Can succulents survive in an office without windows or in low light? If you own a succulent, you have probably heard that they need a bright, full sunlight in order to be happy. But don’t worry, the succulent sitting on your office desk isn’t doomed. While it is true that succulents are desert plants and enjoy full sun, it is possible to grow some succulents in a windowless room or grow succulents in low light- you just have to choose the right species and adjust your care.
If you want to keep your succulents in a windowless room or office with low light, this article will give you tips on keeping your plants happy and give a list of the best low light plants to have! Now, whenever you leave your succulent collection at home, you can have another waiting for you at work!
So can I grow succulents in low light, or in a windowless room/office?
YES, you can grow succulents and cacti in low light conditions. You will have to pay more attention to a few factors such as plant species, soil type and watering conditions.
If you keep those factors in mind, you will have much better luck with your indoor plant family.
Succulent species that can handle low light
Not all species are created equal. Some succulents are able to handle lower light conditions much better than others. Even with the best indoor care, if you try to keep a Graptopetalum, Sempervium or Echeveria in anything but bright light, you will end up with a long, stretched out mess.
In general, stay away from brightly colored and rosette-shaped succulents because they require bright light to maintain their appearance.
Plants that are naturally green, such as Aloe or Haworthia are much more forgiving of shadier conditions.
Therefore, it is important to check the light conditions that your particular plant species requires. Need help coming up with ideas for a good office plant? Check out the list down below.
Maximize the sunlight you can get
Look around your room or office. Is there any natural light that you can use? Start off with putting your succulent in any windowsill that you can find. Make sure you rotate your succulent every couple of days to make sure all sides get an even amount of sun. If you notice your plant is leaning towards one side, rotate it to the other side and it will straighten out over a few days.
Is your succulent still getting leggy and stretched out despite being near a window? That means it is not getting enough light.
What if there are no windows at all nearby? Don’t worry, you can still have a succulent- you just have to be more creative. You will want to put your succulent under some artificial light. They will need about 6 hours of light per day. Your plants will be okay under that florescent or LED light above your desk.
If you are able to, consider getting a small grow lamp to keep by your desk. Luckily, there are several affordable options for grow lights, so you can find one best suited for your needs.
How to water low light succulents
Normally, a succulent would need to be watered about once every one to two weeks in the summer and once every three to four weeks in the winter.
When your plant is in a low light area, err on the side of underwatering because it is getting less sun. Before watering, check that the top inch of soil is dry by sticking your finger in it. If it still feels moist or damp, hold off on the watering for a few more days.
When you water, pour the soil directly at the soil at the base of the plant. Do not pour any water on the leaves or in the rosette of your plant because it could lead to rot. If some water does get on there, just wipe it off with a tissue.
As with any other succulent, the key is infrequent soakings. When you water, give your plant a good drink then let it completely dry out until the next time you water. Do not mist your plants with a spray bottle! Succulents need to be soaked all at once, which a spray bottle does not do.
Keep in mind that if your succulent is in an area that is more humid or cooler in temperature, it will need to be watered even less frequently.
Plant your low light succulent in a well-draining porous soil mix
Even a succulent receiving the most conservative watering technique needs a well-draining and gritty soil mixture to prevent root rot.
Root rot is commonly due to overwatering succulents. In a low light office, you have to be especially careful of overwatering to avoid killing your succulent.
Succulents hate sitting in wet potting soil for too long. Regular potting soil that you would use for other houseplants is too dense for succulents.
So what exactly does a “well-draining soil” mean?
I have had the best success by mixing a succulent soil mix with perlite in a 70:30 ratio. This is really easy and cheap to make yourself. If you want to add even more drainage, you can add sand or gravel, but it is not necessary.
If you want to learn about root rot in detail, check out this guide.
With a well draining soil, your succulent will be much more forgiving if you accidentally overwater it once or twice.
Choose a good pot
The best pot for succulents is a plain terracotta pot with a drainage hole because it allows any extra water to drain out. This will prevent your succulent from sitting in water for too long, therefore preventing root rot.
If you have your succulent in a cute glass terrarium… I recommend repotting it.
Glass pots and terrariums retain moisture for longer, which promotes root rot, especially in succulents that are not receiving that much light to begin with.
Since succulents in lower light conditions are already more susceptible to root rot, planting them in a plain terracotta pot with a drainage hole helps tremendously.
The best succulents for low light
Okay now that you know how to take care of an indoor succulent receiving low light, what are some species that will do well in shady conditions?
The 6 best low light succulent choices are:
1. Haworthia ‘Zebra Plant’
Haworthia Fasciata and Haworthia Attenuata are also known as “zebra succulent” or “zebra haworthia”. These plants stand out in any office space with their prominent white stripes on dark green leaves, resembling a zebra.
Haworthia thrive on neglect, making them perfect plants for low light conditions. They also propagate easily through offsets, so you can multiply your collection without doing any work!
A temperature from around 70 to 80 ºF (21 to 26 ºC) is best. They are not cold hardy and should not be left in an area colder than 35 ºF (1.5 ºC) Haworthia will usually flower in the fall. These flowers will grow on a tall stem and are white or pink.
2. Aloe
Like haworthia, aloe are no-fuss plants that will do well in almost any condition. They propagate easily through offsets that sprout up from the base, so your one aloe plant will turn into 4 very quickly.
Aloe do best at temperatures between 55 and 80 °F (13 and 27 °C), making them ideal for offices and homes. Water your aloe about once every 3 weeks. It is better to under water aloe than over water, since they hate staying wet for too long.
Unfortunately, aloes need plenty of light to flower, so your aloe probably will not bloom indoors. However, their beautiful shape and easy care is enough of a reason to keep them around.
3. Crassula Ovata ‘Jade Plant’
Considered to be a symbol of good luck, Jade plants are extremely common houseplants for good reason. They are really easy to care for indoors or out- you do not need good luck to keep them alive! Jade plants live for a very long time and can grow up to a whopping 5 feet tall.
Jade plants will do best at a temperature from 65 to 80 °F (18 to 27 °C). Water it about once every two to three weeks, pot it in a well-draining soil, and that is it!
If you do not have a Jade plant, you can easily propagate one with a cutting from a friend.
4. Sansevieria trifasciata ‘Snake Plant’, ‘Mother-in-law’s Tongue’
Sansevieria trifasciata, commonly known as ‘Snake Plant’ or ‘Mother-in-law’s Tongue’ is an EXTREMELY hardy houseplant. Seriously, it can survive anything. It has long, stiff leaves that can grow anywhere from 6 inches to 8 feet tall.
With green patterned leaves and yellow borders, the snake plant will make any office space pop. Furthermore, Sansevieria has been found to have air purification qualities, and can clean harmful chemicals from the air. Seriously, do I need to convince you anymore?
They like part shade or low light conditions, making them great additions to a windowless office. In fact, they do not do well in full sun, making any low light setting ideal. Water your Sansevieria about once a month and plant it in a quick drying soil.
5. Schlumbergera ‘Christmas/Thanksgiving/Easter Cactus’
Unlike most other cacti, the holiday cacti are native to the rain forest, meaning they like warm and humid conditions. Water your Schlumbergera more often than you would your other succulents and cacti (about once a week) and keep their soil moist.
Holiday cacti make a great addition to any windowless office or low light room because they thrive in partial shade. The holiday cacti bloom right around their respective holiday (Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter), so you will be rewarded with beautiful flowers too.
These are easily propagated from cuttings, so just ask someone you know for one!
6. Sedum morganianum ‘Burro’s Tail’
Burro’s tail is a lovely trailing succulent with chubby light green leaves. They look great in hanging planters with their stems coming down the sides. This sedum grows great in low light environments. The shape of the plant also masks any mild etiolation that may occur.
Just a warning: the leaves on burro’s tail easily fall off with just a nudge, so keep them away from busy areas (on the other hand, this does give you more leaves for propagation). Burro’s tails are SO easy to propagate from leaves.
A full grown burro’s tail can grow to 6 feet. Water it about once every 2 weeks.
What plants should you not keep indoors?
The previous 6 plants grow well in low light conditions, and will definetely brighten up any office area.
However, there are several species that need full, bright sun in order to thrive and prevent etiolation. I do not recommend the following succulents for a low light room or office because they will grow funky, lose their pretty colors, and no one will be happy.
The following are 4 succulent species that will not do well in a windowless office or room:
1. Echeveria
Echeveria are known for their pretty rosette shape and fleshy leaves. With bright sun, their leaves can range in color from purple, red, blue, or yellow.
Echeveria need several hours of bright sun every day to prevent etiolation (stretching out). Echeverias quickly lose their rosette shape without enough sunlight and will turn into a leggy mess.
Furthermore, without ample sunlight, Echeveria leaves lose their unique pink and purple tones and revert back to a green color.
2. Graptopetalum
While Graptopetalums are pretty hardy succulents that are able to tolerate neglectful conditions, they do not do well in low light.
Lack of sunlight can turn Graptopetalum’s leaves back to a light green color and lead to long stretched out stems. If you have one of these, it is best to keep it near a sunny window that receives at least 6 hours of bright sun. It will not be happy in the shade.
3. Sempervium ‘Hen and Chicks’
The Sempevium succulent is nicknamed ‘hen and chicks’, with the mother rosette being the “hen” and the little offsets she grows at the base being the “chicks”. It has thin, slender leaves and a beautiful rosette shape.
Sempervium’s optimal colors are seen with several hours of bright, full sun per day. Inadequate light can distort their rosette shape and give it a weird stretched out look. With enough light, the mother rosette will grow several offspring and soon you will have 10 little chicks.
4. Aeonium
Known for their beautiful flower-like shape and woody stem, Aemoniums require several hours of full sun per day to thrive, making them unsuitable for low light rooms or offices.
Besides their light needs, aemonium are quite hardy plants and would make a great addition to any room with a plenty of bright sunlight.
Low light succulent FAQ:
My succulent did not get enough sun and now it is all stretched out. What do I do?
As long as your succulent is in good shape otherwise, it can be fixed! While you can not shrink the etiolated growth back, you can behead the top, compact rosette and grow a new plant from the cutting. Don’t worry, it is not as scary as it sounds.
Take a pair of sharp garden shears and cut 1.5 inches below the rosette’s stem. Leave the stem out to callous for 3 days, then plant it in well-draining soil. Wait a week, then water the cutting. You can water once a week after that. Provide your cutting with bright, filtered light.
The leaves on the bottom can be propagated as well to make new rosettes. Wiggle them off the stem, making sure you take the entire leaf off. Just lay them on top of soil after they have had a few days to callous. Spray the soil every 4 days. After a few weeks, roots will form and soon after, a small rosette.
Learn more about etiolation here
For a complete propagation guide, check here
Why did my succulents leaf color change from pink/purple/red to green?
When some succulent species receive enough light, they can turn many different vibrant colors, including pink, purple, yellow or red. This is called “sun stress” and means that the place you brought your plant from was providing it with special conditions to reach this color, such as a lot of sun, less water, or cold temperatures.
If your succulent has turned green after a few weeks in your low light area, there is nothing wrong with it- green succulents are still healthy and nothing needs to be done.
However if you really want your succulent to go back to the vibrant colors it had, you will need to move it somewhere with more light. Try easing it into an area with more sun (but not too quickly or it can sunburn!). If you find your windows are not providing enough sun, you may have to get a grow lamp. Be aware that you might not be able to get your succulent to exactly the same color it was before- but that is okay! Your plant is still healthy.
If you want to sun stress your plants, you will need to put them in bright light. For windowless rooms, try any of the 6 low light succulents listed above!
Why does my succulent have mushy, brown stems or yellow, translucent leaves?
Any of the following are signs of over watering in a succulent:
- bottom leaves turning mushy or translucent yellow
- stem turning brown or black
- your succulent is losing its shape and looks “floppy”
This means your plant is suffering from root rot. This is a common problem and can be difficult to fix. Unfortunately, indoor low light succulents are especially prone to overwatering.
Allow the soil to dry out and decrease how often you water your plant. If a lot of the stem or leaves are damaged , you may have to cut away the healthy parts of the plant and focus on growing those. To learn more about how to fix root rot in detail, check this guide.
If the root rot is particularly extensive and the whole stem is mushy, you may only be able to chose a few leaves from the whole plant to propagate.
And that is how you grow succulents in a windowless room or an office with low light
As you can see, it is still possible to grow succulents in a windowless room or office. Indoor plants help purify the air, brighten up the space, and add more greenery. With the above tips, you can add a houseplant to any kind of room and see the benefits! There is no need to leave your indoor garden behind when you go to work any more.
What is your favorite low light houseplant? Let me know below!
Want to learn more about general succulent care? Check out this guide
Want to learn about cactus care? Check out this guide
