You've Got Plant Mail!

Congratulations! Your new plant friends have made a successful journey to your door. Now what? Well honestly, there’s not much to do. At Lazy Gardens we curate our selection of succulents and cacti to ensure that they work for you- the normal person, who lives a normally chaotic life! We accommodate for all levels of laziness. So don’t stress too much about watering, and don’t feel bad about neglecting these little guys- they are actually a bit freaky and might like it.

To help you along with your plant parenting journey we have some helpful tips and tricks covering all the basics of lighting, watering, repotting, temperature requirements, etc. Just remember, to relax- you don’t have to be a professional gardener to be a Lazy Gardener! 

Light Requirements 

With your succulent in hand, the first thing you're going to want to do is find light! Typically with indoor plants, the more the merrier! Even more importantly we recommend finding a spot by a window that you frequently view. Out of sight is out of mind, and you want you to be able to enjoy your plants. You’ll be able to better observe your plant and move it if it’s getting too much or too little light, helping find that sweet spot where your succulent can thrive! “Bright light and in sight” is the Lazy way.

And trust us, your plants aren’t shy; they will tell you if they are getting too much, or not enough, light! Look out for things like sunburns, bleaching, or spotting, your plants are telling you that they are being overexposed to light. Likewise, if you are noticing a loss of color or vibrancy your plant is in need of a bit more light. Yes, we are professional plant translators. 

How to Water

The golden rule in Lazy Gardening 101 is to not overwater your plants! Remember, these guys are used to storing what little water they get, so put that water down and back away slowly. Go on a walk, read a book, do anything else.

Water your plants ONLY once you see or feel that the soil is completely dry. Using a handy-dandy finger, press down into the soil near the center of the pot. If the soil is dry, it’s watering time! You can also pull out a wooden chopstick. Plop the chopstick into the soil, if wet soil sticks onto the chopstick the watering is a no-go. 

The truth is, there is no one-size-fits-all watering schedule for succulents. And you should be watering even less in winter. That said, the easiest way to know if you should water your plants is by periodically checking the soil. And remember the golden rule: when in doubt DO NOT water!

 

How to Make a Perfect Potting Mix

Starting off simple, you are going to want to grab a bag of premade succulent/cactus mix from your local gardening or hardware store. This is a great place to start because it is often readily available, and there will already be some natural elements mixed in, such as peat moss or perlite, that will help aerate the soil. Fill your container about 70% of the way with this or your preferred organic material.

Next we recommend adding a healthy amount of perlite to help create an even better foundation for your succulents to grow. Add your inorganic material to fill the other 30% of your container, then mix them together with your hands or a trowel. Don't worry about being precise; gardening is more of an art than a science anyway, and we find this to be a great place to start.

*If you’re feeling a little extra lazy then we can save you a trip to the store with our own well-draining potting mix, specifically made for succulents & cacti!

How to Pot Plants

Repotting can be a fun way to show off your style and creativity, while serving a functional purpose by giving your plants space to grow out and breathe. Follow these steps and your repotting journey will be a breeze:

1. Grab your favorite pot and fill it up about halfway with well-draining soil, pressing firmly down, as the soil will compress when watered. 
2. Take your succulent out of its previous container and start to massage the roots to break them up as best you can. A little breakage might happen but don’t worry, succulents are resilient and should recover. It’s important to loosen the roots up so that they can ground themselves well in the new soil!
3. Center your plant in the new pot. You want the plant deep enough in the soil for stability, but not so deep that the leaves would get wet when watering, so add or remove soil if you need to.
4. Add soil evenly around the succulent, and firmly tuck it in with your hands. This will help make sure that your succulent is nice and snug.
5. Complete the look with top dressings that further express your creativity, and really tie your arrangement together.
6. Lastly, give your plants some love. This is the most important step every plant parent must follow- tell the little guy how cute and adorable it is!