Succulent Plant Care Essentials: Grow a Colorful Garden

1. Introduction: Growing succulents is an art form. The many colors, shapes, and textures they come in provide an outlet for a creative expression. Whether it'd be in your outdoor garden or small space in your home. It can be a very rewarding experience, especially when you understand how to provide these plants with the care that they need. Hi. My name is Emma, and I'm an artist and creative educator here on Skillshare. If you have ever taken any of my art classes here, you'll notice that I have quite a thing for succulents. I fell into the rabbit hole of succulents when I first began researching them as a subject matter to paint in watercolors. Fast-forward 4-5 years later, my love and fascination for them have only continued to grow with time. In this class, I hope to share what I have learned these last couple of years and things I wish I knew when I was just starting out on my succulent plant journey. We will explore best practices and basic care concepts such as how to assess your growing environment, how to choose a succulent that is suited to your growing space, light requirements, watering needs, potting and transplanting, creating a custom succulent soil mix, and many more. There is no one-size-fits-all succulent care. My goal is to provide you with the understanding and ability to personalize your care practices to suit your growing environment. Whether you are a new succulent plant parent, or if you're deciding to give these plants another goal, or if you're simply a succulent or plant lover, this class is for you. The joy and beauty succulents bring to a space can be very uplifting and inspiring. I hope that I can share that joy with you through this class. See you there. 2. Class Project: [MUSIC] Now I know that we grow succulents from all different parts of the world. Someone might grow the same plant but in a completely different environment. Therefore, the plant care might be different. But I still find it helpful learning about how others care for their plants. Because while I might not replicate the same care and conditions, I might still glean some insight into what I might change in my own care practices. For your class project, I would like you to share photos of your succulents along with the plant name or plant ID. Also share how you're currently caring for your plants. It can include information such as what soil mix they are in, how often you water, how much sun do they get. Where your plant is located, in your home, balcony or garden? Also share any struggles you've encountered with growing the plant in general. My hope is that in sharing this information, we might be able to help each other out. I encourage you to share your plant care experiences and also comment on each other's projects if you have any tips to share for an issue you've dealt with yourself. With that, I look forward to seeing all your projects. 3. What Are Succulents?: [MUSIC] Before we get started, I would like to briefly go over what succulent plants are and how they differ to your average house plants. What are succulents? Succulents or succulent plants are used to describe plants that have the ability to store water in their leaves, stems, and/or inside their roots. Most succulents are native to either deserts or regions with semi-arid climates, which is why they have evolved to withstand and survive these harsh environments by storing water in their structures and developing unique forms and colors as an adaptive response. Unlike plants that need regular watering, succulents can tolerate long periods of drought. That being said, they still need water in order to thrive and grow optimally. Apart from being fairly low maintenance plants, succulents come in a vast array of plant shapes, leaf forms, and colors, which is part of the charm and the reason why so many people are drawn to growing and collecting these plants. 4. Your Growing Environment: [MUSIC] In personalizing the care for your succulents, one of the first things you want to start with is to assess your growing environment. This means assessing your environment for things like lighting conditions, ventilation, humidity, and seasonal changes. By assessing your environment, you will get to know how much light you're growing location receives, how well ventilated the spaces, and whether things like your local climate will influence how you care for your succulents throughout the seasons. Now, all these factors combined can help you determine things like what type of succulents are more suitable to grow in your environment, how to best amend your soil mix, the type of pot to use, as well as the watering needs of your plants. A good place to start is to assess the lighting conditions in your space. Get to know the direction of sunrise and sundown, so you can keep track of how light moves throughout your house or garden. You can use the following questions to guide you. Next, be sure to also pay attention to things like ventilation and humidity. Is your growing space open with good airflow? Is there a window nearby or a fan? Succulents do not like high levels of humidity. If you are growing your succulents indoors, makes sure that it is well ventilated and is not sitting next to a humidifier. I live in an apartment, so I mostly grow my succulents in small pots, technically outdoors on a west facing balcony. Since it gets direct afternoon sunlight, I have to put up a 50% UV shade cloth to protect my plants from the harsh western sun, especially in summer. This is the location I have found provides the best lighting requirements for my succulents. That being said, different spots in my balcony receive different levels of light. For example the top two shelves and the corner trace get the most light, whereas the lower shelves gets slightly less than above and even less so on cloudy days. Also, the further away from the edge of the balcony, the lesser light reaches. Keeping this in mind, I sometimes rotate my succulents to different spots based on how they're doing and adjust their care accordingly. Whether you grow succulents indoors or outdoors, it's good to know where the best spots are for optimal light and air circulation. Sometimes making adjustments to your growing space, like supplementing with a grow light, shade cloth or fan is necessary in order to provide these needs. When that is not possible, choosing succulents that are best suited to your environment is the next best step. 5. Succulents For Beginners: [MUSIC] In this lesson, I would like to share a few tips and best practices on how to get started with your first succulent collection. Once you've assessed your growing environment, the next step you want to do is learn which succulents are best suited to your growing space. Not all succulents are suited to indoor dwelling. While you can grow succulents indoors, they still need a good amount of light in order to grow well. If you are limited to an endure environment, a good tip is to select succulent varieties that can tolerate lower light conditions. A few examples of succulents that do fairly well indoors are ones that are naturally green in color, such as Dracaena Trifasciata, commonly known as the snake plant on mother-in-laws tongue. This is a very hardy plant and does quite well in most indoor settings. Haworthiopsis Attenuata or Zebra Haworthia, a very hardy succulent that prefers part shade. Haworthia Cooperi, a beautiful, clumping succulent that also prefers part shade, and Crassula Ovata, commonly known as Jade plant or money tree plant. These succulents still require a good amount of bright light to grow well, but prefer to be away from strong direct sunshine. A position in your home that receives bright, indirect, or filtered light, most of the day would be the best spot to grow these plants. The more colorful varieties require full sun. Unless you can provide ideal lighting conditions or supplement with a good grow light, they won't do too well indoors. The next tip is to start with more common varieties that you can usually find in your local plant shop or nursery. These are usually more hardy and beginner friendly, succulents and are also cheaper in price. They make great training real succulents while you get used to the general care and requirements, and get to know how your plans are responding to the growing conditions in your environment. If you are able to grow your succulents outdoors or provide ideal lighting conditions indoors, here are a few more succulents I have found to be hardy and fairly beginner, friendly. Echeveria or Echeveria Elegans, Graptoveria Purple Delight, Sedum Clavatum, and Graptosedum Francesco Baldi, sometimes labeled as Sedeveria Starburst. This succulent, I find very low maintenance propagates quite easily, and I found them to be very forgiving and hardy. As I mentioned previously, the allure of collecting succulents is that they're almost countless varieties that come in unique shapes and beautiful colors, which is why it's so easy to find your succulent collection growing in size in no time. The cost of a growing collection can quickly add up, especially when you start collecting rare and uncommon varieties that are usually imported and more expensive. One of the common pitfalls a lot of succulent beginners might encounter is starting with too many clients too soon. Yes, I speak from experience. Apart from choosing the right type of succulents, starting with a handful of plants or a small manageable collection will help you decrease the amount of plant loss while you're still learning to care for your succulents. There will be a lot of trial and error, and experimenting, and you will encounter losses along the way, but in order to minimize those losses in the beginning, you want to start with the right type of succulents and start with a small manageable collection. If you can shop your segments from your local nursery so that you can inspect for yourself the plant that you are getting. Last but not least, do some research on the succulents you're interested in getting and get to know what their care and needs are before deciding whether you can provide it with its ideal growing conditions. Once you're more confident with caring for your succulents, you can start experimenting with more uncommon varieties that might require extra special care. In the next few lessons, we will look more into the basic needs of succulents and other care factors that will not only keep your succulents alive, but thriving. 6. Light Requirements: [MUSIC] The first essential succulent need we're going to look at is light. Like all plants, succulents need sunlight to create energy for survival and growth through the process known as photosynthesis. Unlike most plants, however, succulents utilize a method known as Crassulacean Acid Metabolism, or CAM photosynthesis. Instead of absorbing carbon dioxide during the day, like most plants, succulents open the pores in the leaves called stomata during the cool of night to take in carbon dioxide and convert it into sugars and oxygen during the day. This minimizes the loss of moisture through transpiration, which allows succulents to survive in arid conditions. How much light do your succulents need? As we've discussed previously, the lighting requirements may vary depending on the type of succulent and the growing environment it's in. Other factors to consider include the growing location and the age of the plant. As a general rule, secularists need roughly six to eight hours of sunlight throughout the day. This can be a combination of direct sunlight and, or bright filtered sunlight. A couple of hours of direct morning sun or late afternoon sun is recommended as the midday sun tends to be a lot harsher. Keep in mind, sun intensity is different not only throughout the day, but also based on season and geographical location. Most succulents will be able to take full sun during the cooler months, but will need protection from the harsh summer sun, especially during midday or when temperatures are above 32 degrees Celsius or 90 degrees Fahrenheit for a stretch of time. This would of course depend on your local climate. Some locations experienced fairly mild summers, for example, and can expose the succulents to full sun all season. My practice is to check the daily and weekly weather forecast so that I know whether to prepare for things like putting up a shade cloth or leaving it off if we are expecting several cloudy days. Usually in winter, I expose most of my succulents to full sun, but we did get unusually hot days in the past winter, and some of my plants experience sunburn from the sudden change in sun intensity and high UV exposure. Apart from light intensity, temperature is also an important factor to consider. Generally, photosynthesis is activated between temperatures of ten to 30 degrees Celsius or 50 to 86 degrees Fahrenheit. The process starts to radically slowed down outside of this temperature range, so freezing temperatures or extreme heat will cause the plant to slow down its growth or go dormant to protect itself. Mature plants or fully established succulents with a strong and healthy root system can usually withstand heat and drought better. Therefore, young plants like leaf propagations will need to be protected from direct sunlight and do best in a spot that receives bright indirect sunlight or filtered light throughout the day. Newly reported succulents and succulents with less established roots like cuttings, will also need to be protected from harsh sunlight and gradually reintroduced to full sun to give it time to climatize. The best way to know if your plant is receiving enough light is to observe how the plant is doing, and look for signs that indicate too little or too much light. Signs of not enough light include stretchy or growing leggy with wide gaps between the leaves, also called etiolation. Plant leaning towards light source. Rosettes shaped succulents are more spread out with leaves pointing downwards, and red, yellow or purple colored succulent reverting to green. Signs of too much light include leaves developing dark spots or marks, dry and crispy leaf edges, plant color looks washed out or bleached and damaged plant tissue caused by sunburn. If you notice your succulent is not coping well with the sun and heat, move them to a location that gets some shade from the harsh afternoon sun. Alternatively, you can also place a shade cloth over your growing area during the hottest time of the day or year. Remember, certain varieties do not like too much direct sunlight, whereas some that do will still need to be transitioned gradually in order to reduce the risk of shock or sun damage, especially if they've been growing in the shade. The same goes for moving succulents from indoors to outdoors. Gradually increase light exposure every few days to give succulents time to climatize. In essence, a succulent plant that is receiving adequate sunlight will be much happier and healthier and more resilient to pest and diseases. And last but not least, the amount of sunlight your succulent receives will also influence other factors, such as its watering needs and potting mix recipe, which we will be looking at next. 7. Potting Mix: [MUSIC] There is no perfect or one size fits all potting mix for succulents. As we've discussed a few times now, factors like the growing conditions in your environment, your local climate, as well as the type of succulents you grow, will all influence how you care for your plants. Generally, a well-draining airy mix is suited to most succulents as they do not like to sit in wet, soggy soil for long periods of time. Their efficiency in absorbing and storing water can cause succulents to rot and die if left in waterlogged soil conditions. In this lesson, I'll be focusing more on the potting mix used for container-grown and potted succulents. One of the keys to ensuring the survival of your succulents is a good balance of organic and inorganic matter in your potting mix, customized to suit your growing environment. Examples of organic matter include potting mix, pine bark, coconut core, and compost. The organic components help retain moisture in the soil and provide nutrients to the plant. Examples of inorganic matter include perlite, pumice, akadama, and maifan stone. The inorganic components add breathability and drainage to the soil. You can get commercial or ready-made cacti and succulent potting mix. But these might still need to be amended based on the factors I mentioned previously. Depending on what's available to you locally, you can mix and match the organic and inorganic components to create a mix that is best suited to your climate and environment. The exact ratio of organic to inorganic ingredients can also vary depending on the type of succulent as well as personal preference. As you get more attuned to the needs of your succulents, you can experiment with different ratios of soil amendments in your mixes. A good starting point would be a mix that is one part organic to two parts inorganic for increased drainage and porosity. For example, I'm going to mix one part of an all-purpose potting mix with two parts of grit, which is a mix of one part maifan stone, and one part pumice. If you're using a pre-made cacti and succulent mix, you can increase drainage by amending it to a 50-50 mix of potting mix and grit. For example, adding one part cacti and succulent potting mix to one part pumice or perlite. Keep in mind, these are just general guidelines for a standard succulent mix. I have seen succulents that thrive in organic-rich soil, which would certainly not be the case if they were grown in my environment. If you live in a hot and dry climate, you might want to increase the organic component to avoid having to water too frequently. If you live in a climate that is hot and humid or rains a lot, then you might want to increase the percentage of grit in your mixes to increase porosity and prevent rot. Remember, growing conditions also differ between indoors and outdoors. Soil takes longer to dry when there's a lack of sunlight and airflow. Unless you're able to provide these conditions optimally, a slightly more gritty mix would be better for most indoor conditions. While the standard mix might work for most succulents, certain varieties will do better in an amended mix. In my experience and in my environment, the more plump leaves succulents like Graptopetalum amethystinum and Pachyphytum oviferum do better in a more gritty mix as they can be quite sensitive to humidity and over-watering. I have experimented with mixes between 70-100% grit, and they seem to grow fairly well provided all other needs were in balance. Sedum clavatum, on the other hand, is quite hardy and not too fussy, so I'm comfortable with increasing the organic component in its soil mix. Now, another factor to consider is the pot or container you use to grow your succulents in, which we will discuss in the next lesson. 8. Choosing A Pot: Putting your succulents into cute and unique pots is part of the fun of growing succulents. However, there are a few things to consider when choosing a pot that will ensure the long-term health of your plant. First and foremost is drainage. While you can grow succulents in containers without holes, in order for your plants to grow strong and healthy roots, a drainage hole is essential. Succulents need a good drenching of water to promote a healthy root system. Misting or only watering the topsoil will produce small and weak roots, which will affect your succulent's overall health in the long run. You can add drainage to most ceramic containers by drilling a hole with a diamond-tipped drill bit. This means that you can turn cute old mugs and bowls in two pots. The next factor to consider is the type of material you're pot is made of. Commonly used material for planters include terracotta, plastic, ceramic, concrete, wood, metal, and glass. Depending on the type of pot you use, it will also influence how quickly your potting medium dries out or how long it retains moisture. I generally stick to ceramic terracotta and plastic pots. As these are my personal preference and work well in my environment. The key is to also amend your soil mix based on the type of pot you use. For example, I like to use ceramic pots because they come in so many different colors and I love pairing a succulent with a matching or complimentary colored planter. My soil mix makes for fully glazed ceramic pots tend to be at least 60-70 percent grit, because ceramic pots tend to hold in moisture a bit longer so I want to ensure my mix is breathable and fast draining. If I was using a terracotta pot, I would increase the organic matter to about 50-60 percent, possibly more, because the material is a lot more porous and tends to dry out a lot faster. If I were to use a very gritty mix in a terracotta pot in my environment, it will be too drying and not allow the plant to absorb as much moisture in one watering. I find my plants to not do so well in this pot and soil combination. Last but not least, be sure to use the right size pot for your succulents. Try to leave around 1-2 centimeters of space between the plant and the edge of the pot. Too larger of a pot can cause over-watering issues. As the pot would hold more water than the succulent needs and will take longer to dry, especially with high organic soil mixes. Grittier mixes might work better, but a pot that is still too large for a succulent, might not allow it to fill the pot with roots, which in turn can affect the growth of your plant. 9. Watering Needs: [MUSIC] As you know by now, succulents generally need less watering than most typical house plants. That being said, less water does not mean no water at all. How often do succulents need to be watered? As usual, it depends on several factors, such as the type of succulent, the season, and how fast your growing medium dries out, which is influenced by your climate and growing conditions. Different types of succulents have different watering requirements. Some varieties like a lot more water, while some can go longer periods between waterings. The season will also determine your watering frequency. Succulents that are going through their active growing months will generally need a lot more watering compared to when they are going through dormancy. For example, succulents that are actively growing during spring and summer will need to be watered more frequently then and less so during winter. When temperatures are freezing or extremely hot, succulents will go dormant or slow down on growth as a survival mechanism, and therefore will need minimal watering during this time. Remember, the many factors we've discussed that influence how long it takes your growing medium to dry out will also determine how often you need to water your plants. Say that your succulent is actively growing, the next question is, how do you know when to water? If you're using a fairly organic mix, you can check to see if the soil is dry by sticking your finger about two inches into the soil, or by using a moisture meter. If the soil is dry, you can water it thoroughly and leave it to completely dry before the next watering. This method doesn't really work for me since most of my mixes are quite gritty. What I prefer to do instead is look for visual signs that my succulents are thirsty. Checking for things like soft, deflated, wrinkly leaves. This would usually be noticeable for a few of the lower leaves. With echeverias, the rosette will feel noticeably limp and deflated when they are dehydrated. If the leaves feel plump and firm, I will usually skip on watering them. With this method, over time you will get to know which succulents require frequent watering and which ones require less. Another method is to feel the weight of the pot to determine whether it's time to water or not. Part of my watering practice is to also check the daily and weekly weather forecasts. I will generally postpone watering if weather conditions are not ideal. In other words, if extreme heat, cold, rain, or humid conditions are predicted for a stretch of a few days. If rain is only predicted for a day or two, I might water my succulents then or even leave them out for a good soaking in the rain. Usually, not more than two days as this can weaken succulents. If I water when there is a period of low sunlight, the succulents might start to stretch and produce weak growth. The final question is, how much to water? For well-established succulents, you want to thoroughly water the plant until water drains out of the drainage hole. For newly transplanted succulents, you want to keep it dry for a few days to a week before watering it thoroughly. For cuttings with newly established roots, you want to water lightly and more frequently in the first few weeks before gradually increasing the amount of water and decreasing the frequency over time. As an example, I water this cutting lightly every three to four days close to the root area to stimulate more root growth. After about two weeks of light watering, I increase the amount of water and water weekly instead of every 3-4 days. As the plant establishes, I can start to increase the time between waterings. Depending on your local climate, the soil mix you use and the type of pot, as well as where you grow your succulents, you might need to water every few days or every few weeks. Some might only need to water once every month or two. Hopefully, the information I've shared can at least serve as a general guide. Over time, you will get to know your succulents better and become more intuitive to their needs. 10. Air Circulation: [MUSIC] All right. Next, we're going to talk about air circulation and why it's important to the health of your succulents. First of all, having good airflow either to a breeze or a fan is another element that can help with drying out the soil. On especially breezy days, I'm not too concerned with leaving water droplets on the leaves after I water succulents because the wind will usually help to dry it out. There's less of a chance that the moisture will stay stagnant. Which leads me to my next point, which is good ventilation decreases fungal attacks. Stagnant air plus humidity are conducive environments for mold and fungus, which can ultimately cause rot and lead to succulents dying. Not only that, bad air in general is technically bad for all our health. Let fresh air in through a window, or if possible, use a fan or air purifier in your space to increase air circulation and improve air quality. A well-ventilated space not only benefits your succulents but your health as well, which is a totally win-win situation. 11. Potting + Transplanting: [MUSIC] In this lesson, I'm going to walk you through a demonstration of how to transplant potted succulents and how to put up a bare root plant mail. Transplanting is usually done for a couple of reasons. First is when you've purchase a new plant from a nursery and you want to amend the soil mix to suit your environment. Second is when you want to refresh the soil mix of a succulent that's been in its spot for several years. Third is repotting a succulent that has outgrown its pot. Forth is when you notice your plant isn't doing too well in its current mix. This can be a plant that isn't showing any signs of growth for awhile, or is in need of an emergency repotting from either over watering or pests. It's important to note that transplanting or repotting is best done at the startle or during the growing season. This gives your succulents enough time to recover from the repotting. If you grow your succulents indoors where temperature is generally mild and temperate, then repotting can be done year-round. Let's start with transplanting a succulent you have just brought home from a nursery or plant shop. Unless the plant is in wet soggy soil, the first thing you want to do is let it settle for a few days up to a week or two before repotting. Be sure to check and treated for pests and keep it away from your main collection in the meantime. Now that it's ready to be repotted, you'll need to prepare a few things before you get started. Some potting mix, an appropriate size pot, a scoop. I like to use old spoons as well, especially for putting up small plants. Some mesh tape, and some decorative or mineral rocks to use as top dressing. Extra tools include a blower, tweezers, and scissors. I've chosen a white ceramic pot for this plant because I think the green contrast the white pot quite nicely, and the size of the pot is only slightly bigger than the plant, which is a good size. I'm just going to grab some of this plasterboard jointing tape and just place that in the bottom of the pot. This just stops the soil and grit from escaping the pot especially with large drainage holes. You can use any mesh or even old lace curtains for this. For this [inaudible] attenuator, I've prepared a soil mix of 60% organic and 40% grit. A sample soil recipe would be three scoops cacti mix, three scoops coco coir, two scoops akadama, and two scoops pumice. Remember, this is just a sample of my soil mix. Be sure to amend your soil mix based on the factors we've discussed in this class. I'll start by gently squeezing the sides of the pot and tipping the plant out carefully. I'm going to remove some of the dried leaves while I'm here, and then I'll gently remove as much of the old soil from its root ball. This isn't always necessary. Sometimes I leave the root ball intact if it's not root bound. But since this soil is from the nursery, I want to replace it with a fresh customized mix. [MUSIC] Next I'm going to add a layer of grit at the bottom of the pot to help with drainage. But this is mostly personal preference and can be an optional step so long as you have a drainage hole. Now I'll start filling the pot with some soil about halfway or just enough to let the roots sit on the soil. Then once you've positioned the succulent in the center, you can fill the rest of the pot up with soil until you fully cover its root ball. [MUSIC] Now I'm just going to give the pot a little tap to release any air bubbles, and you'll notice as I do that, the soil level goes down a bit, so I'm just going to add a bit more soil. As a final step, I'm going to top dress this with some maifan stone, but you can use any decorative stone or mineral rock of your choice. Top dressing helps keep the soil in place when you water, and also adds an element of visual aesthetics. To finish off the repotting, you can use a blower or brush to remove any of the dirt or soil stuck between the leaves. It's all done. After repotting, it's best to keep your plants out of direct sunlight for at least a week until it settles. Since this zebra plant prefers batch shade anyway, I'm going to put it in a spot that receives bright indirect sunlight, and if it's happy to grow in this spot, I will leave it there. Next I'm going to put up a couple of plant mail succulents. Succulents purchased online are posted bare root, meaning they have been dried and most of the soil has been removed from their roots. This minimizes plant damage during transit and also reduces shipping costs. When you first receive your plant mail, gently remove all the packaging and place the succulents on a tray in a spot where it receives bright indirect light and good airflow. Leave it to settle for a few days or up to a week before putting it up. I've chosen a ceramic pot for both the Pachyphytum oviferum cheese and sedum Pachyphytum hybrid. Chubby leaves succulents, especially this Pachyphytum oviferum, can be sensitive to over watering, so for this mix, I have created a 30% organic to 70% grit soil recipe. I'm going to start by gently removing some of the old soil from the roots, as well as any dead or dried roots that will usually fall off quite easily. If the roots are quite long, I sometimes give it a little trim for easy repotting, especially if there are any tangles or mattered bits. Trimming old, damaged roots can encourage new and healthy growth. About a third of the roots is enough. Try not to trim more than half. Same as before, I'm filling the pot with some soil, placing the succulent in the center and then covering its roots completely by adding in the rest of the soil. I'm poking the soil with my tweezers just to release some of the air bubbles, and then I'm just going to give the plot a little tap. Then I'll finish it off with some top dressing. For the sedum, I'm going to use a mix of 60% organic and 40% grit. [MUSIC] Next is to place these in a spot that receives bright indirect light for at least a week before slowly increasing their sun exposure. After one week or depending on the weather, I will water the succulents thoroughly and let the soil dry completely before the next watering. [MUSIC] Remember to check the weather and ensure light conditions are ideal. If not, simply postpone watery until they are. Keep in mind, succulents can handle being underwatered better than being overwatered. 12. General Maintenance: [MUSIC] In this lesson, I would like to go through a few practices in the general maintenance of your succulents. The first is to observe your plants regularly to notice any changes in growth or appearance. Catching early signs of pests, fungal issues, or over watering gives you a better chance at saving your succulent. The next is to remove dried or dead leaves that can become hiding places for pests. Removing dried leaves from underneath your plants can also boost air circulation around the base area. This allows better drying and prevents issues like fungus and mold. Flower stalks also tend to attract pests like aphids and also consume energy from the plant as they grow. It's usually a good idea to treat the flower buds with some isopropyl alcohol or trim it altogether. Of course, if they aren't causing any problems, or if you want to propagate your succulents by seed, then by all means you can skip this step. Next, is to snap photos of your succulents to document their growth. This is definitely a practice I enjoy doing and I share a lot of these progress shots on my Instagram along with notes that I've documented about their growth. How often or how much you document is entirely up to you. It's simply a fun way of tracking the growth of your succulents and in the process helps to get to know your plants better. The more you understand your plants, the better you are at providing them with the best personalized care that they need. 13. Handy Tools: Before we wrap up this class, I would like to share a few of the tools I find handy to have when caring for my succulent. The first is a bottle of 70% isopropyl alcohol spray. This is very useful for disinfecting tools and as a quick treatment for dealing with pests like mealybugs and aphids. For small-scale infestations, this is usually what I turn to first. The next is a pair of tweezers. I always have this in hand when I'm inspecting my plants. It makes removing dried leaves easier and it's nifty to have when transplanting and putting up succulents. Next is a lens blower. This is usually sold as a cleaning device for camera lenses, but it's also useful for blowing away soil after repotting and removing water droplets between succulent leaves after watering or rain. Last but not least, is a hygrometer. It basically helps keep track of the temperature and humidity levels in a space, which can help you take the appropriate measures in providing the care that your succulents need. 14. Final Notes + Thank You!: I hope with what I've shared in this class, you now have more confidence in caring for your succulents. At the end of the day, everyone's growing experience is unique to their environment, climate, and personal preference. What works for one person may not work well for another. But I hope that with a better understanding of how the many care factors we've discussed influence one another, you are better able to adapt your own care practices to sit your plants' needs. If you enjoyed this class or found it helpful in any way, I would greatly appreciate if you could leave a review to help this class reach more people. If you know someone who might benefit from this class as well, please share it with them. If you have any questions at all, feel free to drop them in the discussions tab or shoot me a DM or e-mail. Last but not least, thank you so much for joining me. I hope that you find tremendous joy in growing your succulents. I hope to see you in my next class.