Mel, I'm is the Detroit, MI area and use a 70% shade cloth draped over the top of my deck. I place all the C&S under it end of April, beginning of May. They stay there for about 10 days to 2 weeks then out in the sun. Even using these approximate times, we never know when we might get a major drop in the temps or worse rain and cool weather. Pay your money and take your chances!

Howard

Awesome, thanks Howard. That was pretty much the info I was looking for. When you say, then out in the sun, you can give everybody full sun throughout the summer months? I figured I'm far enough from the equator that they can handle full sun here with a few weeks of acclimation. They didn't get enough light where I kept them last year so I was going to try and push it this year.

Yes, I put everybody out on the driveway because it's the only place I get sun all day long. I have noticed the Euphorbia seem to go dormant from this much sun so this year I think we'll find a different location for them. The Haworthia go in bright light, not direct sun during the summer. Echeveria get the full blast as do the cactus. I also find that my jade tend to lose leaves if they get all day sun which doesn't make sense to me but it is my observation. Hopefully, some other will visit and give us some of their feedback....

Howard

i already put all my crassulas outside. They are eastern side, covered porch. When the temperature will be no less than 55F at night all others will go too(Sanseverias, Euphorbias, Haworthias, Aloes, Gasterias) i only give them morning sun. Afternoon sun is too harsh for them.
Inna

Thanks Inna, interesting that the afternoon sun is too harsh, do you get any reflection off other buildings? I was going to wait for a temp of at least 50's at night too, good to know I'm at least thinking on the right track with temps/months.

I don't grow any of what seems like the more light sensitive species you guys mentioned, except for the Gasteria. I was planning on keeping the succulents a little more protected than full sun, but Howard if your Echeveria can take it I'll try and acclimate that guy along with the cacti. I want to maximize my growing time while I can!

I'm in zone 6 too, but in Washington State....and the weather here has been crazy also...seems like cold, windy, and rainy half of the day and hot and sunny the rest of the day...or frozen in the mornings and sunny and in the low 70's later on....just makes no sense....like it can't make up it's mind on whether it should be cold or warm....

But the past few days I have been taking some of my bigger succulents (aeoniums and aloes) when it's warm outside and sunny..but since I live in an apartment and I have just a small porch to put things on, and it is sunny in the mornings but around noon or so, it get's shady...so I put my plants outside the door to get some shady light so it can get use to the sun slowly and bring it in the evening when it starts to get cold...So I'm using this time to get it use to the sun...and hopefully by the end of this month I'll be able to leave them outside full time..

It is a pain having to haul them back and forth...so I put them in those little cardboard tray things (the trays you usually get at garden centers) and use that to help carry the plants in and out...but I also made it so I can just open the backdoor and put them by the door outide and then a space by the back door inside...so really I'm not moving them but a few feet...

this is my first spring and upcomming summer with succulents, I hope not to kill my plants..I just hope bringing them in and out wont stress them out...I'm still trying to figure out how to to make it shady for them in the summer when it gets too sunny on my back porch..I cant install any shade cover's..I might have to invent something LOL.

good luck
-flowerpottipper

FlowerPot, you might want to go to one of the Big Box stores and ask if you can have their plastic containers. They usually toss them in the garbage. The plastic will allow you to move things back and forth and the weather won't affect them as would the paper you are currently using.

flowerpottipper, thanks for your input and good luck to you too! Yeah, I've spent time having to get creative making places for the plants to be too as I'm also growing in an apartment. I've got a from stoop and back porch that are both mine though, so I was going to try to use the back, but it faces due west. I'm going to go for full sun this year on as many as I can to hopefully get better growth. What direction is your back porch facing? Maybe set up a shelf for them that you attach the shade cloth to, or even a curtain or piece of tarp. I've seen people make little tent like structures on the balconies of high rise apartment buildings before. I found with my more light sensitive plants if you get them used to it, even west or south facing light is fine as long as they are protected from the midday directly overhead sunlight.

My back porch is facing east, so I get the sun in the morning there...which to my understanding most plants like the morning sun better, but I'm not sure about succulents. I was thinking of one of those metal shelves so the sun can shine through the bars and using shade cloth over it like you mentioned...but I only have so much room and my back porch has a big swing love-seat and a plastic round table (which most of my plants are on now but it's already packed and I havent even started to bring out the inside plants yet LOL) and several big pots...basically it's about 10 feet by 13 feet (actaully it's alot longer but my neighbor has the other half and I wanna respect his space)...somewhere around there. I want it to look nice while not looking like a hoarder. I hate the crowded feeling. And then maybe I can use that metal shelf inside when it's fall...and my dad just got rid of a really nice big one too a few months ago..he offered it to me but I wasnt thinking and declined it, now I'm kicking myself LOL. I'm also trying to figure out a way to hang the hanging plants outside (like my hoyas and some hanging succulents)...I found the bar on the top of the swing where the shade cover for it use to be (before it broke from bad weather) does a good job but it can only hold so many and I have alot of plants LOL.

What to do...what to do....

And the plastic trays are a good idea, thanks bikerdoc ...

Let me know what you come up with, I'm interested to know so I can get some ideas.

-FlowerPotTipper