Do Succulents Do Better Inside or Outside?

In this article we will explain whether succulents do better inside or outside, the differences between indoor and outdoor succulents, and their care.

There are many species of succulents each with its particular characteristics; some species are good to grow outdoors and others for indoors.

Do Succulents Do Better Inside or Outside?

Succulents are easy to manage, not very demanding, but at the same time capable of giving our home or garden a truly new and spectacular charm.

Succulents are called “succulents” in honor of their ability to absorb and retain additional water and then use it when needed.

And it is this virtue that makes them particularly suitable even for the most extreme temperatures and environmental conditions and, in our case, also for those who do not spend much time gardening.

Equipped with a very high survival instinct, indoor succulents, but also outdoor ones, manage to live well in environments that are also very different from each other, without the need for special care.

Of course, this does not mean that it is not necessary to choose the best most suitable succulent plant for our apartment or garden.

Here’s an easy guide to help you choose succulents and some basic tips for their care and handling available to everyone, including the less experienced.

Can Succulents be Outside?

Resistant and stubborn, succulents are plants that know how to survive in any situation and temperature, especially outside, as long as they are the correct species.

For example, if you live in very cold areas in winter, you will have to choose the best outdoor succulents that are best adapted to low temperatures.

The first thing to know is that these plants really aren’t as afraid of frost or snow as they are of water.

The greatest care, then, will be to place them away from the rain, to prevent excess water from damaging them.

However, when choosing and arranging succulents, a lot depends on the geographic area in which you live. In the event that winter is not particularly cold, almost all succulent species can be grown outside, if instead the temperatures fall even below 7 degrees and down to zero, it will be advisable to place the plants in a pot or a raised pot to allow necessary drainage to the soil.

In addition, you will also need to take care to place them in a slightly sheltered location to better protect them from the weather.

In this case, the sedum characterized by splendid foliage or even the sempervivum will be perfect as a species.

With not particularly cold weather, the choice is greatly amplified and you can think of growing your succulents even in a beautiful large container, grouping the species with the most beautiful foliage and different flowering, such as the aeonium with its purplish color together with the aloe vera with its yellow flowers and also the scented crasula with its red flowers.

If your are is always with mild temperatures even in winter, you can choose dwarf cacti and make wonderful pots, taking care to organize the smaller species in the front and the more structured species in the background, while those that grow as a shrub in a wide vase to let them grow freely.

You can also read about how to take care of succulents outdoors.

Transplanting Succulents Outdoors

Succulents are not used to direct sun when planted in the bed or placed on the balcony. Even desert cacti can suffer irreversible sunburn if they are suddenly exposed to the sun’s rays. Therefore, do subject the plants to a phase of acclimatization. For this purpose, succulents spend 8 to 10 days at the semi-shady location in the garden or on the balcony. This precaution applies to young and adult specimens alike.

Can Succulents Grow Inside?

Succulents suitable for warmer temperatures are also best suited for growing in the apartment and withstand the arid, dry air in your home.

In any case, the only rules you need to keep in mind to make them feel good indoors are: make sure they have the necessary heat, that they receive a lot of light and that they are placed in a ventilated position.

For these particular conditions, it is above all the succulents of the epiphytic species that know how to adapt best even if there is not much light in the house.

To choose the best position in the apartment, choose a low container if it is a creeping species such as agave attenuata; a large container will be suitable for placing several plants in the same pot, and a small one for a single succulent plant.

But what are the best succulents to grow indoors?

Among the most spectacular is the Mammillaria, round and characterized by splendid colored flowers, but also the Echinocactus and fleshy succulents such as the Echeveria.

If you prefer a succulent plant that blooms, there is the Christmas cactus, as long as you place it in a bright area of ​​the house.

Succulents that are very easy to grow and care for are the snake plant, also called “mother-in-law’s tongue”, with wonderful red flowers, and the Astrophytum, star-shaped and with yellow flowers.

The only precaution is to be careful with spiny species or with pointed leaves, especially if there are animals or children in the house because they can risk getting hurt.

Transplanting Succulents Indoors

More delicate succulents like Crassula, Echeveria and Aeonium and are worth doing whatever it takes to protect them as the temperature drops. These are beautifully decorative succulents that can add a lot of wow factor to next year’s containers and projects. Put the plants indoors in a cool place that receives several hours of light every day or invest in a grow light.

When the succulents enter dormancy in winter, they don’t need 8 hours of bright sunlight (but if you keep them indoors, where it’s quite warm, they will need sunlight because they won’t be able to fall asleep). Keep the succulents in a place that will receive enough warmth to dry out the air. In areas that get quite humid in winter, they find that an unheated cold room in a basement can contain too much moisture and lead to the formation of rot.