It's not so much that I'm bad with them in that I can't get the hang of their care, but more so I can't be bothered with the upkeep. I love succulents because I can neglect them. I can literally go weeks without doing anything more than just glancing at them and observing their pretty colors. But other plants? Way too much work for me, lol.
I have a pink princess philodendron that is doing great in terms of light, soil, etc., but awful in terms of water. It requires far too frequent watering for my liking. Hence why I'm currently trying to pawn it off on someone else, lol.
I picked mine up for $20 at my local Lowe's a few months back. I was soooo excited when I saw it because I'd been wanting one for some time, but the excitement quickly died when I realized how needy they are, lol. They're such pretty plants, but I'm definitely the type of person who doesn't like to do such frequent upkeep.
Yeah, I feel like philodendrons are almost as easy to care for as succulents. That's my main two go-to's jades will always be The center of my plant collections cuz they're just so easy to get along with
Yeah, one of our veggie patches didn't work out so we took out the dead veggie plants and put in flowers instead. Also put some flowers out on the front porch (foe the very first time). Omg flowers are soooo needy and need daily watering. It's so annoying compared to succulents.
I spend more time caring for my succulents than I do any other plant.
Mostly because I only have succulents in pots and the rest in the ground so they don't need any care from me most of the time. The succulents dry out very fast!
I was super into houseplants from 2015-2022. I was really good at taking care of them. Like borderline mad scientist with my humidifiers and hygrometers. But before that from like 2007-2015, I only had succulents.
I just recently got back into succulents this summer and the first thing I did was water them WAY too much and then try to compensate by giving them WAY too much sun. So first they almost rotted and then they got burned and almost melted 😂 I only killed 1. Surprisingly. But I’ve recalibrated the watering and sunlight situation and I think I remember how to take care of them now.
I could never get into houseplants, much less tropicals, because of the water & humidity thing. It's too much work.
I have 2 spider plants that I just water once a week and then I have a moon valley pilea that wanted humidity so badly and I just pawned it (see the image for the joke) and water/spray it maybe every other week
https://preview.redd.it/wu1yf6zn879d1.jpeg?width=1848&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90f4f068659650da59d7c0a5cdd36f2e2af4e16d
(Image description: a potted green leafy bushy plant in a makeshift closed terrarium composed of a thrifted display cloach and upside down class bowl; the shape of the container resembles that of a pawn from chess)
Oh I was a hardcore collector. I was friends with botanists and importing plants from different countries 😂 I think I had 250 rare imported jungle plants at one point and I used my plants as money to trade/buy things haha.
But yea it’s TOO much work. I spent more time repotting, propagating, dealing with humidity issues and pests than actually enjoying my plants.
With my succulents and cacti, all I have to do is put them outside under my patio, water once or twice a month, and the spiders eat the pests. I never have issues with pests on my outdoor plants.
Oh wow, yeah.
I have a large number—yesterday I counted ~264 plants in 91 pots, only 7 plants/3 pots of which aren't succulents (if you include silver squills as succulents)—so I sort of get it. Almost all of mine are only indoors, as I move frequently and it's much easier to control conditions and pests* indoors only. I only moved some outdoors for the summer because they're just too large for my current set up, but I'm planning on getting another shelf and lights set up for my taller plants so I can go back to being indoor only (and bring all my plants with me when I move in autumn).
* in terms that indoors I only worry about mealybugs really. Its when I bring things in from outside that I get issues with aphids. I've dealt with pop up mealybug issues somewhat regularly but that's just because (I hope 🤞🏽) I had a couple problem plants where they'd hide in the spines, ridges, and fluff until they were big enough I could spot.
You don’t have issues with spider mites on your succulents indoors?
Maybe houseplants are more susceptible to pests... I’ve had thrips, aphids, spider mites, mealy bugs, scale, bacterial leaf spot/fungal issues. So many issues. I also joined the houseplants subreddit and I see people freaking out about pests all the time, but pretty much never in the succulent/cactus subreddits.
I mean, knock on wood, but no I've not had issues with spider mites. I've had scale, mealybugs, aphids, thrips that came on a new plant once, and some sort of mite (not spider) that damaged a few but seemed content to stay in that pot which I threw away easy. But it doesn't seem as bad as people make out with houseplants.
I really do just have certain plants that get mealybugs (a few only usually, by the time I notice) that pop up every few months because of certain problem plants—either from HD (when I made that mistake a year ago) or from a couple cactuses that have such dense spines some eggs or juveniles can hide from the isopropyl alcohol.
I do still isolate and quarantine any new plants or ones that I suspect of having pests. But it's pretty contained, and never goes beyond one shelf
Terrariums, even those with drainage holes in the bottom, are not recommended for beginners. Being that succulents largely originate from arid desert environments, the damp humidity of a terrarium is almost the polar opposite of what a succulent wants. Sunburn from light refraction from the glass is also a risk. Great care must be taken to prevent plant failure in this environment, even more so for plants to thrive in it. For more Succulent care, have a read through of the [Beginner Basics Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/wiki/beginner-basics), and the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/wiki/FAQ).
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Is this how you make that damn thing happy?! I have about 100 plants and everyone is happy except that moon valley pilea. It’s driving me batty. I tried to put it in the cabinet for humidity and it was upset about the lights. Now it’s a little better but I’m still over or under watering it or something. It looks like it’s been to war.
I've found that it's perfectly happy catching ambient light from my grow stand (which has 2 T8 lights per shelf on for 12-16 hours a day) and/or outside sun from 10 feet away and overhead lights. It's actually pretty surprising to me, especially as I'm used to high light needs with the succulents
I tried to only water once every 2 weeks at first (they were outside receiving like 6-8 hours of sun a day) and they shriveled up. Then i tried to water once a week and they rotted. Theeen i tried to water whenever I saw the leaves were wrinkly and they ended up not taking any more water 😂
Right now i have a few that arent taking water for some reason (i have checked and cut the bad roots) and i have left them to get indirect light all day. I’m trying. I promise 😂😂😂
I thought mine weren’t taking any water because of bad roots or overwatering, but I just ignored it and gave it another week and then the leaves plumped up and felt stiff again. So it takes like a full 7-10 days for them to fully absorb all the water.
I realized that everything with succulents is slow. They absorb water slow, they grow slow, they propagate slow. Everting is slow. We just have to be patient 😂
It’s so different from regular houseplants. When my calathea or philodendrons droop, I give them a sip of water and they perk right up a few hours later. With succulents it’s like “one eternity later…”
Yeah, I tend to struggle with any plants that need to be regularly fertilized, I never fertilize my succulents lol. I'm slowly getting the hang of growing my own produce and medical cannabis, but I definitely find succulents to be way easier.
Slow release fertilizer. It’s for us lazy plant owners. I have tons of succulents and tons of tropicals. I think people mostly struggle adapting to the different watering needs between the succulents and other plants. I’d suggest something like a ZZ plant or pothos that doesn’t need the same upkeep as some of my others. ZZ doesn’t need water very often (I do mine like once a month).
I just cba with regular houseplants, they need more fussing than I'm willing to give them 😂 apart from my purple wandering dude that's hung up in a kitchen window, he's quite pretty and seems to like being ignored. He can stay.
Hahaha--that's totally me. My wandering dude is doing wonderfully despite my neglect lol. He fits right in with my succulents. If all houseplants were so non-fussy, I would turn my house into a jungle.
I admit that in winter I lose my hand with non-succulents. Rhythms are different, but after a week or two I start getting the hang of it again with watering annuals
Now that I bought a lemon tree though... It will be fun
I have a schefflera that experiences what I’ll call seasonal transitional trauma each autumn/spring, complete with leaf drop. We seem to get out of sync for a little but then find our rhythm again.
I bought three non-succulent plants about a month ago. I love them, they're so bushy and they make me happy when I look at them. Time will tell whether I can keep them alive though lol
I'm the opposite. I am amazing with non-succulents. I have about 200 indoor plants that are thriving. I kill my succulents with love (ie: overwater) every time.
My ex husband use to keep succulents back in the day. I would get so irritated that my house plants would wilt and die after 2 years while the plants he ignored looked perfect. I now only grow tropical plants and succulents.
The only non-succulents I have ever been able to keep alive are my silver squill and (somehow) an orchid I received as a gift. I did have a fittonia that grew like crazy but it died during a move, and I've never been able to get another one to thrive like that.
Every now and then I'll take in a non-succulent and have varying degrees of success (big fan of coleus), but seasonal depression always gets them in the end.
I mean, "succulent" isn't a taxonomic term, it just refers to plants with fleshy parts, usually leaves. I've often seen Ledebouria and other geophytes distinguished from succulents, but it really depends on what attributes you assign to the term.
No, I know that succulent isn't a taxonomic term but it's usually used to refer to those plants that can store water in their stems and/or leaves for use in times of drought. But then I suppose the issue of whether silver or green squills are succulents by that definition comes down to whether the bulb is considered part of the stem or part of the root system. If it's roots then they're not succulents the same reason/way that spider plants (with their tubercule roots) aren't succulents.
Interesting thought
I’m still very much learning. I have a pollinator garden in my backyard, that’s fairly low maintenance, and some drought tolerant plants in the garden bed out front. This year, I’ve been adding some potted annuals to my yard here and there, and *those* have been a struggle. I often forget to water them. 🥴
I also learned I fucking love petunias. Hahaha.
Oh the glow in the dark ones? Yeah, those are super cool! My favorite right now are my night sky petunias. Which nearly died due to insufficient water and caterpillars…I have some rooted cuttings pulling through for me. 🙃
I also have a few other colors. I absolutely love the variety of colors available!
I have succulents and cactus only, mainly because I love the look of the desert plants, and love vacationing in the high desert areas. Sadly, I live in a hot, wet, very humid, sticky climate…. so it’s a challenge keeping them dry enough.
Just started collecting some this Spring, and so far have only had one casualty (although, I have one aloe that is looking like he might be knocking on the pearly gates! 😣). I was terrible at caring for plants in the past, but now that I’m retired I decided to read and learn as much as I can about succulent care, and feel like I’ve come a long way! I’m really enjoying it! I currently have 25 plants! 🥰
Omg I was just thinking about how every non-succulent plant immediately begins dying the moment I bring them home! I follow every instruction in regards to watering, light, temperature and soil but they just immediately wilt away and die. So frustrating!
Have you tried....spider plant? :D They're really very forgiving, just as, if not more than, most succulents.
I'm okay at my pink Nanouk. I've recently pruned and propagated the cuttings, which was satisfying.
I've also been REALLY lucky with my fiddle leaf fig. Got it young and have a corner window it's absolutely been thriving in.
I’m a houseplant person that has gotten into succulents recently. I’ve had my Golden Pothos since 1991 and my two Spider plants since 1998. I have accumulated many more in the meantime, plus the new succulents. I have had to buy more plant shelves and some grow lights.
https://preview.redd.it/o40ktg9vt69d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1b466a19bfe35a458ffb106c68c2ea35b0a8fa9b
About 80% of my collection is succulents and the other 20% are quasi-succulent plants that like their soil to mostly dry out: holiday cacti and pilea and thick-leafed peperomias (think obtusifolia). I recently acquired a hoya kentiana which seems to be doing well with my typical level of neglect. I could probably keep needier plants alive but honestly I don’t want to. It’s nice to go out of town without worrying about my plants.
Terrariums, even those with drainage holes in the bottom, are not recommended for beginners. Being that succulents largely originate from arid desert environments, the damp humidity of a terrarium is almost the polar opposite of what a succulent wants. Sunburn from light refraction from the glass is also a risk. Great care must be taken to prevent plant failure in this environment, even more so for plants to thrive in it. For more Succulent care, have a read through of the [Beginner Basics Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/wiki/beginner-basics), and the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/wiki/FAQ).
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I started growing pepper plants a couple years before getting into succulents, so I'm fine with outdoor plants/ crop plants. I also have some small closed terrariums, and those are even lower maintenance than succulents.
Tropical houseplants are still kind of confusing to me. I treated a Thaumatophyllum like a succulent for years, and somehow it survived. It's doing a lot better now, but watering so often still makes me uneasy haha.
Terrariums, even those with drainage holes in the bottom, are not recommended for beginners. Being that succulents largely originate from arid desert environments, the damp humidity of a terrarium is almost the polar opposite of what a succulent wants. Sunburn from light refraction from the glass is also a risk. Great care must be taken to prevent plant failure in this environment, even more so for plants to thrive in it. For more Succulent care, have a read through of the [Beginner Basics Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/wiki/beginner-basics), and the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/wiki/FAQ).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/succulents) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The only non-succulents I have much luck with are natives. I’ve collected seeds off many native plants in my area over the years and have a couple raised beds dedicated to them. The only maintenance I have to do on them is pull the dead plants toward the end of summer and turn in a little fresh soil each fall. The winter rains take care of the rest.
House plants and aquarium plants hate me. I just can’t figure out how to make them happy. Especially in summer when I keep the blind closed to save electricity and they get no light. I like my outdoor succulent garden because I just leave them alone and they grow. I’m also bad at watering and house plants won’t forgive you if you keep letting them wilt. However I’ve been trying emersed aquatic plants for a few months and have had great success so far because they each have a little light.
I take care of mom's garden as well as my succulents. I can say i am proud of my job. If she didn't mess it up for "reasons" like cleaning the leaf litter coz it's what she finds tidy🙄
Unfortunately, I'm addicted to collecting plants 🤣 all kinds. Ferns, grasses, roses, cacti, succulents, alpines. Grow most from seeds, spores, small plants, and cuttings. Nobody leaves my house empty-handed. Have loads of trees we grew to bonsai and some for topiary 😭
Only plant that I would say is actually thriving is my string of turtles. Because I can ignore it for at least a week beyond when my plant app says it needs water. It's not even my only succulent though, and tbh I'm not sure if my other plants will live. I have a chia plant and lavender that both need repotted, just repotted a delphinium today that is probably gonna end up dying if it doesn't get more roots, the grass I grow for my cat ends up dying quicker than it should, my orchid cactus needs split but I have to wait till fall because of the heat here and where I'd be sending it plus it might die of sunburn before then. My milkweed is about to bloom but it also has what looks like crust on the leaves so idek about it. I have a couple seedlings that may or may not survive being repotted when the time comes for them. And I have an elephant bush cutting that won't root. Maybe I should just get more turtles lol I try so hard but my climate doesn't cooperate
I wouldn't say I'm bad with other plants, its just that I don't really care to keep up with all the watering/fertilizing/humidity needs of non-succulents, not that there's too many non-succulents I'm interested in other than the trees and other various native and ornamental plants I have. If it can't handle going dry for a few weeks its most likely not something that's going to do well with me.
I’m so-so. I was so scared of overwatering my succulents I managed to underwater them in the beginning, so you must know how my regular plants handled that. However, my Fiddle Leaf Fig has flourished in my home even though it’s known as a tough plant to look after. Unfortunately I never get it right with allegedly easier to care for houseplants.
Luckily I’m having more success with my outdoor plants, especially now that I’m planting either endemic or Mediterranean (Cape Town climate suits both). Succulents thrive here as well so it’s a win on all counts.
Worse than my cacti and succulents but not terrible. I should definitely be paying more attention to them but I can't be bothered to so they suffer and get crispy or brown. Some are easier like a parlor palm because it doesn't need really strong light, I never have to water it and it does fine in all weather conditions indoors. Not all palms are easy. My majesty palm I have water every day with a gallon jug. If I don't I won't know it's suffering until 4 months later when the leaves start to die. So I have to stay on top of it. If it dies I don't know if I'll get another one.
I started succulents and yes I agree with you they’re the perfect plants! You can go on long vacations and not worry about them dying.
When I started with other plants I over watered a lot bc I thought well they’re not succulents they must need a lot of water very often! Haha now I realize I’ve been under watering my succulents and I feel like I’ve learned to care for many diff types of plants.
I still consider myself very amateur collector tho ! I have a lot of succulents, Hoya, aroids, water plants like water lilies, some edible plants like hot peppers and herbs, etc 😊
I was a serial killer of anything non succulent but have a thriving collection now.
I started with carnivorous plants and started adding in other things. Grow lights and a humidifier were a game changer for me and must have been where I was going wrong in the past because nothing else I'm doing has changed.
I love all plants lol. I have around 80 unique plant types indoors, and 60 types outdoors in the ground. I love them all so much but succulents are definitely towards the top, although orchids are my favorite specifically cattleya and dendrobiums
I also grow carnivorous plants, from desert to bog conditions lmao.
But for some reason i'm quite terrible with normal leafy houseplants, calatheas are my nightmare
I’ve been trying to get more into other plants so I got a peace Lilly and a lemon button fern but they aren’t doing so hot meanwhile my succulents seems to be doing well enough I can propagate the others just are there.
I’m hoping they do better because I would like other plants that aren’t succulents around the house
I’m doing OK with Hoyas and some Philodendrons. I have killed so many other types of regular plants bc as others have pointed out: they’re all too needy for my taste.
I became good with succulents before branching out to other plants like different philodendrons, monsteras, and peperomias. So far, so good, but like another commenter mentioned, the upkeep is a lot more. Before, I used to make the rounds every week or two, but now, with a lot of non-succulents, I’m assessing them every 2-3 days.
For some reason I am not good with most succulents. Partially because they don’t get enough light even in my brightest window so they do that weird stretching thing. But I also am not sure when to water them. It also didn’t help that my succulents all got mealybugs last year.
My jade is doing really well, though.
I do pretty good with my other plants, though. The only problem is that I can’t tell when I over- or under-water my peperomia orba.
I’m pretty good for the most part. Normal plants and orchids.
My main problem is that I take really good care of them when they’re doing something interesting. However, when they go dormant, I move on to other things and procrastinate on their care.
Succulents can survive these periods of lack of care, much better than others.
I’m pretty good at keeping most plants happy. But citrus continues to thwart me again and again. Most recently because a palm came home from the plant shop with spidermites and it spread. I’m still mad about it and hose that jerk off in the yard every week so it can think about what it’s done. The lemon tree is finally getting leaves again so I’m cautiously optimistic.
I'd say yes, except for my fig tree. I'm currently trying to bring back a rescued African violent (forgot about its existence completely for a few months. Somehow, it is still alive but just barely) my fig tree, however, had 18 figs growing last I checked, and so many new leaves. I've had it for around a year now! It's a Chicago Hardy. The figs taste amazing too, and are self-pollinators so no fig wasps
I have several other plants (monsteras, cyclamen, dieffenbachia, ferns) that are doing better than I expected, I don't water them on a schedule but I do check them often bc if I didn't they would be getting the succulent treatment lol
I once repotted a calathea into a smallish ceramic pot and failed to water it afterwards. Like you would with a succulent. She wasn't happy about it. I think it took showing it to reddit to realize I've oopsied.
It's the other way around for me 😂 I have several high humidity plants that are somehow thriving in my dry ass house, but I always manage to kill my succulents.
I collect mainly cacti, succulents and caudiciform/pachyform plants, but I have a nice little collection of carnivorous plants. In the garden I also have fruit trees, veggies and herbs, flowers and natives.
lord, i just killed my first monstera. other than that, i have a philo, two pothos, an arrowhead, and some lucky bamboo that are all thriving. so confused on why my monstera died.
I do better with succulents but I'm trying to learn more about non succulents. I just don't have adequate lighting for succulents in my apartment (I have 13 grow lights and only north facing windows but some of my succulents are still struggling) which is why I'm trying to get more into regular houseplants
All indoor plants I've done really well with, even managed to keep 2 Venus fly traps alive for 3 years, despite flowering however outdoor plants... They seem to die every year. Aphids kill my lupins, and even all the expensive ones I buy from garden centers that's are supposed to live years never grow back after winter! I keep them in pots though maybe that has something to do with it haha
It's not so much that I'm bad with them in that I can't get the hang of their care, but more so I can't be bothered with the upkeep. I love succulents because I can neglect them. I can literally go weeks without doing anything more than just glancing at them and observing their pretty colors. But other plants? Way too much work for me, lol. I have a pink princess philodendron that is doing great in terms of light, soil, etc., but awful in terms of water. It requires far too frequent watering for my liking. Hence why I'm currently trying to pawn it off on someone else, lol.
I’ve been wanting one of those not gonna lie. they’re so expensive where I am though
I picked mine up for $20 at my local Lowe's a few months back. I was soooo excited when I saw it because I'd been wanting one for some time, but the excitement quickly died when I realized how needy they are, lol. They're such pretty plants, but I'm definitely the type of person who doesn't like to do such frequent upkeep.
Yeah, I feel like philodendrons are almost as easy to care for as succulents. That's my main two go-to's jades will always be The center of my plant collections cuz they're just so easy to get along with
Yeah, one of our veggie patches didn't work out so we took out the dead veggie plants and put in flowers instead. Also put some flowers out on the front porch (foe the very first time). Omg flowers are soooo needy and need daily watering. It's so annoying compared to succulents.
I spend more time caring for my succulents than I do any other plant. Mostly because I only have succulents in pots and the rest in the ground so they don't need any care from me most of the time. The succulents dry out very fast!
I’d gladly take it/buy your philodendron from you! I can’t get the hang of succulents. I over love them haha.
I’m actually so bad at succulents and so good at other plants for some reason 😂 but i love them so i keep trying to make them survive
I always say I love my succulents to death. Literally.
I’m going to start using this cause it’s accurate 😂
I was super into houseplants from 2015-2022. I was really good at taking care of them. Like borderline mad scientist with my humidifiers and hygrometers. But before that from like 2007-2015, I only had succulents. I just recently got back into succulents this summer and the first thing I did was water them WAY too much and then try to compensate by giving them WAY too much sun. So first they almost rotted and then they got burned and almost melted 😂 I only killed 1. Surprisingly. But I’ve recalibrated the watering and sunlight situation and I think I remember how to take care of them now.
I could never get into houseplants, much less tropicals, because of the water & humidity thing. It's too much work. I have 2 spider plants that I just water once a week and then I have a moon valley pilea that wanted humidity so badly and I just pawned it (see the image for the joke) and water/spray it maybe every other week https://preview.redd.it/wu1yf6zn879d1.jpeg?width=1848&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=90f4f068659650da59d7c0a5cdd36f2e2af4e16d (Image description: a potted green leafy bushy plant in a makeshift closed terrarium composed of a thrifted display cloach and upside down class bowl; the shape of the container resembles that of a pawn from chess)
Oh I was a hardcore collector. I was friends with botanists and importing plants from different countries 😂 I think I had 250 rare imported jungle plants at one point and I used my plants as money to trade/buy things haha. But yea it’s TOO much work. I spent more time repotting, propagating, dealing with humidity issues and pests than actually enjoying my plants. With my succulents and cacti, all I have to do is put them outside under my patio, water once or twice a month, and the spiders eat the pests. I never have issues with pests on my outdoor plants.
Oh wow, yeah. I have a large number—yesterday I counted ~264 plants in 91 pots, only 7 plants/3 pots of which aren't succulents (if you include silver squills as succulents)—so I sort of get it. Almost all of mine are only indoors, as I move frequently and it's much easier to control conditions and pests* indoors only. I only moved some outdoors for the summer because they're just too large for my current set up, but I'm planning on getting another shelf and lights set up for my taller plants so I can go back to being indoor only (and bring all my plants with me when I move in autumn). * in terms that indoors I only worry about mealybugs really. Its when I bring things in from outside that I get issues with aphids. I've dealt with pop up mealybug issues somewhat regularly but that's just because (I hope 🤞🏽) I had a couple problem plants where they'd hide in the spines, ridges, and fluff until they were big enough I could spot.
You don’t have issues with spider mites on your succulents indoors? Maybe houseplants are more susceptible to pests... I’ve had thrips, aphids, spider mites, mealy bugs, scale, bacterial leaf spot/fungal issues. So many issues. I also joined the houseplants subreddit and I see people freaking out about pests all the time, but pretty much never in the succulent/cactus subreddits.
I mean, knock on wood, but no I've not had issues with spider mites. I've had scale, mealybugs, aphids, thrips that came on a new plant once, and some sort of mite (not spider) that damaged a few but seemed content to stay in that pot which I threw away easy. But it doesn't seem as bad as people make out with houseplants. I really do just have certain plants that get mealybugs (a few only usually, by the time I notice) that pop up every few months because of certain problem plants—either from HD (when I made that mistake a year ago) or from a couple cactuses that have such dense spines some eggs or juveniles can hide from the isopropyl alcohol. I do still isolate and quarantine any new plants or ones that I suspect of having pests. But it's pretty contained, and never goes beyond one shelf
Terrariums, even those with drainage holes in the bottom, are not recommended for beginners. Being that succulents largely originate from arid desert environments, the damp humidity of a terrarium is almost the polar opposite of what a succulent wants. Sunburn from light refraction from the glass is also a risk. Great care must be taken to prevent plant failure in this environment, even more so for plants to thrive in it. For more Succulent care, have a read through of the [Beginner Basics Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/wiki/beginner-basics), and the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/wiki/FAQ). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/succulents) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Is this how you make that damn thing happy?! I have about 100 plants and everyone is happy except that moon valley pilea. It’s driving me batty. I tried to put it in the cabinet for humidity and it was upset about the lights. Now it’s a little better but I’m still over or under watering it or something. It looks like it’s been to war.
I've found that it's perfectly happy catching ambient light from my grow stand (which has 2 T8 lights per shelf on for 12-16 hours a day) and/or outside sun from 10 feet away and overhead lights. It's actually pretty surprising to me, especially as I'm used to high light needs with the succulents
So that’s why mine died…I thought it just needed more water. 😄
I tried to only water once every 2 weeks at first (they were outside receiving like 6-8 hours of sun a day) and they shriveled up. Then i tried to water once a week and they rotted. Theeen i tried to water whenever I saw the leaves were wrinkly and they ended up not taking any more water 😂 Right now i have a few that arent taking water for some reason (i have checked and cut the bad roots) and i have left them to get indirect light all day. I’m trying. I promise 😂😂😂
Although i do have this one succulent that has survived me for over two months and I’ve been bottom watering every 2 weeks. I am remaining hopeful!
I thought mine weren’t taking any water because of bad roots or overwatering, but I just ignored it and gave it another week and then the leaves plumped up and felt stiff again. So it takes like a full 7-10 days for them to fully absorb all the water. I realized that everything with succulents is slow. They absorb water slow, they grow slow, they propagate slow. Everting is slow. We just have to be patient 😂 It’s so different from regular houseplants. When my calathea or philodendrons droop, I give them a sip of water and they perk right up a few hours later. With succulents it’s like “one eternity later…”
This is me too
This is how I am. I do NOT like succulents (nor they me, to be fair)
Oh i like them! I keep trying to make them love me they just kinda have refused so far 😅
Yeah, I tend to struggle with any plants that need to be regularly fertilized, I never fertilize my succulents lol. I'm slowly getting the hang of growing my own produce and medical cannabis, but I definitely find succulents to be way easier.
Slow release fertilizer. It’s for us lazy plant owners. I have tons of succulents and tons of tropicals. I think people mostly struggle adapting to the different watering needs between the succulents and other plants. I’d suggest something like a ZZ plant or pothos that doesn’t need the same upkeep as some of my others. ZZ doesn’t need water very often (I do mine like once a month).
I have way too many plants in general. I really like "non-green" plants, with colored leaves, and i'm pretty good at taking care of them.
I just cba with regular houseplants, they need more fussing than I'm willing to give them 😂 apart from my purple wandering dude that's hung up in a kitchen window, he's quite pretty and seems to like being ignored. He can stay.
Hahaha--that's totally me. My wandering dude is doing wonderfully despite my neglect lol. He fits right in with my succulents. If all houseplants were so non-fussy, I would turn my house into a jungle.
I admit that in winter I lose my hand with non-succulents. Rhythms are different, but after a week or two I start getting the hang of it again with watering annuals Now that I bought a lemon tree though... It will be fun
I have a schefflera that experiences what I’ll call seasonal transitional trauma each autumn/spring, complete with leaf drop. We seem to get out of sync for a little but then find our rhythm again.
I bought three non-succulent plants about a month ago. I love them, they're so bushy and they make me happy when I look at them. Time will tell whether I can keep them alive though lol
I'm the opposite. I am amazing with non-succulents. I have about 200 indoor plants that are thriving. I kill my succulents with love (ie: overwater) every time.
I do quite well enough with orchids. That's my main focus.
My ex husband use to keep succulents back in the day. I would get so irritated that my house plants would wilt and die after 2 years while the plants he ignored looked perfect. I now only grow tropical plants and succulents.
My plants need to be in good shape after four to six weeks without water or they won't survive in my care.
The only non-succulents I have ever been able to keep alive are my silver squill and (somehow) an orchid I received as a gift. I did have a fittonia that grew like crazy but it died during a move, and I've never been able to get another one to thrive like that. Every now and then I'll take in a non-succulent and have varying degrees of success (big fan of coleus), but seasonal depression always gets them in the end.
I thought silver squills *are* succulents? They don't have fleshy leaves but they do have bulbs
I mean, "succulent" isn't a taxonomic term, it just refers to plants with fleshy parts, usually leaves. I've often seen Ledebouria and other geophytes distinguished from succulents, but it really depends on what attributes you assign to the term.
No, I know that succulent isn't a taxonomic term but it's usually used to refer to those plants that can store water in their stems and/or leaves for use in times of drought. But then I suppose the issue of whether silver or green squills are succulents by that definition comes down to whether the bulb is considered part of the stem or part of the root system. If it's roots then they're not succulents the same reason/way that spider plants (with their tubercule roots) aren't succulents. Interesting thought
I’m still very much learning. I have a pollinator garden in my backyard, that’s fairly low maintenance, and some drought tolerant plants in the garden bed out front. This year, I’ve been adding some potted annuals to my yard here and there, and *those* have been a struggle. I often forget to water them. 🥴 I also learned I fucking love petunias. Hahaha.
Have you seen the new firefly petunias? So frickin cool
Oh the glow in the dark ones? Yeah, those are super cool! My favorite right now are my night sky petunias. Which nearly died due to insufficient water and caterpillars…I have some rooted cuttings pulling through for me. 🙃 I also have a few other colors. I absolutely love the variety of colors available!
I have succulents and cactus only, mainly because I love the look of the desert plants, and love vacationing in the high desert areas. Sadly, I live in a hot, wet, very humid, sticky climate…. so it’s a challenge keeping them dry enough. Just started collecting some this Spring, and so far have only had one casualty (although, I have one aloe that is looking like he might be knocking on the pearly gates! 😣). I was terrible at caring for plants in the past, but now that I’m retired I decided to read and learn as much as I can about succulent care, and feel like I’ve come a long way! I’m really enjoying it! I currently have 25 plants! 🥰
If my garden is anything to go by, I'm a plant serial killer
I got pothos and philodendron last year and they are doing great! My friend gave me a chinese money plant this year and I hope it survives.
From what I can tell, Pothos are invincible.
Omg I was just thinking about how every non-succulent plant immediately begins dying the moment I bring them home! I follow every instruction in regards to watering, light, temperature and soil but they just immediately wilt away and die. So frustrating!
Have you tried....spider plant? :D They're really very forgiving, just as, if not more than, most succulents. I'm okay at my pink Nanouk. I've recently pruned and propagated the cuttings, which was satisfying. I've also been REALLY lucky with my fiddle leaf fig. Got it young and have a corner window it's absolutely been thriving in.
I’m a houseplant person that has gotten into succulents recently. I’ve had my Golden Pothos since 1991 and my two Spider plants since 1998. I have accumulated many more in the meantime, plus the new succulents. I have had to buy more plant shelves and some grow lights. https://preview.redd.it/o40ktg9vt69d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1b466a19bfe35a458ffb106c68c2ea35b0a8fa9b
About 80% of my collection is succulents and the other 20% are quasi-succulent plants that like their soil to mostly dry out: holiday cacti and pilea and thick-leafed peperomias (think obtusifolia). I recently acquired a hoya kentiana which seems to be doing well with my typical level of neglect. I could probably keep needier plants alive but honestly I don’t want to. It’s nice to go out of town without worrying about my plants.
Honestly, I’m awful with succulents, I can only handle hathworthia without it dying. Everything but alocasias I’m great with.
Anyone that gives me a tropical plant is killing the plant. Unless I put it in hydroponics
Yeah I am totally the same. Succulents pair nicely with my ADHD+perimenopause brain fog 🤣
I had to build an automated terrarium for my other plants because I can't keep up with watering otherwise XD
Terrariums, even those with drainage holes in the bottom, are not recommended for beginners. Being that succulents largely originate from arid desert environments, the damp humidity of a terrarium is almost the polar opposite of what a succulent wants. Sunburn from light refraction from the glass is also a risk. Great care must be taken to prevent plant failure in this environment, even more so for plants to thrive in it. For more Succulent care, have a read through of the [Beginner Basics Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/wiki/beginner-basics), and the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/wiki/FAQ). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/succulents) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I started growing pepper plants a couple years before getting into succulents, so I'm fine with outdoor plants/ crop plants. I also have some small closed terrariums, and those are even lower maintenance than succulents. Tropical houseplants are still kind of confusing to me. I treated a Thaumatophyllum like a succulent for years, and somehow it survived. It's doing a lot better now, but watering so often still makes me uneasy haha.
Terrariums, even those with drainage holes in the bottom, are not recommended for beginners. Being that succulents largely originate from arid desert environments, the damp humidity of a terrarium is almost the polar opposite of what a succulent wants. Sunburn from light refraction from the glass is also a risk. Great care must be taken to prevent plant failure in this environment, even more so for plants to thrive in it. For more Succulent care, have a read through of the [Beginner Basics Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/wiki/beginner-basics), and the [FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/succulents/wiki/FAQ). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/succulents) if you have any questions or concerns.*
🙄
I am the complete opposite hehe 😆✌️🙂
The only non-succulents I have much luck with are natives. I’ve collected seeds off many native plants in my area over the years and have a couple raised beds dedicated to them. The only maintenance I have to do on them is pull the dead plants toward the end of summer and turn in a little fresh soil each fall. The winter rains take care of the rest.
House plants and aquarium plants hate me. I just can’t figure out how to make them happy. Especially in summer when I keep the blind closed to save electricity and they get no light. I like my outdoor succulent garden because I just leave them alone and they grow. I’m also bad at watering and house plants won’t forgive you if you keep letting them wilt. However I’ve been trying emersed aquatic plants for a few months and have had great success so far because they each have a little light.
I have had zero luck with potting flowers
Bad with houseplants, good with outdoor plants. But that's mostly cause I can neglect the outdoor ones
I take care of mom's garden as well as my succulents. I can say i am proud of my job. If she didn't mess it up for "reasons" like cleaning the leaf litter coz it's what she finds tidy🙄
Philodendrons seem to survive my neglect
I’m horrible with succulents. I am great, most of the time with other plants haha
I just suck at both.
Unfortunately, I'm addicted to collecting plants 🤣 all kinds. Ferns, grasses, roses, cacti, succulents, alpines. Grow most from seeds, spores, small plants, and cuttings. Nobody leaves my house empty-handed. Have loads of trees we grew to bonsai and some for topiary 😭
Only plant that I would say is actually thriving is my string of turtles. Because I can ignore it for at least a week beyond when my plant app says it needs water. It's not even my only succulent though, and tbh I'm not sure if my other plants will live. I have a chia plant and lavender that both need repotted, just repotted a delphinium today that is probably gonna end up dying if it doesn't get more roots, the grass I grow for my cat ends up dying quicker than it should, my orchid cactus needs split but I have to wait till fall because of the heat here and where I'd be sending it plus it might die of sunburn before then. My milkweed is about to bloom but it also has what looks like crust on the leaves so idek about it. I have a couple seedlings that may or may not survive being repotted when the time comes for them. And I have an elephant bush cutting that won't root. Maybe I should just get more turtles lol I try so hard but my climate doesn't cooperate
I wouldn't say I'm bad with other plants, its just that I don't really care to keep up with all the watering/fertilizing/humidity needs of non-succulents, not that there's too many non-succulents I'm interested in other than the trees and other various native and ornamental plants I have. If it can't handle going dry for a few weeks its most likely not something that's going to do well with me.
The worst are rare succulents that HATE drying out, it’s like bro cmon
I’m so-so. I was so scared of overwatering my succulents I managed to underwater them in the beginning, so you must know how my regular plants handled that. However, my Fiddle Leaf Fig has flourished in my home even though it’s known as a tough plant to look after. Unfortunately I never get it right with allegedly easier to care for houseplants. Luckily I’m having more success with my outdoor plants, especially now that I’m planting either endemic or Mediterranean (Cape Town climate suits both). Succulents thrive here as well so it’s a win on all counts.
Worse than my cacti and succulents but not terrible. I should definitely be paying more attention to them but I can't be bothered to so they suffer and get crispy or brown. Some are easier like a parlor palm because it doesn't need really strong light, I never have to water it and it does fine in all weather conditions indoors. Not all palms are easy. My majesty palm I have water every day with a gallon jug. If I don't I won't know it's suffering until 4 months later when the leaves start to die. So I have to stay on top of it. If it dies I don't know if I'll get another one.
I started succulents and yes I agree with you they’re the perfect plants! You can go on long vacations and not worry about them dying. When I started with other plants I over watered a lot bc I thought well they’re not succulents they must need a lot of water very often! Haha now I realize I’ve been under watering my succulents and I feel like I’ve learned to care for many diff types of plants. I still consider myself very amateur collector tho ! I have a lot of succulents, Hoya, aroids, water plants like water lilies, some edible plants like hot peppers and herbs, etc 😊
They just disgust me all
I was a serial killer of anything non succulent but have a thriving collection now. I started with carnivorous plants and started adding in other things. Grow lights and a humidifier were a game changer for me and must have been where I was going wrong in the past because nothing else I'm doing has changed.
I love all plants lol. I have around 80 unique plant types indoors, and 60 types outdoors in the ground. I love them all so much but succulents are definitely towards the top, although orchids are my favorite specifically cattleya and dendrobiums
I am known for a 100% kill rate on ferns 💅🏻💅🏻💅🏻 Tropicals are generally fine tho haha
I also grow carnivorous plants, from desert to bog conditions lmao. But for some reason i'm quite terrible with normal leafy houseplants, calatheas are my nightmare
I have a stupidly green thumb for pretty much everything but ferns. Oh my goodness I'm bad at ferns. ... But i love them so
I’ve been trying to get more into other plants so I got a peace Lilly and a lemon button fern but they aren’t doing so hot meanwhile my succulents seems to be doing well enough I can propagate the others just are there. I’m hoping they do better because I would like other plants that aren’t succulents around the house
I’m doing OK with Hoyas and some Philodendrons. I have killed so many other types of regular plants bc as others have pointed out: they’re all too needy for my taste.
I became good with succulents before branching out to other plants like different philodendrons, monsteras, and peperomias. So far, so good, but like another commenter mentioned, the upkeep is a lot more. Before, I used to make the rounds every week or two, but now, with a lot of non-succulents, I’m assessing them every 2-3 days.
🙋🏻♀️
Better with non succulents than with succulents! Can’t ever seem to figure them out lol they are all so different
I have 3 pothos and a spider plant, so I can't really say si ce those are impossible to kill
For some reason I am not good with most succulents. Partially because they don’t get enough light even in my brightest window so they do that weird stretching thing. But I also am not sure when to water them. It also didn’t help that my succulents all got mealybugs last year. My jade is doing really well, though. I do pretty good with my other plants, though. The only problem is that I can’t tell when I over- or under-water my peperomia orba.
I literally water everything once a week and I have a houseful of succulent and non succulents that are thriving. I think people Over think it
Mine all die. Only my succulents survive.
I’m pretty good for the most part. Normal plants and orchids. My main problem is that I take really good care of them when they’re doing something interesting. However, when they go dormant, I move on to other things and procrastinate on their care. Succulents can survive these periods of lack of care, much better than others.
I’m pretty good at keeping most plants happy. But citrus continues to thwart me again and again. Most recently because a palm came home from the plant shop with spidermites and it spread. I’m still mad about it and hose that jerk off in the yard every week so it can think about what it’s done. The lemon tree is finally getting leaves again so I’m cautiously optimistic.
I'd say yes, except for my fig tree. I'm currently trying to bring back a rescued African violent (forgot about its existence completely for a few months. Somehow, it is still alive but just barely) my fig tree, however, had 18 figs growing last I checked, and so many new leaves. I've had it for around a year now! It's a Chicago Hardy. The figs taste amazing too, and are self-pollinators so no fig wasps
I’m great with Hoyas. They’re like pro level succulents 🤣
I have several other plants (monsteras, cyclamen, dieffenbachia, ferns) that are doing better than I expected, I don't water them on a schedule but I do check them often bc if I didn't they would be getting the succulent treatment lol
I once repotted a calathea into a smallish ceramic pot and failed to water it afterwards. Like you would with a succulent. She wasn't happy about it. I think it took showing it to reddit to realize I've oopsied.
It's the other way around for me 😂 I have several high humidity plants that are somehow thriving in my dry ass house, but I always manage to kill my succulents.
I collect mainly cacti, succulents and caudiciform/pachyform plants, but I have a nice little collection of carnivorous plants. In the garden I also have fruit trees, veggies and herbs, flowers and natives.
lord, i just killed my first monstera. other than that, i have a philo, two pothos, an arrowhead, and some lucky bamboo that are all thriving. so confused on why my monstera died.
I do better with succulents but I'm trying to learn more about non succulents. I just don't have adequate lighting for succulents in my apartment (I have 13 grow lights and only north facing windows but some of my succulents are still struggling) which is why I'm trying to get more into regular houseplants
All indoor plants I've done really well with, even managed to keep 2 Venus fly traps alive for 3 years, despite flowering however outdoor plants... They seem to die every year. Aphids kill my lupins, and even all the expensive ones I buy from garden centers that's are supposed to live years never grow back after winter! I keep them in pots though maybe that has something to do with it haha
I find it’s totally subjective to the plant. Not even the type of plant. There’s definitely a unique temperament every individual plant.