6 Ways to Care for Succulents, Cacti & Orchids

Robby and I have been looking at houses recently, and it's started this kick of wanting to plant and grow everything. Thankfully, we haven't found "our house" yet, so I haven't been given the reason (read: excuse) to go out and buy ALL of the plants. When I moved back from Texas, I bought a small planter of succulents from Home Depot (that post is here), and soon expanded the collection. They were the perfect solution for wanting plants, but traveling often and not guaranteeing a set watering routine.

Two years later, almost to the day, I am obsessed with succulents and cacti with a few orchids thrown into the mix. Some of my original plants from two years ago are still around, some are not. Since I've seemed to have found my groove, I'm going to talk about what I do for succulent, cactus, and orchid care. I'll start each section with succulent and cacti care, and then talk about orchids in the following paragraph.

Watering Habits

Succulents and Cacti are residents of hot, desert climates. They are used to going through very hot periods with little to no water. Therefore, it is important to not overwater your plants -- especially if you're used to watering other house plants a few times a week. I can literally forget to water my plants for a month, and they'll usually be fine. For example, my aloe vera, because of its planter (which I'll discuss further down), is showing signs of too much moisture and potential root rot. I've made sure to keep one to two weeks in between watering it, so I need to step back and allow its soil to dry a little bit more. This is one reason why cacti and succulents make for great plants if you have a busy lifestyle, or if you travel often. Put them in a window, and you can be gone for a couple weeks at a time. They'll be just fine. I usually water my plants until the water comes out of the bottom of the planters, and then don't water them again until the soil is completely dry.

Orchids are slightly different. I've heard a bunch of different ways to water orchids. My mom said to only use bottled water. I've heard about using ice cubes. I simply water my orchids, using faucet water, at the same times I water my succulents -- their planters retain the water, and I make sure to watch their leaves, roots and shoots. If the leaves seem a little droopy, and their roots are shriveling and getting dry, I'll give them some water.

Soil & Planting/Replanting

I use Miracle Gro's Cactus, Palm, and Citrus Potting Mix for my succulents and cacti (and also my banana tree which is coming in the mail this week - whaaat). It is easy draining, and made to replicate desert-condition soil. I make sure my planters have drains (except the owl one shown below with my aloe, because it was so cute), which is important for succulents and cacti to stay away from root rot. When planting, I always make sure to put small-ish garden rocks at the bottom of each planter, as this aids even more in draining.

If your plants are getting too big for their current pots, there are some things you need to keep in mind when transferring them. No matter which kinds of plants you decide to repot, you want to wait until after blooms appeared, or major growth occurred so you don't traumatize them. This happened with my Burro Tail succulents, and they didn't make it (even though they are practically impossible to kill). #RIP. You also want to be really careful to not disturb major root systems. If you damage them, it may ruin the chances the plants have to survive a repotting.

For my orchids, I have to be honest -- they've stayed in the pots I bought them in. I'm still a little terrified of trying to move them into different planters, and they also seem to be doing just fine. However, I know Miracle Gro also has potting mix and fertilizer specifically made for orchids. Their potting mix must be coarse to allow for their wide roots to push through.

Sunlight & Windows

I currently have ALL of my plants in a southwest facing window that receives mid-level lighting all day, and high sunlight for a few hours every day. The ledge that my plants sit on also has a heater under the center window. This allows for warm temperatures during the winter, and rainy, cold periods. And then, of course, I make sure to open the windows during the spring and summer.

Most articles I've read suggest plants being in south-facing rooms or windows because they receive the most beneficial sunlight. Needless to say, I'm going to wish I could take this window setup with me when Robby and I move.

Planters

As I've mentioned before, orchids, succulents, and cacti must have planters that have drainage at the bottom. It really is that simple. If they don't, you can still grow your plants, but you run higher risks of rotting. I currently have two planters that don't have drainage, and I have to pay extra attention to their growing patters to ensure they are staying healthy.

I have a few clay pots that I bought for single-plant use, which you can find basically anywhere. If you don't like how plain they look, you can easily spray paint them, use fun patterns and designs, or do it all one color. I personally like using metallic spray paint. It just adds a bit of shine.

I have found fun planters at local nurseries and garden centers, Walmart, Home Depot, and Target.

Fertilizers

I personally don't fertilize my succulents and cacti simply because there are already nutrients in the soil when I plant them. However, I'm sure there is fertilizer available at your local Lowes or Home Depot. Orchids, on the other hand, almost seem to require orchid food. I get the Miracle Gro food spikes, and follow the directions. I had forgotten that you want to place food spikes in your planters while there is major growth or blossoms (or both).

Propagating

This is specifically for succulents and cacti, and it is amazingly simple to do. I've propagated a few leaves that have turned into succulent plants fairly easily. For example, my one succulent's leaves are so thick and fall off so easily. I felt guilty throwing them away, so I read up what I should do. Literally, when a leaf breaks off, place it on top of regular soil, and allow the end to dry out. Within a couple of weeks, you'll see little sprigs of roots coming from the base where the leaf broke off. I still water my plants as usual (because the leaves I'm propagating are sitting in a planter with a plant in it), and soon the sprigs of roots just grow down into the soil.

You can also do this with plants themselves by cutting off overstretched parts right above where a leaf used to be. Soon, you should see a new sprout coming from the plant stalk. You can also replant the overstretched section you cut off and start a new plant that way.

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Either way, enjoy your experiences with growing succulents, cacti and orchids. Send me pictures if you have any that are growing beautifully! As well as any tips you have that have worked for you!

I noticed my local Lowes just got a new shipment in and they are all so beautiful. I'm excited for summer to finally be here!