List of Florida UNFRIENDLY Succulents - Don't Even Try!
For all you Florida folks that keep killing a certain succulent and you don't know why...
Here's the thing ... No matter how good you are, some succulents just hate it here. Period. And that's not going to stop the big box stores from selling them to you, either!
Not to get too long winded, but certain succulents need very hot, dry days and a MAJOR contrast at night, where it's almost chilly and dry. Florida is hot, steamy, sticky most of the time. Why do they need this contrast? They've adapted to keep their photosynthesis to a minimum during the day, keeping the gas exchange pores closed to conserve moisture and reflect heat. The cool, dry nights activate a system called CAM where they open their pores and use gas exchange instead of light energy to make food.
Thus, your "inappropriate" succulents will slowly starve to death, or, while being weak, succumb to rot, disease, pests.
Avoid the following:
MOST mesembryanthemums (These include split rock plants, living stones, the so called "butt" plants (tee hee),
Lithops
Conophytum
Lapidaria
Pleiospilos
Others you often see at Big Box stores here that will totally die -
Aeonium
Most crassulas except for your typical Jade plants (forget the Buddha's Temple plant...just forget it. And no propellor plant, either.)
Hens and Chicks (this is an ALPINE succulent)
Dudleya
Many echeverias will croak....
Senecio rowleyanus, String of Pearls
Alpine sedums, like the bright green or the red one that are sold as ground covers...forget it
Senecio vitalis (Blue chalk sticks)
Burro's Tail
Andromischus
Some uncommon ones that you'll spend a lot of money killing:
Othonna
Tylecodon
Ceraria
Pachypodium namaquanum (probably)
Euphorbia quartzicola
Aloe polyphylla (Spiral Aloe) NOPE NOPE NOPE!
I'm sure I'll be adding to this as I remember more no no plants.
Now that you're really depressed, what CAN you grow here??
LOTS OF STUFF! Here's a starter list:
Most Aloes/Aloe hybrids
Most Agaves
Euphorbia Crown of Thorns
Uncarina
Bursera
Commiphora
DESERT ROSES GALORE!
Pachypodium (Madagascar Palm)
Sansevieria
Hoya
Bromeliads
Most Madagascan euphorbia
Kalanchoes
Jatropha
Stapeliads (the stinky flower plants that are really pretty!)
Prophet
THANK YOU! I wish I had read this $500.00 ago. I was feeling really guilty because I kept killing my lithops and split-rocks . . . now I just feel poorer . . . but it wasn’t my fault!!!
Dave Soucy
Hi Kate, we’ve met a couple of times in the past. Since this past May I’ve once again gotten into c&s growing from seed. Re your no-no list, I totally agree with the caveat that you can most certainly do some of them under lights indoors. Case in point…back in august I decided to try my luck at doing Lithops from seed and ordered a packet of mixed species from Mesa Gardens. I somewhat brazenly sowed the entire packet into one decent sized container. Germination was pretty good and i now have a very over-crowded container of I would guess a couple of hundred babies, some of which are putting out their first set of true leaves. Probably in a month or so I will begin the painstaking process of potting them up in small groups into individual 2 inch pots. Hoping to pay you a visit down there in the near future.
Regards,
Dave (Clearwater)
cliff brown
Thanks for your brutal honesty about some of these plants. We really need more of that. Can’t wait to come down when all clear. Moved so had to dig up my aloe ferrox, surviving but may just propogate. Any sugestions??
Patricia Wilfert
Thank you so much! I have been a lover of succulents and cactus for many years now and have lost so many. After reading your article it’s the ones that are on the do not buy list that I can’t seem to keep alive. I was researching how to try to make a spiraling aloe survive in South Florida but it’s just impossible for my climate. it makes me feel better that every Buddha’s temple and Aeonium I buy and they die it’s actually not my fault. Thank you again for this helpful information
carole johnson
this is by far the most useful article i have read since since getting serious with my cactus and succulents. have tried and lost many on the no no list and thought it was my lack of skill. especially the part about a big swing in day/night temps. i’m in central texas and we roast in summer and freeze in winter but not on the same day! how can i glean this info from liffle pages ? it might save me money and heart ache. thankyou