5 Easy Indoor Succulents for Beginners
Are you fascinated by succulents as much as I am?
Great! You are the reason why I wrote this article on easy indoor succulents for beginners.
You may not be a beginner and have already experimented with some succulents species and didn’t have much success. Don’t worry, I had the same problem!
It is so easy to be lured by the irresistible beauty of succulents!! I am literally obsessed with their wide variety of shapes, geometry and colours and I love the ease of maintenance and propagation!
However, my experience with indoor succulents has not been all cupcakes and rainbows!
After experimenting with indoor succulents for years, (ever since I was a kid!), I’ve learned, (the hard way), that not all succulents are that easy to grow and care for! In-fact, some of them are real hard to maintain as beautiful as they are when you take them home from the store.
Why? Mainly because local shops and greenhouses sell all sorts of succulent species based on their popularity and beauty. Climate is not always kept into consideration, and that is one of the main reasons why certain succulents don’t thrive at all in certain climates.
Other reasons may be the lack of proper care and maintenance or lack of care knowledge on a particular species.
For example; I absolutely love all types of Echeverias. Their geometry and colours really have an effect on me. I bought several types but I’ve never ben successful at growing them properly. And that’s why I don’t have them in my list!
They either die or thrive, growing completely out of proportions, (see picture below).
I know that if properly looked after, Echeverias maintain their beauty, but that doesn’t come easy to me. That’s the reason why I did not put them in my list of easy indoor succulents for beginners.
This is one of my two Echeverias I continue to let grow to see how tall they can get! (You can even notice one of the leaves became partly detached from the stem and started growing its own roots and plant!!).
The great thing about Echeverias is that they are extremely easy to propagate! When my Echeverias get too tall and out of proportion, I pick off their fleshy leaves and simply lay them on a pot of soil. After a few weeks of periodic misting, roots and a new plant will grow! It’s a rewarding and very interesting experience!
I have personally tested these 5 easy indoor succulents for beginners. They truly are, easy to grow and propagate, (if that’s something that interests you), and low maintenance.
1. Aloe Vera
Even though Aloe Vera originated in the Arabian Peninsula, it is now wide spread in all tropical, sub-tropical and arid regions.
It is cultivated for medicinal, agricultural and decorative purposes.
Aloe Vera has become an extremely popular indoor succulent due to its healing properties and its air purifying benefits. (Read my article on the 10 Best Air Purifying Plants if you want to learn more about these incredible plants!).
Aloe Vera need a lot of bright light to thrive. A South or West window is ideal for this plant. Direct sunlight is actually beneficial to it as long as it’s not placed right against the glass!
It needs very little water as its leaves and roots are packed with water. It is prone to root rot so make sure you have your plant in a container with drainage holes filled with draining potting mix. Discard any stagnant water left at the bottom of your saucer after watering it.
I water mine every three to four weeks.
2. Jade Plant, (Crassula Ovata)
Jade plants are native to South Africa and are now wide spread over the world as indoor decorative plants. They sure are easy indoor succulents!
They became popular houseplants not only for their ease of maintenance, but because they are believed to bring good luck to the person who owns then, (that’s why they are also called Money Plant).
Like many other succulents, Jade Plants need a lot of bright light and even direct sunlight to thrive. Low light conditions will induce Jade Plants to grow leggy.
These plants should not be watered on a schedule. The best way to determine whether or not water is needed is to touch the plant’s top soil. If the soil feels dry, it’s time to water! Do not allow the soil to dry out completely!
Jade Plants are extremely easy to propagate. Simply pinch the stems off when the plant is growing leggy or too big and plant those stems directly into a pot of soil.
These plants can grow quite old and big, if cared for properly and in the right environmental conditions.
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3. Christmas Cactus, (Schlumbergera)
The Christmas Cactus is originally from the coastal mountains of Brazil.
It’s called Christmas Cactus because its flowers mostly bloom around Christmas time. However, this plant can sprout some stunning flowers even off-season, if properly cared for!
When I first bought mine around Christmas time, it had a large amount of flowers on it. I slowly watched it drop flower after flower until they were all gone and every attempt at further blooming failed. All the buds kept falling off the plant until I finally figured out this plant loves lots of bright indirect light and specific watering. It is a succulent after all.
I water my plant once a week by slowly pouring water really close to the main stems so that the soil and plant really absorb the water rather than draining it out right away leaving a pool of water at the bottom of the pot. Do not over water this plant!
Christmas Cactuses enjoy high humidity. A pebble tray filled with water underneath its pot is a good option to maintain decent levels of humidity.
One extra benefit of this plant is that is non-toxic and safe for children, cats and dogs. If you want to learn more about non-toxic plants, check out my article on the 10 Best Non-Toxic Plants that are Safe for Children, Cats & Dogs.
4. Pencil Cactus, (Euphorbia Tirucalli)
Pencil Cactus is native to the tropical regions or Africa, where it grows on black clay.
This plant loves and needs bright natural light to thrive. West or South facing windows are the ideal location for it.
The Pencil Cactus needs little watering. Once every three weeks to a month will suffice. Drainage is critical for this plant, so make sure you plant it in a container with draining potting mix and drainage holes.
I bought one Pencil Cactus, and after a year I have three.
These plants are extremely easy to propagate by simply cutting a stem off the main plant and placing it in water for a few weeks. After a few weeks new roots will be formed.
However, it is critical that when you cut off pieces of this plant you wear gloves and protective glasses as the sap the plant emits is quite toxic and irritating to some.
This is not a plant you want pets and children to have easy access to.
5. Snake plant, (Sansevieria Trifasciata)
Did you know Snake Plants are succulents?
Snake Plants are native to the tropical regions of West Africa.
They are extremely easy to care for, require very little watering and low light conditions. The ideal easy indoor succulent, if you ask me! This plant is an excellent choice for dark spaces, like offices and malls, where access to natural light is scarce and watering is done on schedule.
Water it approximately once every two to three weeks. Lack of humidity is not a concern for this hardy plant!
Its modular and tall vertical leaves makes it a perfect space partition and delineation living tool. This plant is often used to separate spaces, like for example, a common work area from a series of individual desks, or to create a visual signage to direct traffic to a specific area, like for example a row of these plants on each side of a main entrance.
Another advantageous aspect of this plant is air purification.
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