Bringing Your Succulents Home
Congratulations on your new plant! But what should you do with it now?
Hopefully you have already chosen the location where you want to keep your new succulent. In most cases, you can just put the plant there and keep an eye on it to make sure it stays healthy. If you have any concern about disease or pests, it’s a good idea to quarantine the new plant away from your other houseplants until you have confirmed that it’s healthy.
Recovery and Adaptation Time
Succulents are kept in ideal conditions when they’re in a greenhouse or nursery. They get tons of light and are encouraged to grow as quickly as possible. But when you get your plant home, it is suddenly going into conditions that are less than ideal. Our homes are adapted to be comfortable for the people living in them, not for their indoor plants.
Because of this, your succulents may need a period of time to adapt to their new circumstances. Succulents are generally tough, so they don’t usually experience an extreme reaction to a change in environment, but you may see slower growth during this period, or some leaves may fall off. Don’t worry, though, as succulents generally recover within a couple of weeks and suffer no long-term effects.
When to Repot/Water/Fertilize a New Plant
Should you repot or water your new plant as soon as you get it home? What about fertilizer? In general, it is best to wait for the plant to adapt before you make any changes like repotting or fertilizing. Watering is a bit different, since you don’t want to deprive a plant of water if it truly needs it. Check the soil and water if it feels dry, but usually when you purchase a new succulent it won’t be totally dry since the seller should have been watering it on a regular basis.
If you are anxious to repot or fertilize your new plant, wait until it has adapted to your home before making changes. If you are seeing new growth, that’s a good sign that your plant has recovered and settled in. This may take a month or more, depending on the type of succulent, the season, and your home environment.