Indoor Succulent Set-Up
I absolutely love growing and caring for my succulents indoors because I have a lot more control. I can pick how much light they get, the humidity in the room, and the airflow. Also, I don’t need to go outside to stare at them, especially in this crazy hot summer heat. Making this transition from outdoors to indoors can be daunting. I will try my best in this blog to show you all the items I use and how I did.
Lights
Proper lighting is extremely important because this will allow the succulents to keep their colors, avoid stretching and keep them healthy.
The easiest way I found to calculate light output is the Lumen Method. Succulents need about 2000 lumens per square foot. Depending on the measurements of your shelf, you can calculate how many lights you will need.
The Basic Formula for square feet is:
Length (in feet) x Width (in feet) = Area in sq.
For example, my shelf is 4 feet by 1 foot. That will mean I have a 5 square feet area to cover with lights.
Light Calculation
Square Feet Area x 2000 Lumens = The total amount of Lumens I would need for my shelf.
In the example shelf I gave you; I will need a minimum of 10,000 lumens.
I bet you weren’t expecting a math class.
Even though grow lights can provide good lighting for your succulents, I have learned that grow lights are not necessary and they can be expensive. I currently use LED T5 Shop Lights. I purchase them on Amazon and if you click on the pictures it will take you straight to the listing.
There are T5 lightbulbs and T8 lightbulbs. I often read that T8 lights are stronger than T5 lights but that’s not necessarily true (It can be sometimes) T5 or T8 refers to the diameter of the bulb. The light on T5 has a higher quality, it is more concentrated and less bulky. T5 lamps are 40% smaller than the T8 ones and produce just as much light in smaller areas.
I keep the lights on for 14 hours in summertime and 12 hours in wintertime. I like to keep the plants between 6-8 inches away from the light and that seems to do the trick for me.
Below are pictures of my current set-up.
Air Circulation
Air circulation can help you keep Mold, Fungal Diseases, and Insects away from your plants. I have a gym fan in my plant room area, and it is on for 12-14 hours a day (Usually the same amount of time the lights are on). This ensures I have a constant flow of fresh air for my succulents.
Mold and Fungal Diseases thrive in excess moisture and humidity. Powdery Mildew is the perfect example of not having proper air circulation in your room. Those diseases are very hard to get rid of.
Just like humans, plants breathe too. The process is called cellular respiration.
Below is the fan I use in my plant room. I bought this one from Amazon in May 2017 and it is still going strong. If you click on the picture it will take you straight to the listing.
Humidity
High levels of humidity can cause root rot. If you are keeping your succulents indoors you will need proper air ventilation to avoid humidity getting worse. Also, in some cases, depending on your climate you may benefit from using a Dehumidifier. Personally, I like to keep the humidity at 25% but that’s not totally necessary.
Soil
What’s the best soil for my succulents is the hardest question to answer. The reason behind it is that the soil you use can vary depending on your climate, if the plants are indoors or outdoors, the type of pot you are currently using, etc. When anyone asks that question, I feel like a cop asking them a billion questions to make sure I give them the correct answer.
The reason I mention soil in the indoor set-up is because indoor succulents will need to be watered less often than outdoors, the soil dries a lot faster outdoors with the sun. Depending on the type of soil you have, you will have to adjust your watering schedule.
Watering Indoor Succulents
Watering indoor succulents can be hard because you would have to find a way to do it indoors or if you do it like me, I just move succulents to my patio for watering day. I like using the bottom watering method.
Make sure you let the plants rest for at least 12 hours after watering before placing them under the lights to avoid any issues. If you put them under the grow lights right away after watering, they can get root rot or the leaves can burn
I get the big plastic containers from Ikea. The custom wooden boxes with openings in the bottom were made by my Dad.
Conclusion
Whether you decide to grow and care for your succulents indoors or outdoors there will always be benefits and downsides to either option. Just do what works best for you and your environment.
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