What are the best low-light succulents?
Finding the best low-light succulents to grow was not as easy as I thought. Some require extensive care, others aren’t suitable for grow lights and indoors, and lots are just not simple & quick enough to grow.
That’s why I created a list of the 10 Best Low-Light Succulents!
This ultimate guide will give you the best succulents to grow, why you should grow them, and even how to grow them.
Read THIS Before Growing Low-Light Succulents
Knowing what environment succulents thrive in can help you successfully grow succulents in low light conditions.
It can be the difference between your succulent garden thriving and providing beautiful blooms or producing nothing.
Succulents thrive in dry air and warm temperatures. This means you should not have to change anything to your indoor living.
10 Best Low-Light Succulents
#1. Aloe Vera
Popular Varieties: Hedgehog, Spiral, Tiger Tooth
Why Grow Aloe Vera in Low-Light?
Hardy:
- Aloe Vera is one of the hardiest types of succulents that you can grow in low light. This means that it is more forgiving than most plants, making it perfect for growing indoors. This is the perfect succulent for beginners!
Great for Indoors:
- Aloe Vera is the perfect succulent for someone who wants to keep it potted indoors and then move it outdoors to add beauty to their yard when the weather is above freezing.
Harvested for Medicine:
- Aloe Vera is the most popular succulent that can be used for medicine. You can harvest the plant and use it to heal burns, cuts, skin disorders, and even constipation.
Easy to Create a Garden:
- Aloe Vera is the perfect plant to cut and use its pups to create grow more aloe vera and create your very own succulent garden.
THESE Could Harm Your Aloe Vera
Wetness:
- If you overwater your Aloe Vera or keep the soil too wet then it can harm and even kill your succulent plant. It should be noted that aloe vera though is more forgiving with overwatering compared to other succulents.
Too Much Sunlight:
- While Aloe Vera loves heat and sunlight, too much direct sunlight in a sun and hot window can quickly cause its leaves to burn and potentially stunt its growth.
Repotting:
- Repotting Aloe Vera isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But when you do it too early (before the roots are pushing through the pot) then it can potentially cause shock and stunt the growth of your plant.
Additional Resources
Learn How To Grow Aloe Vera HERE
#2. Hens & Chicks
Popular Varieties: Sempervivum, Jovibarba heuffelii, Jovibarba Rollers
Why Grow Hens & Chicks in Low-Light?
Beautiful:
- Out of all the succulents, you can grow indoors, Hens & Chicks are the most beautiful. They come in numerous shapes, colors, and sizes making them perfect for indoor gardening.
Easy to Propagate:
- Hens & Chicks are the easiest succulents to propagate. All you need to do is simply remove the pups from the soil and plant them in a new gardening container.
Low Maintenance:
- Hens & Chicks are the most low-maintenance succulent on this list. It requires very little water, no care or fertilizer, and an average amount of sunlight.
THESE Could Harm Your Hens & Chicks
Wetness:
- Like many other succulents, too much water can harm or kill your hens and chicks. Damp soil or overwatering is a problem that most beginner growers make and can lead to fungus or other issues.
Cold:
- While Hens & Chicks are hardy and require little care they do not like cold weather. In fact, if you leave this indoor plant outside in below-freezing temperatures or if it gets too cold indoors it can stunt or even kill your succulent.
Additional Resources
Learn How To Grow Hens & Chicks HERE
#3. Jade Plant
Popular Varieties: Dwarf, “Money Tree”, Silver Dollar
Why Grow Jade Plants in Low-Light?
Beautiful:
- Jade Plants are some of the most beautiful succulents that can be grown indoors. You’ll love all the different-looking leaves and sizes that Jade Plants come in.
Foolproof:
- The Jade Plant is one of the most foolproof succulents to grow indoors no matter wherever you live. It literally requires little care and no maintenance. All you have to do is just not overwater it and it will stay alive and grow.
Inexpensive:
- Out of all of the succulents, the Jade Plant is one of the most inexpensive plants to buy, grow, and maintain in low-light! This makes it the perfect succulent for beginners.
THESE Could Harm Your Jade Plant
Overwater:
- The only thing that can harm your Jade Plant is overwatering. You’ll know when you have overwatered your Jade Plant when the leave begins falling off the plant.
Additional Resources
Learn How to Grow Jade Plants HERE
#4. Burro’s Tail
Popular Varieties: Burro’s Tail & Donkey’s Tail
Why Grow Burro’s Tail in Low-Light?
Versatile:
- Burro’s Tail is one of the most versatile succulents on this list. They can grow in gardening containers, can grow in a hanging basket, or can be grown in a flat container.
Simple:
- There are only two types of Burro’s Tails and they are grown the exact same way; with or without sunlight, little water, and plenty of heat. It’s that simple!
Inexpensive:
- Burro’s Tail is another inexpensive succulent and can be found in almost all home and garden stores. You can even order them online and have free shipping!
THESE Could Harm Your Burro’s Tail
You:
- Burro’s Tail’s leaves are very delicate meaning that you should not touch them often. It is also recommended that you don’t move the plant often as it can not only hurt the leaves but the plant itself.
Rarely Blooms:
- If you want a plant that will bloom beautiful colors all the time then stay away from Burro’s Tail. While the blooms of this succulent are beautiful, it is rare that it ever happens.
Additional Resources
Did you know that Burro’s Tail has some of the most beautiful blooms of all succulents? In the summer they can bloom beautiful, vibrant pink flowers that all succulent gardeners will love.
#5. Crown of Thorns
Popular Varieties: Brush Fire, Short and Sweet, Creme Supreme
Why Grow Crown of Thorns in Low-Light?
Thrives All Year:
- As long as you provide your crown of thorns with 2-3 hours of light then it will not only thrive all year, but it will bloom all year making it one of the most beautiful succulents you can grow as a beginner.
Low Watering Needs:
- Like most succulents, this plant needs very little watering. This means you can grow it indoors whether you live in rural areas or in an apartment and can leave it for long periods of time.
Medium Light Needs:
- Unlike other succulents that require full sun, the Crown of Thorns requires low to medium sunlight. As long as you don’t grow it in the dark it will live and bloom almost all year.
THESE Could Harm Your Crown of Thorns
Too Little or Too Much Water:
- The Crown of Thorns Succulent is a very hardy plant with very little that can harm it. The only thing to make sure you do is not water it too much or too little. Besides that, nothing can harm this plant!
Additional Resources
Learn How to Grow Crown of Thorns HERE
#6. Christmas Cactus
Popular Varieties: Schlumbergera Truncata, Schumbelgera Bridgessii, and Rhipsalidopsis Gaertnerii
Why Grow Christmas Cactus in Low-Light?
Takes on More Water:
- Unlike the other succulents on this list, the Christmas Cactus actually prefers to be watered more. If you happen to forget to water don’t worry as it will bounce back!
Beautiful Blooms:
- The Cactus Christmas has one of the most beautiful blooms you’ll see out of all succulents and the best part is that it will happen just in time for Christmas or even Thanksgiving!
Perfect Gift:
- The Christmas Cactus is the perfect gift for gardeners! Whether you are getting it for a Christmas gift or any other occasion the gardener in your life will love it.
Related: Best Gardening Gifts for Gardeners!
THESE Could Harm Your Christmas Cactus
Not Enough Water:
- Christmas Cactus can survive several days without water. But if you forget to water this succulent for several weeks expect it to wilt and possibly die.
Wrong Soil:
- Most succulents require a specific type of soil to grow and thrive. If you provide your Christmas Cactus with the wrong type of soil expect it to not grow and possibly even die.
Additional Resources
Did you know that there is not only a Christmas Cactus but also a Thanksgiving Cactus and an Easter Cactus? All make for beautiful gifts!
#7. Snake Plant
Popular Varieties: Black Gold, Twist, Mother in Law’s Tongue
Why Grow a Snake Plant in Low-Light?
Hardy:
- The Snake Plant is the hardiest succulent on this list. It can survive weeks without water or light! And no matter the conditions it is the only succulent that will keep its stiff shape!
Perfect for ALL Indoor Gardens:
- The Snake Plant is the perfect succulent for any indoor garden. You can put it anywhere in your house, arrange it with any other succulent, and it is kid and pet-friendly.
Beginner-Friendly:
- If you are a brand new succulent gardener then the Snake Plant is what you should start with. This plant is the easiest to take care of and you’ll learn the most by starting with this succulent.
THESE Could Harm Your Snake Plant
You
- The only thing that can kill the snake plant is you. You will have to really mistreat it, ignore it, and almost manually destroy it in order for it to be harmed.
Additional Resources
The Snake Plant is another great succulent that can be given as a gift. No matter if someone is a gardener or not it is the perfect accent for any home!
#8. Zebra Plant
Popular Varieties: Calathea Zebrina & Aphelandra Squarrosa
Why Grow Zebra Plants in Low-Light?
Perfect for Terrariums:
- Since Green Zebra plants will get no larger than 5 inches tall it is perfect for terrariums and even to grow among other indoor succulents.
Beautiful Blooms:
- Not only do Zebra Plants have beautiful blooms, but it also have beautiful different shades of green making it perfect for any spot in your home.
THESE Could Harm Your Zebra Plants
Non-Tropical Conditions:
- The Zebra plant is one of the trickiest succulents to grow indoors in low light. This succulent requires you to provide it with warm weather, little sunlight, and dry conditions. If you can’t provide this consistently then you should look at other succulents to grow indoors.
Additional Resources
Green Zebras are a beautiful succulent that fits in almost any spot in your home due to their small height and width. This makes it perfect for families that want to grow it together in their homes!
#9. Ponytail Palm
Popular Varieties: Beaucarnea Stricta, Beaucarnea Recurvata, Beaucarnea Gracilis
Why Grow Ponytail Palm in low-light?
Adaptable:
- The Ponytail Palm is the most adaptable succulent on this list! It can be grown outdoors in a garden, in a gardening container, and anywhere in your house in a low-light environment!
Beginner-Friendly:
- Because the Ponytail Palm can go with not as much water as other succulents and doesn’t need full sunlight like other plants, it makes it a great succulent to start out for beginner gardeners!
THESE Could Harm Your Ponytail Palm
Tight Spaces:
- Ponytail Palm can grow from 12 to 20 feet tall. Because of this, it is not the best succulent to grow indoors in tight spaces. Small spaces will limit the ability for it to grow and become a healthy adult succulent.
Additional Resources
The Ponytail Palm is also the perfect succulent to grow in a greenhouse, outside in tropical-like environments, and even in climate-controlled indoors.
#10. Panda Plant
Popular Varieties: Grayish Blue & Golden Brown
Why Grow Panda Plants in Low-Light?
Slow Grower:
- The Panda Plant is a slow grower making it the perfect succulent for beginner gardeners. The slow growth makes it an incredibly manageable plant to care for and grow.
Few Choices:
- Sometimes the hardest part of being a succulent gardener is too many choices. The Panda Plant is incredibly easy to grow because you only have two varieties and they both can be grown the same way!
THESE Could Harm Your Panda Plant
Root Rot:
One of the biggest threats to your Panda Plant is root rot. Root rot can occur when you water your succulent too much and it cannot dry out quick enough. This will very likely stunt your plant’s growth and potentially even kill it.
Additional Resources
The Panda Plant can grow several feet tall making this the perfect accent in almost any room, but also a nice complement to your current succulent or home plant garden!
#10. String of Hearts
Popular Varieties: Standard, Silver Glory, Mini Star
Why Grow String of Hearts in Low-Light?
Adaptable:
- The string of hearts succulent is one of the most adaptable succulents on this list. You can plant it in low-light or full sunlight and it will thrive for years!
Low-Maintenance:
- The string of hearts succulent is also one of the easiest succulents to maintain. All you need to do is water it once every week to two weeks, let your soil dry, and rewater. It’s that simple!
THESE Could Harm Your String of Hearts
Overwater:
- The string of hearts succulent is an incredibly hardy plant. The only thing that can potentially harm or kill it is if you overwater it. Overwatering may lead to root rot and even death!
Common Factors of the Best Low-Light Succulents
As a reminder, the below factors are common for the Best Low-Light Succulents:
- Thrives in Heat & Drought
- Thrives in Dry Environments
- Easy to Grow
- Hardy against Overwatering
- REquire little to no light
- Requires Little Care
- Has Many Factors
