Growing Succulents Outdoors: A Quick Guide

Growing succulents outdoors is most definitely the best location to grow succulents. You can definitely grow succulents indoors, but growing succulents outdoors is definitely the best for succulents. They get natural sunlight, natural temperatures, and sometimes natural water from morning mists and rain.

Growing succulents outdoors is probably a lot easier to grow and to keep alive than growing succulents indoors. Sometimes growing succulents indoors can go completely wrong. Simply due to the lack of sunlight and lack of drying of the soil. Indoor succulents tend to get root rot a lot easier than outdoor succulents because indoor succulents don’t get enough sun that will dry the soil at a fast rate.

So yes, succulents can grow outdoors and they will definitely grow a lot better than indoor growing. The only issue about growing succulents outdoors is if the temperature gets under 30 degrees in the winter, then you will have to move and grow the succulents indoors. That’s one main issue about growing succulents outdoors, if your location gets super cold then you will have to grow and move them indoors during the cold winter season.

So are there special requirements for growing succulents outdoors? How much water do you give and how much sunlight? What about soil, pots, and fertilizer? By the end of this article, you will know all about growing succulents outdoors and how to grow and care for them. It’s definitely a lot easier than growing succulents indoors!

Let’s begin!

Light & Temperature for Outdoor Succulents

When growing succulents outdoors, it's very important that you grow them in an area that gets plenty of sunlight. Sunlight is much needed when growing succulents. Not only does sunlight make then grow healthy, but they will also help them produce their beautiful colors and to produce flowers.

When growing succulents outdoors, it's best to give your succulents at least 6 hours of full sunlight every single day. This is the perfect amount for growing your succulents healthy, happy, and to avoid etiolation.

If you don't give your outdoor succulents enough sunlight outdoors then they'll start to stretch to find a source of light. This is known as etiolation and it's very common when you don't give your succulents enough sunlight. This is why at least 6 hours of sunlight every single day is important when growing your succulents outdoors.

For temperature needs, outdoor succulents can survive and grow in any temperatures, except for temperatures under 30 degrees. If your location gets under 30 degrees then it's best to move and grow your succulents indoors during the cold winter season. As the weather gets warmer then you can move them back outdoors. Frost and freezing temperatures will kill succulents very easily unless they are cold hardy. Under 30 degree weather should be moved indoors for the winter.

Soil for Growing Succulents Outdoors

When growing succulents outdoors, it's very important to still use fast/well draining succulent soil like you would with indoor growing. Fast/well draining succulent soil is very important when growing succulents outdoors, way more important than indoor growing.

When growing succulents outdoors, the soil gets wet naturally every single day due to morning mist or dew. That morning mist will then get the soil wet and will keep it wet until the sun comes out. If the soil stays wet for several days then there's a chance that mold and bacteria will grow, giving the succulents root rot. 

This is why it's very important to use fast/well draining succulent soil. It will drain the excess morning mist/water very quickly, without sunlight even hitting it. Fast/well draining succulent soil will drain the excess water, and keep the soil dry, helping prevent mold and bacteria from growing. Fast/well draining succulent soil will just help your succulents grow healthy and happy without having to worry about anything going wrong.

We recommend using arguably the best succulent soil out there "Ramsey Succulent Soil"

Ramsey Succulent soil is arguably the best succulent soil on the market simply because it gets the job done and is loaded with nutrients.

Ramsey Succulent Soil has ingredients such as perlite, sand, and seaweed. Perlite and sand are known as the best ingredients out there if you want your soil well-drained. The perlite and sand will soak up all the excess water that your succulent does not need, preventing the soil from staying soaking wet for several days. So yes, Ramsey Succulent Soil will prevent mold/bacteria and root rot (the #1 most common reason why a succulent will die) simply because there will be no excess water.

That's not all tho.

What makes Ramsey Succulent Soil arguably the best are the nutrients that's in the soil. These nutrients will help your succulents grow bigger, faster, and healthier.

Ramsey Succulent Soil has seaweed fertilizer, which has 60 trace minerals and nutrients. Yes, your succulents will be absorbing 60 trace minerals and nutrients. This will make your succulents grow bigger, faster, and healthier without a doubt. Compared to other succulent soil, this succulent soil will make a huge huge difference for your plants. Don't believe us? Check out this picture below. You can definitely tell which succulent soil is better for your succulents.

Ramsey Succulent Soil: Click here to Purchase

 

Watering Outdoor Succulents

When watering outdoor succulents, it's very important that you avoid overwatering. Overwatering your outdoor succulents will allow mold and bacteria to grow and appear in the soil. That mold and bacteria will then attack the roots of your succulents and give them root rot. It's very important to not overwater your succulents.

When growing succulents outdoors, you should water them about 1-3 days a week or when the soil looks or feels very dry. 1-3 days is the ideal amount, but it truly just depends on how dry the soil is.

Sometimes the soil will be soaking wet in the mornings, so it's important that you don't water your succulents after morning mist. It really depends on the temperature and how moist it is outside.

When it comes to summertime growing, it's definitely best to water your outdoor succulents 2-4 days a week because the soil gets dry a lot faster than usual. It's also very hot outside and your succulents will need more water than usual or they will get dehydrated. 

Some common signs of underwatered succulents would be dry/wrinkled leaves. If your outdoor succulents have dry/wrinkled leaves, then it's definitely time to give your succulents some water. Just make sure that you don't overwater or underwater your outdoor succulents. Definitely keep an eye out on them and keep track of the exact last time you watered them.

Also make sure to water your outdoor succulents in the morning! Never water them in the afternoon. Water them right before the sun comes out or right before the sun starts to get hot. If you water them in the blistering afternoon sun and get water on their leaves then your succulents will get fried! Water on leaves will definitely attract the sun and will cause a sunburn on the leaves. Water before it gets super hot out!

Planting Succulents Outdoors in Containers or in the Ground?

You now know that succulents can indeed grow and survive outdoors and you do now know how to grow them outdoors. Now one common question when growing succulents outdoors is should you plant them in containers or in straight in the dirt and ground? Now it really depends on your situation, location, and the weather.

Let's say you live in sunny California, where it rarely gets cold and doesn't get under 30 degrees. It's best to plant your succulents outdoors in California or anywhere in a sunny area that doesn't get under 30 degrees in the winter. You can plant them in the ground in the dirt and they will grow healthy and happy in the dirt and ground. So yes, plant your succulents straight in the ground if you live in an area that has great temperature for succulents.

Now let's say you live in an area that gets very cold in the winter such as Wisconsin. In a cold area in Wisconsin, it gets under 30 degrees in the winter. If you would plant your succulents in the ground and dirt then it will be very annoying and difficult to move them indoors during the cold winter. During the cold winter you will have to move your succulents indoors so they can avoid the frost and freezing temperatures and survive.

So if you live in an area that just gets way too cold, then it's best to grow your succulents in containers that can easily be moved indoors. All you would have to do is pick them up and move them indoors, so they can survive through the cold winter season.

We definitely recommend growing your succulents in containers so you can easily move them indoors if you live in a very cold area. Now you don't have to grow them in containers, you can grow them in the ground if you want. You will just have to dig them up and plant them in containers before the cold winter season begins. It's much easier just growing them in containers.

Fertilizer for Outdoor Succulents

Yes, you can definitely use fertilizer for growing outdoor succulents. Using fertilizer for growing outdoor succulents would be and is very beneficial. A lot people don't use succulent fertilizer when they should. 

So what does fertilizer do and how does it benefit your succulents?

Fertilizer is great for succulents because it releases nutrients for your succulents. You can use almost anything for fertilizer just as long as they contain nutrients that your succulents can feed off of. For example, a lot of succulent growers are starting to use coffee grounds for their succulents. Yes, coffee grounds are actually amazing for your succulents and will benefit your succulents. Coffee grounds contain so many nutrients that your succulent will feed off and benefit from. There's also seaweed fertilizer that's arguably the best plant fertilizer on the planet. Seaweed fertilizer has 60 trace minerals and nutrients that benefit your succulents growth.

Click here to buy Ramsey Succulent Soil with Seaweed Fertilizer 

Succulent fertilizer is amazing and should definitely be used if you want to. Basically your succulents will be absorbing nutrients that will make then grow bigger, faster, and healthier. Who doesn't want that for their succulents? It's not a mandatory thing, but it's definitely something to consider using for growing your succulent plants outdoors.

Thank You!

Thank you for visiting our website and reading our article. We hope we brought value, and great information to you today. Our goal is to help fellow succulent lovers like you! Any questions or if you’d like more tips email us or comment below! 

If you are interested in buying live succulents, soil, cuttings, etc. We have them available here on our website. Go to our homepage, or click the links in our articles for more information.

We thank you so much for your time.

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Ramsey Succulents

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