Succulents are generally regarded as easy care plants that need little maintenance. While this is true to a certain extent, you have to realize that the term succulent covers a wide variety of plants which need different conditions if they are to thrive. This article by Cassidy Tuttle which I found on the Gardening Know How website describes the five things people are doing wrong with succulents.

Succulents are very popular houseplants and frequently people say they are hard to kill. However, many people find their succulents looking less than perfect within a couple weeks of purchasing them. There are a few common mistakes that are easily remedied to help you on your way to growing beautiful succulents indoors and keeping them alive for years to come.

The Wrong Succulents

While most succulents will survive for a while indoors, most will not thrive. Succulents that are grown indoors should tolerate low lighting and grow slowly. Some of the easiest succulents to grow indoors include Haworthia fasciata, Sansevieria trifasciata, and Crassula ovata. Many cacti also do well indoors, such as Mammillaria gracilis fragilis. Often the brightly colored succulents seen in arrangements and gardens in the ground will start to turn green, stretch out and lose their shape indoors. However, if you buy a brightly colored arrangement like this it will last much longer than an arrangement of cut flowers and you don?t have to take care of it! Most succulents will stay alive for a couple weeks with little to no care.

No drainage hole

Unless you are extremely careful with how much and how often you water, you?ll want your succulents in a pot with a drainage hole. The roots of the succulents will quickly rot if they sit in wet soil for too long. While there is a great selection of pottery with drainage holes, many don?t. Either avoid these pots or add a drainage hole by using a diamond tip drill bit. You can add a drainage hole to almost anything!

See more at Gardening Know How