Mini Succulent Garden Project

Spring is here and that means all green things are starting to grow! Today I’m sharing this Mini Succulent Garden Project with you! This is perfect for those of us who don’t have green thumbs, or want something very easy to take care of!

Mini Succulent Garden Project

Supplies:

• A pot. Use one with a drainage hole if putting succulents outside, use one without if planting them inside.
• Cactus or succulent potting mix. This fast draining mix is the key to healthy succulents.
• Your succulents. I chose a mix of aloe, pretty colored succulents, and ones that would cascade over the side.
• A small trowel or other scoop. I used the end of a water bottle.
• Paint brush. Small and soft, whatever you have laying around.
• A straw.

Start by getting all your succulents together. I spent some time at the garden center picking out a variety that I liked, that had different colors and heights. I chose aloe because it’s fantastic for sunburn, and it’s tall. Then I chose three succulents that had pink tipped leaves, because they’re pretty. Then for the sides and front of the pot I chose a little section of 4 succulents that will eventually grow to cascade over the sides of the pot. You always want something tall, something colorful, and something that spreads out or cascades in a pot for the best effect.

My pot of choice for this mini succulent garden is actually a soufflé dish. I never make soufflés, and it was the perfect size. I will likely have to re plant my succulents into a larger pot in a few months, but that’s normal with any plant. I also chose this because it has no drainage hole. If you are placing your pot outside, a drainage hole is a necessity because of rain. If you’re keeping it inside, you can use a pot without a hole so you don’t have to worry about it dripping everywhere. However, that does mean you have to be more careful about not over watering. I’m not an expert, so make sure to do some research on succulent watering to keep them as healthy as possible.

Take your potting soil and fill your pot about 1/3 to 1/2 of the way up.

Pick up your tallest succulent and gently squeeze the base of it’s pot two or three times. Then gently pull the pot off while supporting the plant in your hand. Loosen the bottom of the root ball the same way, gently squeezing to loosen the dirt and open up the roots a little. Place this at the back of your pot, and fill in around it with soil to support it. If you’re using an aloe plant like I did, the bottom leaves are very floppy if not supported, so make sure the base under those leaves is well packed with soil.

Add the rest of your succulents into the pot. The medium sized ones in the middle, and the small or cascading ones at the front and sides. Fill in with the soil as you go, and don’t worry when the soil ends up covering the succulents. There’s no way to avoid this, and we can fix it in the next step.

Here’s where those paintbrushes and straw come in handy. I use the paintbrushes to wipe away the heavy soil on top of the leaves, and the straw is great for blowing off the light soil that will cling in places. Be patient, because doing this takes a while and requires being careful, but in about 10 minutes all your succulents will be clean and look beautiful. This is also a great way to remove dust that accumulates on indoor succulents.

Here’s a close up of the nice clean plants, and my very dirty dining room floor!

You’re all done! Don’t forget to give your succulents water after they’re all clean, and make sure they get plenty of sunlight too! Water them lightly when the soil feels dry if you put a finger down into it. And here’s a tip: yellow mushy feeling leaves are being over watered, and dark crispy leaves aren’t getting enough water. I hope you enjoyed making this Mini Succulent Garden Project with me!