How To Grow & Care Low Light Succulents Indoor | 6 Tips

Are you searching for how to care for succulent indoors in low light? This post will cover everything you should know about how to maintain this plant indoors correctly.

Succulents are one of the best ornamental plants that can grow indoor places. Most people like to grow these plants to decorate their office desk, living room, or even bedroom. This plant requires good lighting. That is the biggest challenge that you face when growing them indoors. Because indoor places there is limited light. However, we can successfully plant succulents in indoor pots with low light without much trouble.

Succulents natively grow in desert or semi-desert areas. These places receive high temperatures and bright sunlight throughout the year. However, all these plant family varieties are not the same. There are several low-light succulents plants that we can quickly adaptable limited light areas.

Since these plants are slow grown and require lower maintenance, they are the best plant to grow indoor spaces. However, excess moisture can kill the plant.

Can Succulents and Cacti Grow In the In Low Light?

We can quickly grow succulents and cactus in low-light indoor spaces like offices, living areas, bedrooms, windowsills, or bathrooms. While growing them in such locations, you have to select the right plant. When growing succulents in low-light areas, you must ensure that those plants receive the following conditions to thrive.

• Provide enough light. If there is not enough lighting, use artificial growing lights.
• Use a well-draining potting mix. Drainage is key to growing plants in indoor spaces.
• Rotate succulents in a brighter direction.
• Choose a suitable drain container.
• Water directly to soil.
• Water when the surface soil dried.

How to care for indoor succulents in low light.

1. Provide enough light.

Succulents love good light. In a native environment, these plants receive around 6 hours of sunlight. But when growing succulents indoors, we cannot provide such bright light. Some of the varieties can grow in low light, even in ordinary lights.

If you plant the bright light required to plant, you must provide good artificial grow lights. When using growing lights, use full-spectrum lights. They provide balanced colors, which means similar colors that we can find in sunlight. It is recommended to provide artificial grow light for around 6 hours per day. In the winter season, provide more than 6 hours per day.

2. Use a well-draining potting mix.

Drainage is crucial to succulent plants. These harsh environment plants cannot survive in high moisture mediums. Use more water-absorbing materials like perlite or pumice. Use 30% or higher amount. You can read more about making succulent soil recipes in my post.

3. How often should you rotate succulents?

Unlike outdoors, these plants receive light in a specific direction when grown indoors. When the light is not balanced in all directions, the plant grows in one direction or stretches. It is called etiolation. There is no particular schedule for rotated succulents. You have to check the plant’s visual changes. When you see leaf color change and plant stretching, it is time to rotate succulent or cacti plants. Once you identified any significant change, move the plant to a brighter light area or rotate the plant at 180° degrees. Read more about how to fix etiolated succulent plants.

4. Choose a good drain container.

Drainage is crucial to succulents and cacti plants. If the root keeps moisture for a longer time, it can cause root rot. Therefore, use a suitable drain container. For smaller pots, it is recommended to use one drainage hole; when the pot getting bigger, use two or more drainage hole pots.

Growing succulents in pots without drainage holes are a completely different situation. If you are interested in planting cacti in sealed containers, you can read my guide.

5. Water directly to soil.

When watering directly to the soil is more effective than spray. It is recommended to use the tablespoon watering method for indoor plants, which is directly water to the soil using a tablespoon. Depending on the plant and pot size, you can decide the water requirement. For smaller plants, use two or three tablespoons full of water subject to the soil dryness and climate conditions.

Soak and dry is another good watering method for succulents. Once you soak the container, wait few seconds (around 30 seconds) and take it out. Then wait until the soil dries out entirely to water again. When using this soak and dry method, your potting mix should lose and contain moisture-absorbing materials like pumices or perlite.

6. Water when the surface soil dried.

Before watering the soil, check the surface soil dried out. Check around 1 to 2 inches soil wholly dried. Just dig a small stick, wait for a few minutes (around 2-5 minutes) and check it contains moisture. If there is no moisture, you can water.

These plants prefer a bit more water in summer and spring. But not regularly. Reduce watering in the winter and fall seasons. According to climate changes, water the succulent. Keeping too much moisture on soil is not good for this dry environment plant.

Using a tablespoon, you can direct water to the soil. Add two or three tablespoons full of water subject to the soil dryness for a fully grown plant. It is not recommended to use the soak and dry watering method in low light. Recommended reading: How to water succulents | 10 tips you should know.

7. Use less fertilizer and nutrient-rich soil.

Succulents, not heavy fertilizer feeders. Adding nutrient-rich soil mix makes the plant rapidly grow. This will make the plant looks more etiolated, especially in low light.

Growing Succulents in Bathrooms.

Growing succulents and cactus in bathrooms is an entirely different scenario. Unlike other indoor places, you must be more careful when growing in this place.

Do Succulents grow well in bathrooms?

Absolute succulents and cactus can survive in bathrooms. Generally, this area is the most humid and darker place in your house. Therefore, you have to strictly control the watering pattern and use more pumice or perlite for the soil mixture for absorbing moisture. With a strictly managed environment, succulents and cacti can survive. Follow these best practices to Care succulent at bathroom.

How to care for succulents and cactus in the bathroom.

Generally, almost all house bathrooms are rich in humid, moisture, lowest lighting. These are highly affecting factors for succulents and cactus plants. Therefore, you have to pay more attention to growing succulents in bathrooms than in any other place in your house.

Lighting for succulents in the bathroom: When goring succulents in bathrooms, you have to provide good artificial lighting for the plants. Generally, bathrooms are a bit darker than the other areas in your house. Therefore, use artificial growing light and place the plant close to windowsills. Ensure that plant receives around 6 hours of light (growing LED ok).

Watering bathroom succulents: Another critical factor is watering. The bathroom is rich in high humidity. Hence, always check the soil dryness when watering the succulent and cactus plants. Place the plant on the dry side.

Soil recipe for bathroom succulents: When making the soil for succulents plant, use more perlite or pumice. These materials can absorb more moisture. Use 30% of organic potting mix, 35% perlite or pumice, 30% sands, and 5% pebbles or rock chips.

Common Q&A.

Is regular potting soil OK for succulents?

Regular potting mix is not good for succulent plants. However, pre-made potting soil can use by mixing perlite/pumice and sands. Mix 30% sands, 30% organic potting mix, 40% Perlite/pumice, and 10% Pebbles or rock chips.

Are Succulents OK in low light?

Generally, most succulents and cacti prefer bright sunlight. However, some varieties can grow in a low light area under artificial lights. Some of these plants can survive even without natural lights, like places where there are no windows.