How to Hang Succulents & Cacti

Select your succulent and cacti varieties. Some good choices for hanging baskets include the burrow or donkey tail (Sedum morganianum), string of pearls (Senecio rowleyanus) hens and chicks (Sempervivums), and Christmas/Easter cactus (Schlumbergera or Zygocactus).

Fill your hanging baskets with a mixture of equal parts potting soil and sand. This mimics the growing medium common to most succulents and cacti.

Make a hole in the growing medium large enough to accommodate your plant. Place the plant in the hanging basket, at about the same depth at which it was growing and tuck the soil and sand mixture into any gaps.

Water the plant so thoroughly that it runs from the basket’s drainage holes. Allow it to completely dry out between watering, but always drench it when you do water. Shallow watering can result in distorted growth.

Use screws to attach decorative hooks near bright, sunny windows. Hang your plants from the hooks. If your succulents or cacti turn orange or brown, they’re getting too much sun; move them to a spot with more filtered sunlight.

Fertilize your cactus one or two times per year, when it is actively growing.The University of Minnesota recommends a houseplant fertilizer that is higher in phosphate than nitrogen and which is diluted with water by fifty percent. Succulents other than cactus should receive the same fertilizer mixture three to four times each year.