Choosing the best houseplant and succulent tool kit can be daunting for beginners. There are loads of houseplants and succulent tools out in the market and its hard to tell if it will actually be useful or not. Let me share with you the stuff and tools that I use for gardening.
I have been growing houseplants and succulents for a few years now, and have tried using different houseplants and succulent tools. Having the right tools can make your houseplant and succulent gardening life easier and your plants happier! As plant parents that are our goal. We all want to have thriving houseplants and succulents under our care. You can also read some helpful gardening tips for beginners.
Let me share with you my recommended houseplants and succulent tool kits and other stuff that I personally use in indoor and outdoor gardening.
Soil
LECA / Hydroleca / Clay balls
LECA is one of my favourite growing media for my houseplants and succulents. I’ve had great success in using this medium for my plants. I typically use semi hydroponics method for my house plants so I won’t get any watering problems (over-watering and under-watering). As well as, no fungus gnats!
I have also started using dry LECA for my succulents. You can read this blog post that I made about growing succulents in LECA.
Alpine Soil / Horticultural Grit / Alpine Rock
These are my top pick for my succulent soil mix. I have made another blog post explaining the best succulent soil mix that you can use to ensure that it is a fast-draining mix.
Perlite / Moss / Bark
These are my ingredients for my houseplant media. I prefer to use a chunky soilless mix for my houseplants as I’m always worried about overwatering them or the medium won’t dry quickly and would cause the root system to rot. So for my houseplant soil mix is typically consist of Bark, Grit, LECA and Moss.
I mainly use perlite for propagation. I typically put a fresh unrooted cutting in perlite until it show up a new signs of growth and roots.
Fertilisers
Chempak
Chempak Succulent and Cactus fertiliser is the one I personally use for my succulent collection. This type of Chempak fertiliser is a low nitrogen one to help maintain the succulents compact form. I always prefer to have a low nitrogen fertiliser for my succulents now.
Formulex
For my houseplants in LECA and semi hydroponics I use the Formulex nutrient solution. This is ideal nutrient solution so that the plants in semi hydroponics can have a good supply of nutrients and minerals it needs for a healthy growth.
Pots
Terracota Pots / Ceramic Pots / Hanging Baskets
Most of my succulents are planted in terracotta pot mainly due to their great draining capabilities. Then some of the succulents that prefer to be on a moist side, I use ceramic pots. I love making succulent arrangements and have them in a hanging basket. I prefer to use the coco husk hanging basket so I can take advantage of the fast-draining material of the coco liner.
Orchid Pot / Glass Vase / Clear Plastic tumblers
I use the clear orchid pots mainly for my houseplants and use a ceramic pot as the catch pot for it. I prefer to use these transparent pot so I can observe what’s happening in the root area of the plant. The glass vase and clear plastic tumblers are mainly use for my houseplants in LECA and semi hydroponics. I also want them to be transparent so I can see the root developments when converting them from soil to LECA.
Self Watering Pots
Since I mostly forget when was the last time I water my plants and busy with work, I went to get these self watering pots. I have all of my Jewel Alocasias in these pots since they love the moisture yet don’t want a wet media. They are all thriving in this self- watering pots and I don’t have to worry about the strict watering schedule.
Miscellaneous Items
Humidifier
I personally use Elechomes Ultrasonic Humidifiers for my houseplants. Providing a decent amount of humidity is important for tropical plants, most especially over wintertime as the home heating system will be on all the time.
Grow Lights
Provide sufficient light is important to make your houseplants and succulents happy. I personally use this grow light for my houseplants and some tender succulents that I keep indoor over winter time. It provides a natural light spectrum enough for the plants to thrive even on an indoor settings.
Grow tunnels
UK’s weather is not ideal for succulent growing, as English weather is full of rain showers the majority of the year. Hence it is ideal to have these grow tunnels to protect succulents from the excessive downpour. For a more permanent structure in the future, I would prefer to have a greenhouse.
Succulent Tool Kit
Having a good succulent tool kit makes your gardening life a little bit easier. Succulents are known for the compact and little forms hence having a mini succulent tool kit is a great aid to help you look after your succulents well. The succulent tool kit has a mini shovel, brush, little rake and many more!
Soil Moisture Meter
I can’t stress more strong enough especially to newbie growers of houseplants and succulents to have a soil moisture meter. It is one of the most important tools in my succulent tool kit. This helps me to determine if the soil is too wet for the plants so I can easily determine when to water them.
Hand type Blower
Having a little squeezy hand blower helps me to remove the water on the crown of my succulent plants. This is mainly for preventing the water crown to get sunburned and getting overwatered. It is also be used to tidy up some dirt on the plant after being potted.
Tweezers
Tweezers will your best friend in removing dried succulents leaves. It is important to get rid of these dry leaves to improve the air flow of the plants. Using a tweezers can help you to reach those little spaces that your fingers can’t get to in tidying up succulents.
Diatomaceous Earth
A natural bug killer! It is a good practice to include diatomaceous earth mixed into your house plant and succulent soil mix. This will initially prevent any bugs to devour your plant. I personally use this and mix it on my soil mix and my succulent top dressing.
Plant Labels
I personally use plant labels in my collection. This is to help me to familiarise their names and can be able to determine quickly the care needs that they require. I also use this label maker to keep it neat and legible.
Hobby Knife and Scissors
I typically use my hobby knife and pruning shears to cut my houseplants and succulents neatly. This will ensure a neat cut and won’t cause too much damage to the plant tissue and it will heal quicker and wouldn’t introduce rot.
Mesh Tape
One of the must-have on your houseplant and succulent tool kit is mesh tape to cover the drainage holes in my pots whether it is terracotta, ceramic or plastic. This is to ensure that the media won’t clog the drainage hole and the media won’t also drain too much.
Ph Down Solution
Using a PH down solution is a great help to make your tap water ideal for plants most especially in semi-hydroponics. This will help your water to become softer and neutral PH.
Ph Tester Kit
I also use a PH tester kit to ensure that the correct PH levels of my water after adjusting with the PH down solution.
Heat Mat
Heat Mat is a lifesaver for my plants most especially during winter and the propagation stage. Another advantage of having a heat mat to promote a warm environment for the plant root system is ideal to help the plants transition with LECA and semi hydroponics.
Plant Stands
Using plant stands helps me organise my succulents outdoors in the garden and my house plants. I’m currently using the three tier and four tier plant stands together with other tables and shelves that can support the weight of the pots.
3-TIER PLANT STAND
Elevate your indoor garden game with the stylish 3 Tier Plant Stand. Organize and display your plants like never before.
4-TIER PLANT STAND
Maximize your vertical space and showcase your plant collection with the 4 Tier Plant Stand. Add a new dimension to your indoor or outdoor garden.
Plant Propagation Box
I love using my propagation boxes for my unrooted cuttings. It provides an ideal environment of high humidity, sufficient light when used with grow lights and warmth for the cuttings to develop a healthy root system.
ELECTRIC PROPAGATOR
Accelerate your plant propagation journey with an electronic propagator. Discover how you can boost germination and root development in a controlled environment.
PLANT AEROPHONIC
Unlock the future of plant growth with X-stream Plant Aeroponic systems. Experience faster, healthier, and more efficient plant development.
Self Watering Wick Cord
I tend to underwater my houseplants, so I do prefer to have a self-watering system for my plants that is in soilless media. Since most the self-watering pot can be expensive, I do DIY a self-watering pot with the help of the self-watering wick cord. Just cut it to the right length to ensure that will touch the bottom of the catch pot and weave it around the pot where you will put your plant.
WICK CORD
Struggle with underwatering? DIY your own cost-effective self-watering pot with our versatile wick cord. Get started and ensure your soilless media plants stay hydrated.
Plant Ties
Plant ties are definitely handy in tidying out houseplants will long petioles or supporting them to get a better grip on its pole or medium. I personally use jute string or the velcro plant ties.
JUTE STRING / TIES
Embrace the natural choice for plant support with jute strings or twine. Shop now and give your plants the gentle, eco-friendly support they need.
VELCRO PLANT TIES
Secure your plants with the ease and convenience of velcro plant ties. Grab your reusable, adjustable solution for staking and supporting your greenery.
Hygrometer
I use hygrometer to determine the humidity levels inside the house. This is to ensure that it is ideal for the house plants. I tend to go for 60% to 65% humidity for my aroid plants and for my succulents around 40% to 45%.
HYGROMETER
Optimize your indoor garden by monitoring humidity levels with a hygrometer. The perfect hygrometer for maintaining that 60-65% sweet spot for your aroids and 40-45% for your succulents.
Hydrospike
The Hydrospike is a lifesaver for my plants and save it from dehydration! It is also a great help to keep them moist and ideal watering aid when I am away for a few days. Hydrospike use a wicking action to water the plant so you can trust that the plant won’t drown in water even when you are not attending to them.
HYDROSPIKE
Unlock effortless plant care with Hydrospike’s unique wicking action. Safeguard your plants against dehydration and overwatering, even when you’re away.
I hope that this list of my personally used and best-recommended houseplant and succulent tool kit can help you to make your gardening life easier.