Succulent plants like CAL Farms Beautiful 36 of 2″ Assorted Succulents have found their ways in many gardens around the world—from small condominiums to large estates. Homeowners learned to love succulents because of the very nature of their character—these are easy to maintain and they produce elegant plants and flowers.
The responsibility of taking care of succulents also comes with a need to understand dormant seasons or period when the succulents will stop actively growing. You may be worried and think that you are inefficiently maintaining the plants or that you are killing them or that the weather is not right for the succulents. Actually, all of these reasons could be true. They could contribute to the unhealthy growth of the succulents.
However, before diving into a worrisome abyss, you need to remember that succulents go through phases where they grow less or grow more. Surely, you don’t expect a plant to grow the same way in Phoenix as it will in New York? The climate alone would affect the health of the plants, not to mention the other factors such as the level of light it receives and the amount of water they can take.
Temperature Needs
Succulents differ in the range of temperatures they can tolerate. It’s quite impressive actually, the range of temperature that succulents can survive in. Not all species can handle the same temperature. The cold hardy succulents like Sempervivum are great in cold weathers while Echeveria loves more heat.
Both species, however, grow well during spring and fall season when temperatures are more, well, temperate. This is also true with most species of succulents. Unfortunately, we don’t all live in cities that have the best of weathers. In most cases, we live in extreme climates.
Living in extreme cold or extreme heat will force the succulents to go into dormancy or survival mode until things go back to a more tolerable temperature.
Succulents that love the cold temperature are Aloe, Anacampseros, Cotyledon, Crassula, Dudleya, Gasteria, Graptopetalum, Haworthia, Kalanchoe, Lithops, Pachyphytum, Pachyveria, Peperomia, Portulacaria, Sansevieria, Sedeveria, Sedum, Sempervivum, and Senecio.
Succulents that thrive on warm temperatures are Adenium, Agave, Ceropegia, Echeveria, Echinocactus, Euphorbia, Ferocactus, Mammillaria, Notocactus, Opuntia, Pachypodium, Stapelianthus, and Tillandsia.
Succulents that are ideal for colder temperatures will grow mostly during March, April, May, September, October, and November. They will do their best to survive the heat of June, July, and August, but their leaves will dry up more than normal. You need to give them water during the warmer months, so they won’t dehydrate.
On the other hand, succulents that prefer a warmer temperature will grow during the months of May, June, July, August, and September. Their growth will slow down during the weeks in July and August when the temperature is at its peak. Even if these succulents love the warm weather, they still need plenty of water throughout the summer.
During the winter season, these succulents will grow slower and they need less frequent watering. This is true especially if the temperature drops to the freezing level. These plants won’t be able to tolerate the freezing temperature.