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How to Grow and Plant Succulents

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Emma Gallagher is a Brit living in North Carolina. She grows organic gardens and... Read More

Succulents are pretty popular these days. Their teeny tiny size helps those who maybe have limited space for houseplants. They are reasonably easy to care for, super easy to propagate, and fun to share with friends.

Once you have the growing of succulents down to fine art, you can start getting creative with the things you choose to plant them in. Due to their shallow roots, succulents can grow well in a number of surprising containers. What’s more, many, if not all, of these containers can come in the form of recycled or repurposed items.

Before we get into creative ways to plant your succulents, let’s take a quick crash course on growing them in the first place.

Tips on Growing Succulents

Source: Garden Answer/YouTube

Soil: Succulents prefer very light, well-draining soil. You can buy potting mixes especially used for succulents and cacti. Regular potting soil will be far too heavy and hold too much moisture.

Container: Whatever you end up choosing for a container to grow your succulent in, make sure that it has excellent drainage. Succulents do not like to sit in water.

Light: Your succulents are going to need at least 4-6 hours of sunlight a day, so choose a nice sunny windowsill for them to reside on.

Plant: Whether you buy a starter plant from a nursery, or take a cutting from a friend’s plant, be sure to pick a healthy one. The leaves should be plump and vibrant and show no signs of browning or drying.

Watering: Water your plant until you see it start to drain from the bottom of the container. If you have a saucer to catch excess water, don’t let your plant sit in it. Pour this excess water away. Be sure to let the soil dry out completely between waterings.

These are very general tips. It would be best to research the specific type of succulent you have for its individual care requirements. Check, also, on the type of succulent you have as to its hardiness. Depending on your USDA growing zone, there might be some succulents that you can grow outdoors.

Old Ceramic Mugs and Jugs

Source: Garden Answer/YouTube

Cool, vintage mugs, jugs, or tea cups found at thrift stores or some you have at home that you don’t use anymore could be turned into tiny homes for succulent plants.

That said, we have already learned that succulents need good drainage, so you will have to provide some drainage holes in your item to be upcycled.

In order to make a hole in your mug or jug, you will need a drill and a diamond tile drill bit. A half-inch drill bit should be sufficient. Wear safety glasses.

Put a piece of masking tape in the spot where you want to drill. This will give the drill bit something to grab onto in the beginning. The key is to not give any added pressure to the drill. Just let the weight of the drill do the work.

Keep adding water to the area where you are drilling throughout the process to prevent anything from overheating. Once you have a hole in the bottom of your mug, you can fill it with soil and plant your little plant!

Tin Cans

Source: Succulent Creations/YouTube

Using old tin cans as planters is a great way to keep these items from the recycling bin. Shiny clean cans or old rusty ones look equally cool. All you need to do is a drill or punch some holes into the bottom of the tin cans before filling them will soil and planting your succulents.

Wine Corks

Source: Squidlicks/YouTube

This is a bit of a novelty and will only work for tiny, newly propagated succulents. The succulent will eventually need to be repotted for it to be able to grow fully.

However, these tiny little succulent planters make super cute party favors, can be bundled together with twine to make bigger planters, or even made into fridge magnets by gluing a magnet to the side of the cork.

This is a job for careful adults as it involves the use of a craft knife and possibly a drill. First of all, you will need to gather some NATURAL wine corks. The main thing you need to do is carve out a cavity that you will fill with soil. You can do this by drilling a hole in the top of the cork or CAREFULLY gouging out a hole with a craft knife.

Fill the cavity you made with a little bit of soil and plant your tiny succulent. The best way to water such a minuscule plant is to use a dropper or a water spritzer.

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