a year, and only when the plant is growing. Most succulent species break dormancy once it starts to warm up in the spring and this is the best time to apply a small amount of fertilizer. If you suspect you have over-fertilized, the best remedy is applying a lot of water with no fertilizer to flush out the excess. This can get tricky in the wintertime as mentioned above as too much water is also bad for succulents.
Succulents thrive on slight neglect. Fussing over them with too much water and fertilizer will make them unhappy. The key is changing your care rhythm with your indoor plants over the changing seasons especially when it comes to water.
