When bringing succulents indoors for the winter, pay attention to what kid of light they will require.

Some of Carol Barany's succulents, which spend the summer outdoors, and the winter indoors.

Succulents won't need as much water over the winter, but don't let them get bone dry.

Moving succulents indoors for the winter and taking care of them is a chore, but worth it when summer rolls around again.

When bringing succulents indoors for the winter, pay attention to what kid of light they will require.

Some of Carol Barany's succulents, which spend the summer outdoors, and the winter indoors.

Succulents won't need as much water over the winter, but don't let them get bone dry.

Moving succulents indoors for the winter and taking care of them is a chore, but worth it when summer rolls around again.

My house was just one stop on a recent neighborhood garden tour, and the most frequently asked question was, “What in the world are you going to do with all those succulents you have growing on your two porches?”

Maybe you have your own collection of succulents, and you’re asking yourself the same question.

The bad news is that most varieties are vulnerable to even a light frost and must be overwintered indoors. While they don’t have to be brought in yet, Yakima’s first freeze is inevitable, so be prepared. Adequate light is critical to keeping these treasures alive over the winter.

A succulent’s leaves or stems evolved into structures to store water, making them “juicy” and able to survive in arid climates or dry soil. If you grow cacti, echeveria, aloe, haworthia, hoya, sempervivum, sedum, ZZ plants, snake plants, or jade plants, you’re growing a succulent. When it comes to figuring out how much light your succulent needs, it all depends.

Desert cacti, cheveria, sempervivum, jade, aloe, aeonium, senecio, agave, sedum, and hoya are succulents that require direct sunlight. Maybe you’ve noticed that indoors, too little light causes what once was a tight, perfectly formed rosette to stretch taller and taller as it searches for the sun. As the stem lengthens, the leaves begin to space out (etoliation), and the plant becomes a spindly, pale and almost unrecognizable version of the healthy plant you started out with. It’s not easy duplicating full-sun conditions indoors in the winter, but bright light is what these succulents need to thrive. Six to seven hours in a south or west facing window is best.

Indirect light means that the sun’s rays are filtered in some way before reaching the plant. The area is still bright, but the light is not direct. Many types of succulents will thrive in indirect light including haworthia, Christmas cacti, snake plants, ZZ plants, kalanchoe, and peperomia.

While most plants do best in bright, indirect light, some can survive in lower light conditions as well. Low light usually means that plants are set at least a few feet back from a window and do not receive any bright filtered light or direct sun. Succulents that can tolerate low light conditions include snake plants, ZZ plants, kalanchoe and Christmas cactus.

Surprisingly, succulents don’t need to be kept especially warm during the winter. From 45 to 50 degrees is perfect, and keeping the plants cool like this will coax them into a semi-dormant state. A warm location could encourage the plants to grow. Given an indoor location and winter’s lower light intensity, leggy plants often result.

Succulents do most of their growing during warm, sunny weather. They need less water during the winter. In a cool room, you may only need to water once every 10 to 14 days. However, don’t let the soil become dust-dry. To tell if a plant needs watering, pick it up. If the pot feels light, add water just until it flows out the drainage hole. Be especially diligent in keeping the plant itself dry, especially rosette plants like echeverias. Water accumulating in the center of the rosette will encourage rotting.

Succulents don’t need any fertilizer during the fall and winter. Let the plants rest for now and begin fertilizing in the spring as they come out of dormancy.

Ciscoe Morris has some good advice for overwintering succulents when their containers are too large to bring indoors. Carefully dig the succulents up and pack them tightly beside each other in a plastic nursery flat. Make sure the roots are covered with a succulent potting mix. Over-winter the flat in a cool room with a bright window, or use fluorescent lighting. Water when necessary.

In April, put the flat outdoors on warm days and begin fertilizing with a soluble houseplant fertilizer at half-strength. Once the danger of frost has passed, increase watering and fertilize at full strength. As soon as the plants color up, it’s time to plant them back out into containers or a sunny well-drained location in the garden.

Remember that direct sunlight indoors is filtered through a window and is never as strong as direct sunlight outdoors. Come spring, when you move your tender succulents outdoors again, start with mostly indirect light for a couple of weeks. Too much sun, too soon, can burn the plant’s leaves.

Despite the fact that each year I manage to damage my hardwood floors because of indoor watering mishaps, I still consider my succulents to be plants worth saving. I do plenty of grumbling about the extra care they require. It takes hours to bring them inside, and just as long to move them out again in the spring.

But the extra effort is worth it.

Carol Barany and her husband, John, found paradise on 1 1/3 acres just west of Franklin Park, where they raised three children and became Master Gardeners. Contact her at florabundance14@gmail.com.

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