Easy-care succulents are very popular as house plants. In this article we teach you how to make your hanging succulents a real eye-catcher.
Hanging succulents are a real eye-catcher
Everyone knows the money tree (Crassula ovata), houseleek (Sempervivum) or aloe vera (Aloe vera). And that’s no wonder, because succulents are one of the most popular houseplants thanks to their incredibly robust nature. But did you know that there are also great hanging succulents?
The hanging succulents are now a real insider tip among plant lovers, because they combine a high level of unpretentiousness with an extravagant exterior, so that they will soon attract everyone’s attention. We have put together tips for you on how to stage hanging succulents at home and what you should consider.
Hanging Succulent Species
If you want to upgrade your home with the help of succulents, you first have to get yourself the right plant. In fact, there is a whole selection of hanging succulent species that are perfect for the home. A great eye-catcher is, for example, the Calico Kitten (Crassula marginalis rubra), which sets magical accents with its heart-shaped, colorfully colored leaves. Also, the String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus), the Ruby Necklace (Othonna capensis) or the Burro’s Tail (Sedum morganianum) are attractive hanging succulents. Because of its dolphin-shaped leaves, the String of Dolphins (Senecio peregrinus) is extremely decorative and is often used as a houseplant.
Hanging Planters for Succulents
If you own such a feast for the eyes as a hanging succulent, you naturally want to bring it to life in style in the house. Hanging succulents stand out particularly well in tall plant pots from which their leaves and tendrils can flow downwards. However, the extravagant beauties come into their own even better if they are presented hanging: the long shoots and the striking leaf decorations of the plants come into their own in a hanging basket.
A homemade macrame hanging basket, for example, is well suited for this, and can be individually adapted to the pot and plant. Succulents look modern and at the same time timeless when they are hung in glass balls. However, they look particularly extravagant when they are combined with a Kokedama – the seemingly floating moss balls in combination with the hanging shoots of the succulents look almost magical.
A macrame hanging basket goes well with hanging succulents
The Right Soil for Succulents
If you want to have some of your succulents for a long time, you should pay particular attention to choosing the right soil. In fact, choosing the right soil is essential for the care and health of the plants, since they can only show their robust nature in the right substrate. Good drainage capacity is particularly essential for the right soil for succulents, because they can handle drought well, but do not tolerate waterlogging.
As the substrate between the watering of the succulents should dry completely, good wettability is also important after drying out. In addition, the right substrate should have a loose, but dimensionally stable structure and be adapted to the nutrient requirements of the plants. Unfortunately, normal potting soil does not meet these requirements. Instead, you should use cactus or succulent soil for your hanging succulents, which is specially adapted to the needs of the exotic.
Planting Succulents in A Hanging Container: Instructions
Succulents in a hanging container make a very different impression than in a normal flower pot – fortunately, there are hardly any differences between the two when it comes to planting. If possible, you should use a planter with an inner pot with drainage holes, as this reduces the risk of waterlogging.
If this is not possible, for example when planting succulents in hanging glass balls, special attention should be paid to a sufficiently thick drainage layer. However, the procedure is the same for both types of containers: First, the pot is filled with expanded clay up to a quarter of the desired planting height – this is the drainage layer. This is followed by a layer of cactus or succulent soil. Now you can carefully free the succulents from their old pot – depending on succulent species it is recommend to put on gloves.
Once the succulent has been removed from the pot, you can remove the loose soil on the fine roots with your fingers. Then place the hanging succulent plant in the new container and fill it up with more cactus soil, and press on lightly with your fingers. Care must be taken to ensure that none of the long shoots are accidentally buried, as this could result in rotting in these places.
Here Is an Overview of All the Steps:
- Fill in about a quarter of the planting layer with expanded clay as a drainage layer
- Fill up the container with cactus or succulent soil
- Carefully remove the succulent plant from the old pot and remove the old soil
- Place the succulent in the new container and fill up with more cactus soil
- Press the soil carefully
Maintain Hanging Succulents
Even if succulents are generally considered to be very robust, repotting is also pretty stressful for them. For this reason, you should pay more attention to them, especially in the first week after repotting. Therefore, the succulent plant can only be watered after a week in order not to strain the already stressed roots even more. In addition, the succulent should not be exposed to the sun for the first week, but should be introduced to it slowly to avoid sunburn.
Hanging succulents in glass balls should generally not be exposed to direct sunlight – the curved surface can cause a magnifying glass effect and thus lead to severe burns. Otherwise, hanging succulents need the same care as other succulents.
