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these ingredients: pumice (good for succulents because of its high alkalinity), sand (for drainage), some cedar mix (about 10 percent of your mix to keep away mealy bugs) and some compost. STAY AWAY from perlite if you're potting up aloes or anything in the Liliaceae family. It releases flurine which is bad for this plant family. Also keep in mind that succulents don't fancy acidic soil, so it might be best not to use much peat moss or fir bark. You want a VERY well-drained mix that's best on the alkaline side.

2. Clay pots are ideal for pretty much all succulents. You don't even need a big container. Since succulents tend to have shallow roots, you can easily keep them in wide, short pots, dishes and hanging baskets. Just make sure the pots have drainage holes and that they are wide enough for plants to produce offsets.

3. If you get a handful of prickles thanks to an uncooperative cactus, use duct tape instead of tweezers to get them off your hands.

4. If a succulent has smooth skin (i.e. aloe) give it afternoon shade and water from the bottom.

5. Most succulents like a minimum tep of 35-40 degrees F.

6. If your succulents are inside, be sure to give it warm, filtered light.

7. Epiphyllum hybrids (Orchid Cacti) have different requirements than most succulents. They prefer to be potted in an orchid mix with pumice and peat. Put in plastic pots instead of clay.

8. Want an easy to grow and propagate succulent? Try Kalanchoe tubiflora (Mother of Millions). Its foliar embryos drop from the plant and quickly root to form more plants. After this plant flowers, it dies. But because it propagates on its own so rapidly, you'll have plenty of new plants. Give it shade and little water.

9. Does your aloe plant have brown tips? That means it's getting too many excess salts from the water. Try watering with distilled water next time.

Learn more about this author, Bonnie Burton.
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