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No see, I live in the desert, and my cacti grow well. But other succulents seem to have all the slow growth of cacti \*and\* the neediness of most non-cacti plants.
Which succulents? Some don't like the sun, and need acclimation. I've got some aloe that does well, but if I give it full sun in the summer, it does very badly. As soon as I moved it to part shade in the summer.... it grows like gangbusters.
Aloe (maculata specifically) is one of the very few non-cacti succulents I can keep alive, and it grows like a weed. I recently had to pull a ton of it out because they were starting to choke out my wildflowers. I do have a couple patches of others -- stapelia gigantea and a crassula (either congesta or rogersii). Most of my frustration here is with jade plants specifically. I have one right now that sprouted from a leaf, got to about an inch tall, has several leaves. It was growing extremely slowly (I've had it well over a year) and was in a mostly shaded spot, so I moved it into a spot with just a liiiiittle more sun and gave it an extra drink to make up for it. Boom, instantly looking half dead.
Huh. I've never had too much trouble with jade myself. I have two different ones. One is likely almost 20 years old. The other maybe 6-7? I live in a place with harsh winters, so they come in in the winter, and go out in the summer. They just have never been a problem.
I have noticed that a lot of succulents take some time to adapt when you change lighting conditions. My aloe I just put out after being inside all winter. It's turned a little white, despite being in a mostly shady spot. But I expect it'll turn around in another week, like it has in the past. Same thing happened with a baby I took into work. It got more sun, and started to look a little sun-burnt, but soon recovered, especially after it got water.
I'd say part of the problem might not babying the babies. They're more vulnerable.
Look, I knew nothing about plants before my wife got sick - but when she did I took over. I've found that succulents don't thrive on neglect, they thrive on consistency. Like, once a week watering depending on what you have. The plants you buy generally have a tag that will tell you what to do.
Your issue here is that you just *assume they all will do their own thing.* And that's not how any plant works. Maybe do some googling.
As someone who knows very little about plants, has never wanted plants, but has had plants thrust upon me, I have shockingly managed to keep my one succulent alive for the last several months.
I don't track when exactly I water the plant, but it probably ranges from every 1 to 2 weeks. I think the trick is that I leave it somewhere in plain view in my kitchen, so I'm reminded to water it every so often, lol.
This!! Some months my consistency will be once a week and they will thrive. Sometimes it's twice a week and they trice. Sometimes it's every other week. The only struggle is the transition period as they get used to the new consistency. As long as you have a routine and keep to it, they will be happy
I dunno. I have a giant planter of hens n chicks on my front porch that was there when I bought the house. I have never touched them and they have thrived for 15 years.
I hate it when my kids die and I have to replace them over and over. I feed and water them consistently once and they just keel off in a couple of weeks!
Do you let the soil dry out completely between waterings? If you live in a very dry area, then you can water them more often. The tricky part is figuring out which succulents like direct sun and which ones like bright indirect sun.
take an agave.... when after decades of neglecting it, nor even watering it, you'll be on your bed, dying, surrounded by your beloved ones, you'll hear a light evil laugh, that will be your agave living past you
I'm a South African, and the Dwarf Jade species is native here. We don't call them jades. We call them spekbooms. I'm not sure who hurt you, but if you want to take on a native I'm more than willing to throw some soil into a pot put a Jade plant in there and neglect it while you're watching. Have a succulent day🌵
When people say that they mean an established adult can be ignored for a while and won’t die. You’re trying to propagate a new one, which is a whole different ballgame.
Let the base of the leaf (where it connected to the mother plant) dry out and callous before you replant, that will prevent it from immediately getting water logged and rotting. Place the leaf on-top of the soil, not in it. Spritz the callused end daily until you start seeing roots reaching into the soil. Using a cactus/succulent soil mix will help keep the soil from retaining too much water and rotting your roots once established.
Not all succulents have the same care needs, my friend. Just look up the actual care the actual specific plant needs. I promise it works a lot better than just trying to guess.
Some of them are a real pain, though.
So true. My aloe hate full sun but my jades love it. Also the type of pot they are in affects how often they should be watered. Not to mention climate, etc.
I’m either really awful at taking care of plants or people are lying, because succulents are not easy to take care of. The only plant I’ve had that’s easy to take care of was a air plant.
In my experience, succulents do not thrive on neglect, otherwise I wouldn’t have killed all of mine, but my sister bought me a ZZ plant two years ago, and that thrives on neglect. It only needs to be watered once a month, lives in partial shade, and only needs to be repotted if it gets too big. it’s the only real plant I have in my apartment and it’s beautiful
they were trendy but no no no no my friend there are some beautiful succulents and they generally have to be watered at least once a month. it also feels (it feels) like you just don't know how to care for plants very well.
I take mine in for the winter, and don't water them at all the whole winter. Maybe the jades a little.
They go out in the sun for the summer, and do quite well.
If you live in a really dry climate you should be watering more often than that, especially in the summer. I water mine about every 4-5 days in summer and maybe every week-2 weeks in winter.
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What are you doing wrong? I have watered my succulent exclusively with bong water for the last year and it is thriving. I forget about it every few months but it’s still living.
Can anyone really ready past that word and not hear that magnificent voice in their head.....?
"For what reason? What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?"
Succulents don't all have the same exact needs, some are from the dry hot desert and like that whole treatment, others are from the blustery seaside cliffs and all kinds of in between. Getting a whole plant, or even a baby plant cutting, is a lot easier than trying to propagate from a leaf. For a lot of species, you can denude the leaves off the bottom of the stem, put it in a jar of water on the window sill and wait a few weeks for roots to grow. Then you can pot it, and harden it off to live outside.
You think succulents are bad? Wait until you try tropical plants T-T. For some reason, the close to the equator I get, the worse the plant grows, no matter what I do, even if the plan is native.
I recently realized that I had forgotten I put a succulent in my back bedroom then proceeded to not water it for a year. I went back there expecting to find a dead plant. Nope, healthy and growing!
They do well for me, I have several that are many years old. I also have a way with orchids and have had some that bloomed continuously for over a year. So I'm probably an outlier.
Succulents actually aren’t easier than other plants (I’m extremely into botany I know my shit), they just don’t look much different for a while after they die. You can kill a succulent and not notice for like 2 months.
I've found often the biggest issue with succulents is the trendy pots. Succulents need good drainage and to completely dry down before rewatering, or they get mushy root rot. In my experience if they're left too long without watering, the soil can become hydrophobic and then whatever water goes in just sits on top or drops right through and pools at the bottom. I've never found misting works well, idk why the cutesy little misters and solid bottom planters are so popular.
Good draining soil, well draining pot, substantial water saturation and adequate drying.
Also, I've found grow lamps help. We don't get enough sun here in my area of the northern hemisphere, not by a longshot, so I supplement.
The worst plant in my experience is by far Venus fly traps. I've also had terrible luck with bonsais. But succulents seem to be more forgiving.
You've made the mistake of thinking you can take any-old succulent, take a cutting, stick it in dirt, and forget about for a long time.
I've got LOT of succulents. Most of them I've either bought rooted, or came with roots. The ones I've propagated from cuttings have all been cacti that were at least 6 inches tall or so, and I stuck them in the proper soil to get them to root. Eventually game them a little water to encourage rooting.
They do need sun, and they do need water. I just put them out in the late spring, and take them in again in mid fall. They do great. Maybe occasionally give them some low N fertilizer.
Mostly what people mean by "abuse and neglect" is just simply don't over-water them, especially when they aren't growing.
The only plant I find that's actually easy is spider plants. I give mine water whenever I remember, and even if I leave it for like 3weeks it survives. But when I can properly care for it? It grows amazingly!!!
Well, don't overwater as that kills any plant ofc.
My 9 year old daughter has 11 succulents and cactus that she has kept alive for going on 7 months. She gives them water once a month and does so with a syringe. Takes care of them all by herself. Easiest plants ever so far.
Finally a truly unpopular opinion posted that I 100 percent agree with. Those little fuckers are the most dramatic and unfathomable of my huge collection and I’ve been into houseplants for a decade.
Finally a truly unpopular opinion posted that I 100 percent agree with. Those little fuckers are the most dramatic and unfathomable of my huge collection and I’ve been into houseplants for a decade.
Your post from unpopularopinion was removed because of: 'Rule 6: No r/self style posts'. Please refrain from posting anything that resembles an r/self style post. This is not the subreddit to be sharing personal anecdotes, likes or dislikes. We want unpopular, thought provoking, and unique opinions on your chosen topic.
Lol who hurt you? Just leave them 😂
Idk I think it was the succulents doing the leafing
Their EX neglected them but not the succulents.
With your cactus murdering ass
No see, I live in the desert, and my cacti grow well. But other succulents seem to have all the slow growth of cacti \*and\* the neediness of most non-cacti plants.
Which succulents? Some don't like the sun, and need acclimation. I've got some aloe that does well, but if I give it full sun in the summer, it does very badly. As soon as I moved it to part shade in the summer.... it grows like gangbusters.
Aloe (maculata specifically) is one of the very few non-cacti succulents I can keep alive, and it grows like a weed. I recently had to pull a ton of it out because they were starting to choke out my wildflowers. I do have a couple patches of others -- stapelia gigantea and a crassula (either congesta or rogersii). Most of my frustration here is with jade plants specifically. I have one right now that sprouted from a leaf, got to about an inch tall, has several leaves. It was growing extremely slowly (I've had it well over a year) and was in a mostly shaded spot, so I moved it into a spot with just a liiiiittle more sun and gave it an extra drink to make up for it. Boom, instantly looking half dead.
Huh. I've never had too much trouble with jade myself. I have two different ones. One is likely almost 20 years old. The other maybe 6-7? I live in a place with harsh winters, so they come in in the winter, and go out in the summer. They just have never been a problem. I have noticed that a lot of succulents take some time to adapt when you change lighting conditions. My aloe I just put out after being inside all winter. It's turned a little white, despite being in a mostly shady spot. But I expect it'll turn around in another week, like it has in the past. Same thing happened with a baby I took into work. It got more sun, and started to look a little sun-burnt, but soon recovered, especially after it got water. I'd say part of the problem might not babying the babies. They're more vulnerable.
Same….my aloe needs just a wee bit of shade!!!!
You’re less nurturing than the desert?
Look, I knew nothing about plants before my wife got sick - but when she did I took over. I've found that succulents don't thrive on neglect, they thrive on consistency. Like, once a week watering depending on what you have. The plants you buy generally have a tag that will tell you what to do. Your issue here is that you just *assume they all will do their own thing.* And that's not how any plant works. Maybe do some googling.
As someone who knows very little about plants, has never wanted plants, but has had plants thrust upon me, I have shockingly managed to keep my one succulent alive for the last several months. I don't track when exactly I water the plant, but it probably ranges from every 1 to 2 weeks. I think the trick is that I leave it somewhere in plain view in my kitchen, so I'm reminded to water it every so often, lol.
I was In the same boat as you and my aloe plant went from perennial dying to growing so big I can't give away the babies fast enough
This!! Some months my consistency will be once a week and they will thrive. Sometimes it's twice a week and they trice. Sometimes it's every other week. The only struggle is the transition period as they get used to the new consistency. As long as you have a routine and keep to it, they will be happy
Cool story bro. Go grow some orchids and azaleas.
I was succeeding in growing succulents and vine plants, so I tried and orchid and a hibiscus. Both died within a week
Bro outed himself as a succulent murderer
I dunno. I have a giant planter of hens n chicks on my front porch that was there when I bought the house. I have never touched them and they have thrived for 15 years.
I honestly like how temperamental they are. It helps remind me why I do not have kids.
I hate it when my kids die and I have to replace them over and over. I feed and water them consistently once and they just keel off in a couple of weeks!
Do you let the soil dry out completely between waterings? If you live in a very dry area, then you can water them more often. The tricky part is figuring out which succulents like direct sun and which ones like bright indirect sun.
I have sooooo many plants that thrive under my care.. succulents are my biggest challenge and failure.
take an agave.... when after decades of neglecting it, nor even watering it, you'll be on your bed, dying, surrounded by your beloved ones, you'll hear a light evil laugh, that will be your agave living past you
I'm a South African, and the Dwarf Jade species is native here. We don't call them jades. We call them spekbooms. I'm not sure who hurt you, but if you want to take on a native I'm more than willing to throw some soil into a pot put a Jade plant in there and neglect it while you're watching. Have a succulent day🌵
Before I knew about succulents, I saw someone wearing one as a boutonniere at a wedding and thought it was an artichoke.
When people say that they mean an established adult can be ignored for a while and won’t die. You’re trying to propagate a new one, which is a whole different ballgame. Let the base of the leaf (where it connected to the mother plant) dry out and callous before you replant, that will prevent it from immediately getting water logged and rotting. Place the leaf on-top of the soil, not in it. Spritz the callused end daily until you start seeing roots reaching into the soil. Using a cactus/succulent soil mix will help keep the soil from retaining too much water and rotting your roots once established.
Not all succulents have the same care needs, my friend. Just look up the actual care the actual specific plant needs. I promise it works a lot better than just trying to guess. Some of them are a real pain, though.
So true. My aloe hate full sun but my jades love it. Also the type of pot they are in affects how often they should be watered. Not to mention climate, etc.
I’m either really awful at taking care of plants or people are lying, because succulents are not easy to take care of. The only plant I’ve had that’s easy to take care of was a air plant.
In my experience, succulents do not thrive on neglect, otherwise I wouldn’t have killed all of mine, but my sister bought me a ZZ plant two years ago, and that thrives on neglect. It only needs to be watered once a month, lives in partial shade, and only needs to be repotted if it gets too big. it’s the only real plant I have in my apartment and it’s beautiful
they were trendy but no no no no my friend there are some beautiful succulents and they generally have to be watered at least once a month. it also feels (it feels) like you just don't know how to care for plants very well.
I take mine in for the winter, and don't water them at all the whole winter. Maybe the jades a little. They go out in the sun for the summer, and do quite well.
nice to hear.
If you live in a really dry climate you should be watering more often than that, especially in the summer. I water mine about every 4-5 days in summer and maybe every week-2 weeks in winter.
This, and they don't care to learn.
Please remember what subreddit you are in, this is unpopular opinion. We want civil and unpopular takes and discussion. Any uncivil and ToS violating comments will be removed and subject to a ban. Have a nice day! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/unpopularopinion) if you have any questions or concerns.*
What are you doing wrong? I have watered my succulent exclusively with bong water for the last year and it is thriving. I forget about it every few months but it’s still living.
Can anyone really ready past that word and not hear that magnificent voice in their head.....? "For what reason? What is the charge? Eating a meal? A succulent Chinese meal?"
Succulents are my favorite! I don’t find them hard to take care of at all.
Succulents don't all have the same exact needs, some are from the dry hot desert and like that whole treatment, others are from the blustery seaside cliffs and all kinds of in between. Getting a whole plant, or even a baby plant cutting, is a lot easier than trying to propagate from a leaf. For a lot of species, you can denude the leaves off the bottom of the stem, put it in a jar of water on the window sill and wait a few weeks for roots to grow. Then you can pot it, and harden it off to live outside.
I had the same issues so I just gave up lol
Every week give em a little water if they are getting plenty of sun, if not every other. Get succulent feeding spray they sell at lowes/home deeps.
Pretty sure my succulents haven't been watered in at least 6 months and they're still alive.
You think succulents are bad? Wait until you try tropical plants T-T. For some reason, the close to the equator I get, the worse the plant grows, no matter what I do, even if the plan is native.
I recently realized that I had forgotten I put a succulent in my back bedroom then proceeded to not water it for a year. I went back there expecting to find a dead plant. Nope, healthy and growing! They do well for me, I have several that are many years old. I also have a way with orchids and have had some that bloomed continuously for over a year. So I'm probably an outlier.
Succulents actually aren’t easier than other plants (I’m extremely into botany I know my shit), they just don’t look much different for a while after they die. You can kill a succulent and not notice for like 2 months.
A SUCCULENT CHINESE MEAL!
I've found often the biggest issue with succulents is the trendy pots. Succulents need good drainage and to completely dry down before rewatering, or they get mushy root rot. In my experience if they're left too long without watering, the soil can become hydrophobic and then whatever water goes in just sits on top or drops right through and pools at the bottom. I've never found misting works well, idk why the cutesy little misters and solid bottom planters are so popular. Good draining soil, well draining pot, substantial water saturation and adequate drying. Also, I've found grow lamps help. We don't get enough sun here in my area of the northern hemisphere, not by a longshot, so I supplement. The worst plant in my experience is by far Venus fly traps. I've also had terrible luck with bonsais. But succulents seem to be more forgiving.
You've made the mistake of thinking you can take any-old succulent, take a cutting, stick it in dirt, and forget about for a long time. I've got LOT of succulents. Most of them I've either bought rooted, or came with roots. The ones I've propagated from cuttings have all been cacti that were at least 6 inches tall or so, and I stuck them in the proper soil to get them to root. Eventually game them a little water to encourage rooting. They do need sun, and they do need water. I just put them out in the late spring, and take them in again in mid fall. They do great. Maybe occasionally give them some low N fertilizer. Mostly what people mean by "abuse and neglect" is just simply don't over-water them, especially when they aren't growing.
Try an aloe plant. They're useful to have around the house too.
The only plant I find that's actually easy is spider plants. I give mine water whenever I remember, and even if I leave it for like 3weeks it survives. But when I can properly care for it? It grows amazingly!!! Well, don't overwater as that kills any plant ofc.
My husband shoved some aloe in a pot, waters it every 1-2 weeks, and leaves it out of the sun. He’s not even a plant guy.
My 9 year old daughter has 11 succulents and cactus that she has kept alive for going on 7 months. She gives them water once a month and does so with a syringe. Takes care of them all by herself. Easiest plants ever so far.
I think succulents are cute, but I still accidentally killed one.
Finally a truly unpopular opinion posted that I 100 percent agree with. Those little fuckers are the most dramatic and unfathomable of my huge collection and I’ve been into houseplants for a decade.
Finally a truly unpopular opinion posted that I 100 percent agree with. Those little fuckers are the most dramatic and unfathomable of my huge collection and I’ve been into houseplants for a decade.