Succulents are hot right now, Callaway Fields owner John Graham said.
His plant nursery, recently relocated to Mexico, orders 15,000-20,000 succulent cuttings per year and propagates additional ones, too. And they sell like crazy. A close look at the plants tells you why: they come in every shape, size and color imaginable. Not only that, but they're easy to care for.
"They like it when you neglect them," Graham said during a Thursday class.
That said, Graham had plenty of advice to offer about how to keep your succulents - and cacti - happy, healthy and producing plenty of offspring.
Pick your plant
Like all plants, succulents have certain conditions they prefer. Succulent is a blanket term that includes thousands of different species, many of which have their own peculiarities. One way to choose a succulent that will succeed is to consider where you wish to put it.
In Missouri, a few types can grow outside year 'round - primarily hen and chicks and sedums. These prefer full sun and well-drained, gravelly or sandy soil, Graham said.
Hen and chicks have a central rosette that frequently pushes out little babies. Sedums come in creeping and bushier varieties.
Many other types of succulents and cacti - too numerous to list - enjoy an indoor/outdoor lifestyle. They like soaking up summer sun and basking near a south- or west-facing window in the winter. Generally speaking, Graham said, they should come inside when temperatures drop below 45 degrees.
In the winter, make sure to check plants thoroughly for insect infestations before bringing them inside. Graham recommended treating them with insecticidal soap or a similar product.
In the summer, Graham recommends easing the plants into full sunlight to avoid sunburn. Start with a spot that receives morning sun but afternoon shade and give plants several days to adjust.
Graham also named a few species that are happy to stay indoors, preferably near a sunny window.
Euphorbia, which is an enormous genus that includes everything from poinsettias to cactus-like plants, can thrive indoors.
"If you have cats and dogs, you probably don't want euphorbias," he said.
The white sap euphorbias ooze when cut or bitten is mildly toxic and can cause a skin rash.
The medicinal aloe will even survive an office setting. So can haworthias, which look like small aloes.
Water wisely
"More succulents are killed by over-watering than anything else," Graham said.
Succulents and cactus should be potted in cactus mix, which retains little water. Their containers should have a drainage hole in the bottom (though with careful watering they may survive in something like a birdbath).
When watering a succulent or cactus, Graham said, soak the soil until water comes out the drainage hole. Water in the morning, when humidity is low. Then, let the soil completely dry out before watering again. He suggests testing dryness by hefting the container or sticking a pencil into the soil.
"When you think it's dry and you want to water them, don't," Graham said. "Let it go even dryer."
During summer months, most of his succulents get watered somewhere between once a week to twice a month. They also get a dose of liquid fertilizer monthly. In the winter, succulents get even less water, and, except for the few species that do their growing in winter, no fertilizer.
Cacti are watered even less often.
"Don't water your cactus in winter," Graham said.
A few types of succulent also prefer extra-arid conditions, such as a lithops. These odd plants from Africa look like colorful stones, split down the center. These are typically only watered twice a year, and when new leaves begin growing from the center, they aren't watered again until the old leaves dry out.
Many succulents change color depending on how much or little water they receive. The dryer they are, the more colorful they get.
"If you want really good coloration, stress your succulents," Graham added.
Making more
Most succulents are easy to propogate, or force to reproduce, Graham said.
Many types, like echeverias and sedums, can be rooted from a single leaf. Simply break it off and lay it on top of some soil. About a week later, begin misting the leaves regularly. They'll soon send out roots and a tiny baby plant.
"You want them to feel that moisture," Graham said.
Some cacti produce buds, which can be broken off. Allow the ends to dry out and callous over before burying the bottom bit of the bud in the soil, where it will grow new roots.
Jades - often seen shaped into bonsai - will re-root from a small branch, but generally not an individual leaf, Graham said.
Agave (yes, the plant used to make tequilla) and some echeveria will send off little plantlets, which can be treated much like the cactus buds mentioned above.
Mix and match
Graham and his employees love creating arrangements with succulents. He brought along a sandy desert scene with cactuses and a tiny wagon, a toy pickup truck with a bed full of echeverias, and more.
It's important to pick plants that prefer a similar amount of water. It also helps to have some idea how large the plants get - Graham brought everything from an aeonium that will grow 6 feet to a thimble cactus that stays below 3 inches.
Beyond that, though, Graham recommends mixing a variety of textures, colors and shapes to create visually striking containers.
Euphorbias offer height, and trailing sedums such as burro's tail or string-of-pearls add depth. Then there are the real oddities, like the ogre's ear crassula that looks remarkably like Shrek's ears, or the starfish cactus whose flowers look remarkably like starfish.
"They also smell like rotting meat, because they're fertilized by flies," Graham said. "It's gross but cool - a great way to get your kids or grandkids interested in plants."
Most succulents grow slowly and some can live for decades, so arrangements can be densely packed and stilll last years before needing repotting. When the time comes, if disentangling the roots is too time-consuming, the succulents can simply be chopped off at the base and re-rooted.
"You can pass them on to your neighbors or kids," Graham added.