Cacti and succulents are some of the houseplant world’s most beautiful and intriguing members. Adapted to thrive in harsh conditions, they’re naturally low-maintenance and easy to take care of. Creating a cactus and succulent planter is a wonderful way to enjoy these eccentric plants.
How to Get Started
Choose the Right Pot: although your planter can be any size, the best types of pots are wide and shallow, both for aesthetic and functional reasons. The width allows you to include several small plants, and a shallow depth is best for their small root systems. Make sure your pot has drainage holes, and if it doesn’t, remember to drill some before beginning.
Select Appropriate Soil: most cacti and succulents need sandier suelo than average. The easiest way to achieve this is to use a succulent and cactus potting mix. You can also create your own by blending equal parts of regular potting mix, coarse sand, and pumice or perlite.
Pick Out Your Plants: this is the most exciting part of the process! As they’ll be living together, it’s important to choose ones that have similar light and water needs. Aloes, jade plants, haworthia, cacti, and echeveria are popular choices with similar, low-maintenance needs.
Design Ideas for Succulent and Cactus Planters
Use Small Succulents: using small plants allows you to have lots of variety in your planter. Haworthia, echeverias, kalanchoe, aloe, lithops, and mini-leafed jades are all good choices for a succulent planter.
Use a Cactus or Two: remember to include a few cacti in your planter. These charming, spiky plants are technically succulents and often prefer dry conditions. Both round and columnar cacti are good choices for small planters.
Pro Tip: use kitchen tongs to handle your cacti or even a folded-up paper towel when planting to save your hands!
A Step-By-Step Guide
Once you have your pot, soil, and plants ready to go, you can get started with the following steps:
- Put a Layer of Rocks in the Bottom (Optional)
Although not essential, filling in a 1/2 – 1 inch layer of pebbles in the bottom of your pot helps with drainage.
- Fill in the Pot with Cactus and Succulent Potting Mix
Fill your pot with the special mix you created or with the premade cactus and succulent potting soil. Leave about one inch of space below the rim of the pot, so you have lots of room for filling in the plants.
- Space Out Your Plants
Take time to space out the plants before you plant them. This allows you to find the most pleasing arrangement. Plus, it ensures that each plant has proper spacing. Although you can place them close together, a small gap between plants allows them room to grow, breathe, and receive enough sunlight all around.
- Plant the Plants
Once you have the spacing and arrangement set, plant the succulents and cacti in the soil. Place them at the same depth as they were in their individual pots. Gently pack the soil around them to ensure there are no gaps of air around their roots. Slowly give your plants some water to recover from the transplanting when you’re done.
- Place Stones On Top (Optional)
As a finishing touch, many succulent and cactus planters include pebbles, small rocks, or painted stones on top of the soil. The color and shape of the rocks you choose depend on the look you want to achieve. Let your creativity guide you!
How to Water a Succulent and Cactus Planter
The frequency of watering depends on the specific needs of the plants you choose. However, many succulents prefer to have slightly-moist soil that dries out somewhat but not completely in between waterings. During the winter, most succulents and cacti are dormant and need less water. As a general rule to discourage fungi, remember to water the soil of your planter, not the leaves.
For more cactus and succulent planter ideas and for any supplies you need, feel free to visit our garden centers in Bloomingdale and Carpentersville!
Watch our very own Megan show you how to plant a unique succulent planter!