Searching for Succulents?
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They like it gritty! Succulents need soil that drains, so regular potting soil—or dirt from your garden—simply won’t do. Choose cactus soil or mix potting soil with sand, pumice, or perlite. Succulent roots are also very fragile so be super gentle when repotting.
They're not big drinkers!
Think about it, these babies come from the sun baked desserts and heat soaked grounds of northern America, the Mediterranean, Africa and Australia. They love a drink like the rest of us (maybe NOT a G&T!) but they don’t like to sit in waterlogged soil, so drainage is really important to prevent rot. Your container should have a drainage hole to allow excess water to escape, and a good aerated soil compost grit mix…small terra-cotta pots are ideal for beginners. Ask us to show you.
Bug busting……
Pests shouldn’t be a problem for succulents, but occasionally you may have to deal with bugs (in a nice way). Gnats are attracted to succulents that are planted in soil that is too wet and doesn’t have proper drainage (see above). To get rid of eggs and larvae, hold back on the chemicals (we doing use it here) simply use a gentle mix of tepid water and frothy washing up liquid. Mealybugs are another pest succulent owners have to deal with. Overwatering and overfertilizing are the common causes of mealybugs. Move infected plants away from other succulents and again, use a good dose of gently washing up liquid in 5 parts water sprayed gently with a spray bottle.
We simply LOVE succulents here. Whether you’ve grown in Cornwall and known their quirky shapes all your life or visiting Cornwall and fallen in love with everything from glamorous Aeoniums to little cliff hanging Echeverias, we’ve got a selection to make you drool!
