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How long can succulents go without the sun? This is the question that many people ask. Many growers love to keep their plants in attractive arrangments such as terrarium, glass containers. These special arrangements can be kept indoors with no direct sun.
Another reason for this is people want to transport their succulents and for that, they need to pack inside a box with no sun. Let’s quickly answer your question: How long can succulents go without the sun?
Succulents can survive 9 to 14 days without sun, after 14 days they start to stretch in search of light and after a month they start to die. Although, they can be grown without sunlight as they just need a light source for their growth. But that is not an ideal way to grow the succulents.
Succulents are desert plants that can thrive in extreme conditions but they need the sun to grow healthy and beautiful. They need to be exposed to direct sun for at least a few hours every day to maintain their shape and to grow vibrant.
Although that can vary from the variety of succulents you are growing, some succulents do well in the direct sun whereas some do well in low light. Generally, all the succulents can survive without light for more than 14 days but they might start to stretch in search of light.
Slowly they become more fragile and after a month they may start to die without light. When these plants are kept in no light whether you are transporting them, or keeping them in darkness. You must avoid watering at all. These are hardy plants but they need a light source for their complete growth.
Can Succulents Grow Without Sunlight?
Succulents do not need sunlight to grow, they just need any light to grow. You can grow them without sunlight, for that you must replace sunlight with artificial lights or grow lights.
These lights will help them keep warm and will reduce humidity around the plants. For growing them without sunlight you should keep them dry. Remember while watering them, do not overwater them, as they are under artificial light that can take a while to get soil dry.
Damp soil tends to damage the plants, can cause root rot, and invites fungal infection. When the water sits on the leaves for too long that can rot the leaves therefore, avoid misting them in such circumstances.
What I do with my succulents when growing them without sun is place them near windows or at a place where they can get good airflow. This helps soil to get dry way faster, will reduce the humidity, and avoids fungal infections.
You can also place them under the ceiling fan to get the airflow going. Also, look out for the pests, these creatures can damage the succulents completely. Consider spraying pesticides till the pests are completely gone from the plant.
Succulents can be kept in any light while growing, if you can get partial sun then place them near the window, if not then keep them under grow lights. You can also keep them under any LED lights that will work. To buy good grow lights you can get them from Amazon.
Disclaimer:
I am not an affiliate to Amazon or Etsy, just sharing my experience.
Do succulents do better in sun or shade?
As mentioned earlier that depends on the variety of succulents you are growing. Some succulents do well in direct sun and a few varieties do well in partial sunlight or in low light conditions. Let’s take a look at both varieties of succulents.
Succulents that do better in low light
Here are a few of the succulents that do well in partial sunlight.
Aloe
Gasteria
Ceropegia
Gasateraloe
Haworthia
This variety of succulents usually do well when kept in the low light or indoors. If you are planning to grow them without sunlight or want to have special arrangements like terrariums or glass containers for indoors, always go with this variety of succulents. They will thrive in low light and will also give elegant look.
Succulents that do better in direct sun
Here are a few of the succulents that do well in direct sunlight.
Lithops
Senecio rowleyanus
Cacti species
These are the succulents that need direct sun to grow healthy and beautiful. They love to be placed in bright light and need good airflow to thrive healthily. These succulents are super pretty and vibrant when they are grown in favorable conditions.
How To Take Care Of Succulents When Growing Without The Sun?
When succulents are kept in special arrangements, terrariums, or in glass containers they should be kept indoors. Usually, many people love to keep them in offices that have no light. When they are kept without the sun it is important that you take appropriate care of them to help them thrive. Here are a few things to look for:
1. Avoid overwatering
Succulents do not like to be overwatered, which causes a lot of problems in them such as root rot and fungal diseases. When they are kept in low light make sure that you water them as per their needs.
Use the soak and dry method for watering the succulents, water them only when the soil is dry. By doing this you will get to know the water requirements and will avoid overwatering.
Also, do not water on their leaves, just water them directly into the soil till it gets completely wet. When you water them on the leaves, that increase the humidity and moisture formation and will be an invitation to fungal diseases.
2. Keep them under lights
Succulents need light to grow, when growing them without sun you must give them an alternate source of light to keep them warm and help them grow.
There are two ways you can do this, firstly place them under the LED lights or house lights. That will do the job, I have grown a lot of succulents under these lights and they do just fine in it. Secondly, place them under artificial grow lights.
These grow lights are specially designed for indoor plants as an alternative source of light. If you have the budget to buy them then you must go for it, you can buy them fromEtsy orAmazon.
3. Have good potting soil
Having good potting soil is important to grow healthy succulents. They do not like to sit in damp soil as that can cause root rot. They need to be planted in fast-draining soil.
When you plant them in fast-draining soil then the potting soil will dry way faster. Which avoids overwatering and root rot. This type of soil flushes away all the excess water from the soil and will retain just the required amount of water for the roots.
With such potting soil, it is essential to have pots that have a drainage hole underneath, this is the perfect way to grow succulents without sunlight.
4. Give them good airflow
When succulents are kept indoors, usually they do not get fresh air and that can increase the humidity of the plant. To avoid this you must keep them in a ventilated place where they can have a good airflow going.
You can place them under the ceiling fan, and if possible then place them near the windows where they can get fresh. This will reduce the humidity of the plants and will avoid any kind of rotting.
5. Fertilize them
Fertilizing the succulents is important as the soil is not capable of providing all the essential nutrients to the plants, they need that extra dose of the nutrients from the fertilizers. For that, you should fertilize them once a month.
When fertilizing them you must use organic fertilizers as they do not damage the plants.This will help the succulents to grow healthy and vibrant. Strictly avoid chemical fertilizers.
To know more about fertilizing the succulents make sure to visit:
Succulents can go for 14 days without light, after that they start to stretch and die. When you are growing them without sun you must take care of their watering requirements and make sure to add an alternative source of light. They can survive in darkness for a very short period, avoid watering them in darkness.
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