Vertical Succulent Garden In A Few Easy Steps

If you’re looking for something that will bring the wow factor to your garden but doesn’t require high maintenance, you should try combining succulents with vertical planters. This is a combination that can bring you a lot of benefits. Succulents don’t need much water or fertilizers, so you don’t need much time for taking care of them. Vertical planters can save you valuable ground space, not the mention the interest they add to otherwise plain walls and fences.

If you follow these few tips, you can save some money on commercial vertical planters and create your unique arrangement. The possibilities are endless and you can combine succulents in a wide variety of ways.

1. For your planter`s base, you can use shadow boxes, small crates, painting frames or simple wooden boxes. The box you choose needs to be about  2 inches (5 cm) deep. Keep in mind that deeper planters may lead to compacting, shifting and sinking soil.
2. To hold plants and soil in place, you need to cover the top of your planter in 1/4-inch (6 mm) mesh wire hardware cloth. This will also allow the succulents room to grow and spread out.
3. Like in any other succulent arrangement, you need to use plants that have similar care needs. Since it will take more than one season for your plants to grow and fill out the planter box, make sure all of the plants can survive winter temperatures. Some of the succulents you want in your planter may go through a dormant period, some succulents will respond well on cold temperatures and others must be kept indoors. When you plan your arrangement, keep an eye on the temperature needs of your succulents.
4. Before you hang your vertical planter, you’ll need to leave it on a flat surface for two or three months. This will allow developing a strong root system. Otherwise, they can die or simply fall out of the planter.
5. After planting succulents in your vertical planter, you should avoid watering your mini garden for a week. In that time roots will harden and establish their place in the soil. After that, you can water them weekly in the summer and spring, and monthly in the winter and fall. Like in any other case, use less water during the winter. When watering your vertical succulent garden, you’ll need to take the whole planter down and lay it on the flat surface to avoid washing away the soil.
6. You should also fertilize your vertical succulent garden. For the best results, use a mix of one part liquid houseplant fertilizer and four parts water. You should fertilize once per month during the summer growing season and once over the winter.

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