Are they in a gritty mix?

There are lots of people that have succulents in humid climates. I think it comes down to the mix and good air flow.

I live in SW Florida on water. It is always humid. The lowest humidity I can remember down here is 50%, but honestly I probably haven't checked when it is lower because I am not so uncomfortable. Right now my humidity is 94% and temp is 92 F.

My succulents are outdoors and doing fine in the gritty mix. I do have problems with Aeoniums and Echeveria during the summers. Hope that helps!

I was waiting for you Crenda:). I know you know humidity!

94% humidity that is insane. Right now where I live humidity is at 35% . Next Sunday it's suppose to be 100F with 29% humidity. The moisture just gets sucked outta everything on days like that. I definitely think I would pick a little warmer with arid conditions, over slightly cooler and almost 100% humidity. The air is so thick when it's that muggy.

Kara, yes, they are in a gritty mix. 40/40/10 cactus soil, perlite, and aquarium rock (still haven't found grit... need to go to a feed store, I think).

Crenda, eeew. I thought the humidity was bad yesterday. 94%, ugh!

Most of what I have are in terracotta pots with my gritty mix. I have a few plastic pots that are temporary placeholders for things until I can get them into terracotta.

My biggest concern are my jades. They are doing SOWELL from the tiny 3" tall plants they were a year ago that I don't want to do something dumb and ruin them by putting them outside :3 I've done it only two or three times this summer because either it's been raining all weekend or it's been reeeeeeally sticky and gross, and I wasn't sure if that would cause any problems.

I will keep a closer eye on my few echeveria >.> Do you think the jade will have any issues in conditions like that?

These babies want some outdoor time!

Jenna

I would use much less soil in your zone; maybe 20% (or leave it out completely - I don't use any soil), and split the rest evenly between grit and sifted perlite. You won't have to worry about drainage when it rains! All my succulents have been rained on so much this year, and are not protected at all. Seems to me they enjoy the rain showers :)

I agree I would get rid of all the soil if you're worried about humidity:). I use some cactus soil in my mix, but I live in a dry climate. I pretty much use it for filler.

Rina - We should call you queen of the Jades for Ontario. Lovely growing. =)

LOL Kevin! and Thank you. I should be a supplier to one of the stores. Time for a 'garage plant sale'! But jades are easy - I need to have similar success with other plants - just like you and your beauties. Especially 'armada' of Haworthias you have...

Another voice chiming in from the land of humidity. I tend to let the pots get drier than you would normally see and avoid things like aeoniums and jades. I also tend to avoid really crowded pots. I see some amazingly dense pots, and know I need to allow air circulation.

Leslie I totally forgot about not crowding plants in humid climates. I always say succulents love to be crowded, but I forget about humidity:). I crowd mine, but my climate is very different. I'm gonna invent little sun powered fans that can be put at the base of succulents:).

Oh - and yeah - no soil in my mixes.

Yikes, this thread exploded while I was away! XD

The no-soil thing is very strange to me. I know people have had a lot of success but it is still just an odd thing! I do have two lithops pots in almost ALL rock/perlite with probably about 10% soil and am watching to see how they do.

With the weather, it is so changeable here. Sometimes it's humid and disgusting, sometimes it is cool and dry, and then winter >.>

As far as repotting the jade, or any of the echies I have, I have repotted them once already this year into what mix and pots they're in now. How often can a plant stand repotting? According to everything I've read (on the jade) early summer is repotting time and we're a bit out of that right now. Will that be a problem? Will the next-to-no-soil mix be an issue in the winter time when all my plants will be 100% indoors?

Thank you for all the feedback, everyone! It is very helpful :D I am a newish plant mama and so am very nervous!

Jenna

No soil sounds strange at first - but imagine where these plants grow naturally. In very rocky, gravely substrates, what is usually referred to as 'poor' soil. Not rich on organic matter. Drainage is great when using mixes like that. What is used a lot are grit, perlite, pumice, scoria, lava rock, turface and similar. Few of these mixed together will give excellent substrate for growing succulents in containers, indoors or outside.

While early summer is best for repotting many plants (not only succulents), many could be repotted when needed. Jades are very resilient and will be just fine if repotted now, or even later.

I am in very similar zone as yours. My plants have to be indoors almost half of the year. I already suggested to decrease soil content of your mix and increase grit portion in my previous post. You can start there...(I have approx. 300 pots of succulents, and they are all in a mix without soil. And majority of them in plastic pots...) Or keep them in what you have - but be careful about watering.

I keep Lithops indoors - there is too much rain for them to be outdoors IMO. I think they could be outdoors if protected from excessive rain.

I think I remember why I haven't repotted quite to a no-soil situation. I haven't yet found chicken grit ;)