Journal/Care Basics · 5 min read
Succulent Care for Beginners
Everything a first-time succulent owner needs: light, watering, soil, and how not to kill your Echeveria in its first month.
Quick answer
Succulents want the sunniest window you have, a soak-and-dry watering rhythm (every 10–14 days in summer, every 3–4 weeks in winter), a gritty cactus mix, and a terracotta pot with drainage. Never mist them.
Succulents are marketed as impossible to kill, then they die in six weeks. The problem is usually one of two things: not enough light, or way too much water. Get those right and the rest is easy.
Light
Succulents evolved in bright, exposed places. Indoors, that means the sunniest window you have. If yours is stretching upwards and losing colour, it's begging for more light — not less.
Watering
Soak the soil, then let it dry completely before watering again. In a bright, warm room that might be every 10–14 days; in winter, every 3–4 weeks. Wrinkled leaves mean thirsty. Translucent, mushy leaves mean drowned.
Soil and pots
Use a gritty cactus mix in a terracotta pot with a drainage hole. Terracotta wicks moisture away, which is exactly what succulents want.
Common mistakes
- Misting. Don't. It causes rot on the leaves.
- Decorative pots with no drainage. A recipe for root rot.
- Watering little and often. Soak and dry is the rule.
Snap your succulent in PlantMe to identify the exact species — Echeveria, Haworthia, and Sedum all have slightly different needs.
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