It’s already starting to be fall here in Colorado. It is raining more, getting chilly, and I just know snow is around the corner.  This means it is time to transition all my succulents into the house. Winterizing succulents in my collection was a time-consuming task because I went through every step I will tell you about here. Winterizing succulents doesn’t have to be difficult though! Follow these steps with your succulents to make sure you have gorgeous plants all year long and they are ready for spring. Soft succulents do horribly out in the cold, however, there are succulents such as hen and chicks(sempervivums) that will winterize and come back next spring!

Why Winterize Succulents?

If you live in an area that gets snow or temperatures dip below 45 degrees F, bringing your soft succulents inside is the only way to ensure they don’t get frosted over and die. Succulents are unique in that they store all their excess water in their leaves which give them the squishiness we all love them for, but also makes them extremely susceptible to freezing their leaves if exposed to cold temperatures. This is also a great way to debug your succulents and give them the yearly check up they need including beheading if they get stretched out. You can also add them to fun fall arrangements to decorate your dinner table!

1. Bring Your Succulents Inside by a Window

Pick a spot for your succulents where they are either sitting near a South facing window(they get the most sun) or under a grow light. I have a 4 tiered shelving unit where I have attached grow lights. This is also because my collection is well over 100 individual plants. If your succulent collection is only a few plants, just shove them next to a window so they get that sunlight they need. Winter is not their growing season so you don’t have to load them up with as much sun as possible, but more light doesn’t hurt! Be cautious that in some houses the windows get really cold due to bad insulation. Make sure your window doesn’t freeze your succulents in it!

2. Check For Insects

Once your plants are inside and you have a spot ready for them, check the heck out of them. I check the roots, under the leaves, and in the rosettes. I make sure no bugs are coming inside my house. If you do spot a bug, check out our insect tips article to help mitigate the problem quickly.

3. Clean Your Dirt and Containers

Sounds kind of wrong, but dirt gets all sorts of grossness in it that can come back to bite you during the winter months. Remove your plant completely from its soil and break up its roots gently. This will help you look for bugs as well. I like to empty the whole container and give it a little rinse. Some bugs hide under the soil and fungus and bacteria are all over this pot. This will also help your pots look nice inside and get rid of any pollen or dirt they might have caught outside.

For the old dirt, if you are worried about bugs, try baking it. Put it in a pan and in the oven to make sure everything gets cooked out. I personally don’t do that but you can if you want! I then add a couple sprinkles of cinnamon throughout the soil and back on the top of the soil once I put it back in the pot. Cinnamon has anti-fungal properties and in the warm house during the winter, fungus likes to take advantage of the perfect growing conditions you gave it.

4. Groom Succulents

After you have a pot all ready for your succulent, go through and clean it up a little. Pull off any dead leaves. Check for root rot(take care of immediately if you see it). Behead your succulent if it has stretched out. Leaves should be close together in a nice rosette. If your succulent is 6 inches tall and only has ten leaves spread out, it is most likely stretched. Just take a sharp knife and cut under the nice rosette on top. This is a succulent cutting so treat it as such. 

5. Plant them Up

Put your newly groomed succulent in your fresh pot and soil. If it was a cutting, don’t water it for a couple of days. If it still has its roots you can give it a little drink.

6. Care during Winter

During the winter, succulents don’t need as much water. As mentioned earlier, this is not their growing season so don’t feel like you need to water them a ton. A good rule of thumb is to water them when their bottom leaves start getting wrinkly. If you are putting it under a grow light, feel free to take care of it as normal. Winterizing succulents is easy with these simple steps!