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Succulents in the summer

 Advice on keeping succulents happy through the hottest, (wettest) months of the year

Well, we’re smack dab in the middle of summer and I know a lot of you are really feeling the burn along with me. So are our succulents. When I first started working with succulents, I assumed they were all pretty much impervious to the heat, but it didn’t take long to realize that wasn’t the case. So, if you’re like me and live somewhere that “enjoys” summer temperatures well into the 90s (and beyond) for much of the season, there are a few things you should know to help keep your plants alive and happy through the hottest months of the year.

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Video: Ants on your Plants? Might mean Mealybugs…Let’s fix that STAT!

Note: This is shot with a macro lens- objects on screen are much smaller in real life 😉 Watch in full screen for a good time 😉

If you see little ants on your succulents and other plants, stop and follow them…many ant species will lead you straight to a pile of mealybugs before you even notice them on your plants!

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Propagate Good Times, Come On! (When to propagate, when to wait)

Sucs for You- Propagation

 ‘Why don’t mine look like that?’

One of the most common questions/complaints I used to have, and still hear from others (just about daily) is why some leaf propagations seem to be ‘underachievers’ with little desire to put out roots, let alone leaves.

Sound familiar? Then read on!

Simply put, most succulents are already slow-growers, and if the species we’re trying to propagate isn’t in its growing season, we’re in for an even longer wait to see any progress, if it grows at all. This applies to cuttings taking root as well. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try off-season propagation, but our expectations should be aligned with the seasons. Using my city and region as an example, Houston summers are hot, humid, and long, with short, mild winters, and we have a growing season that averages 300 days, almost double that of Indianapolis or Denver. So when learning about succulent care, please keep in mind that your location is a primary factor in determining what advice applies to you.

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A Guide to Mail Order Succulents

If you’re like me, you want all the sucs, but your local selection is lacking in the variety department. You’ve seen all of the options about buying plants online but are tentative about committing to an order. I’m here to encourage you to go for it! First, read what I’ve learned to help make sure your order stays alive and what the process is like when your shipment arrives.

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Video (Macro!): Holes in Succulent Leaves? Could be a Caterpillar

The other day, I noticed a hole in a Graptoveria Fred Ives leaf that was in a small pot up on a shelf, on my screened-in porch. Even though it was rather high up, I looked for snails and didn’t see any. So I started to twist off the boo boo leaf when I felt something cold and soft– it was this darn caterpillar! An Armyworm Moth larva to be precise.

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