Growing Succulents
For the past 25 years, I have grown succulents outside in pots and in the ground. The specific variety that I have been growing is called “Hens and Chicks”. I’ll tell you that story another time. However, my Hens and Chicks are what led me to LOVE succulents in general. I have not had to use grow lights with them because the variety that I have is able to survive outside through the freezing cold winters.
So, about two summers ago, I decided to grow a variety of succulents in my back yard in a raised bed. I purchased and planted a bunch of them and they GREW immensely! I was super happy with them all summer long. But then, fall came along and I had to bring them inside. Let’s just say that my gorgeous succulents did not enjoy winter. Therefore, to my dismay, most of them did not survive.
Growing Succulents Indoors
The next summer, I tried it again. Only this time, when fall came around, I transplanted my succulents into small pots and brought them inside. I purchased shelving units and grow lights and worked on proper drainage for soil. My sister, Jen, was a huge help in guiding me to keep my plants growing strong throughout the winter.
Using Grow Lights for Succulents
At this time, I use three types of grow lights: Sansi Puck Lights, Sansi Clip On Lights and Barrina Lights. The 1 foot long Barrina lights are super helpful when trying to use lighting that is spread out over a larger surface than the smaller pucks and clip ons.
First, I spaced the Barrina lights all throughout my shelving, ensuring that there was room for all of them to connect. I angled them in a way that they would not reach over the ledge of a shelf. After that, I placed the Sansi pucks throughout on the smaller shelves. Finally, I used the Sansi clip ons to help with areas that did not have enough light.
I have been turning these lights on every morning and then I turn them off every evening. This is because succulents needs lots of sunlight and I don’t have very many windows. Therefore, I plan to transplant them outside this summer.
The picture below shows how I angled some of the Barrina lights so that they would fit on the bottom of the shelf and provide as much light as possible for that area. Most of them are interconnected together and they are plugged into the power strip on the floor. I literally just flip the light switch off and on and most of my lights turn off or on instantly. For now, it’s a much better set up than having them all on timers. However, I may switch to timers in the future.
I heard years ago that it is important to encourage your plants to grow. Because they are living things, they respond to your words. I don’t know how true that is, but I have been spraying my baby succulents with Essential Oils and telling them to grow. Call me weird, but I figure it wouldn’t hurt.
Click here to learn more about Essential Oils: https://www.youngliving.com/us/en?enrollerid=1786033
Click here to learn more about succulents!
What are your favorite grow lights? What plants do you love to grow? Please share your ideas in the comments below.