FOUR STEPS TO WILD SUCCESS WITH SUCCULENTS IN YOUR NYC APARTMENT

Written by on 3.01.20

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Succulents are very much in vogue today, and they are a great way to add green decor to your apartment home. Let’s talk succulents!

All cactus plants are succulents, although plenty of succulents aren’t cacti. You’ll know them by their juicy, swollen leaves or stems that store liquid for the long haul. These hardy plants can live on mist. All they need is a reasonably sunny spot in your apartment to flourish. In short, you’ll find it’s a cinch to grow succulents — even if your usually don’t have a green thumb.

Here are three steps to wild success with potted succulents.

Step 1. Check Out Trader Joe’s.

There’s a great local store at 200 E 32nd St, New York, NY 10016 in Murray Hill. It’s Manhattan’s best bet for the cutest, most reasonably priced, and hardiest succulent plants you’ll find anywhere.

Be sure to get yours with the little label sticks in the soil. You’ll want to know your succulent’s name and sunlight needs.

Step 2. Pick Out a Sunny Spot.

Most succulents love to bask in the sun. These are desert plants, so see if you can get them at least a few hours of direct sunshine. During the winter, your succulents will stretch out somewhat, seeking sunlight. As New York daytime lengthens, your plants will fill out.

Step 3. Mist Your Succulents.

Succulents are low-maintenance plants. They’re very forgiving if you forget to tend to them. As long as you remember to give them a little water them twice a month, or mist them with a spray bottle every other day, you’re golden.

Low maintenance is actually the key with succulents. Don’t overwater, and do let the potting soil dry out between waterings.

Step 4. Replant your Succulents When They Outgrow Their Pots

In a year or so, your succulents might be itching for more spacious digs. When the time comes, get a coarse potting mix and put some pebbles into it for good aeration and efficient drainage. The only thing that will do these plants in is root rot, so you’ll want to ensure the water can drain. The best mixes are cactus or African violet potting soils.

Select new pots that have drainage holes — this likely rules out a glass tumbler or a terrarium — and are perhaps 2 inches bigger in radius than your original container.

Put pebbles on the floor of the new container, then add soil so it’s partly full. Dig spaces in the soil for the plant. Gently loosen the root base of the succulents after taking them out of their original soil. Comb your fingers through your plant’s roots so they find their own way once they’re positioned inside the new pot. Fill to the desired height over the plant’s roots with potting mix.

So Easy. And So Therapeutic.

Let Carlyle Property Management welcome you to your bright, lovely New York City apartment home. There’s a spot waiting for your personal touches right here in Manhattan — whether your choice is Murray Hill, Midtown East or the Upper East Side. We await your call at 212.682.7300.

Then, pick up some bright pots filled with succulent that will thrive and delight you, and lend any room a touch of semi-tropical charm all year.

Topics: NYC Apartments , Renting NYC , Surviving NYC