What is a Jellyfish succulent arrangement? A jellyfish succulent arrangement is a cluster of succulent varieties which trail from its basket resembling a jellyfish.
Many people tend to use vine-like plants which usually grow downward, and it makes them look like jellyfish.
Making a jellyfish succulent arrangement is a fun and easy project to get involved with. You can use your creativity and make something special as you desire.
You may mainly use two types of succulents for this purpose. For example, you may use cascading plants such as hens and chicks and stonecrop sedums to create jellyfish tentacles. Then you can use Echeverias or any other rosette-forming plants as the base or body of the jellyfish.
You can be creative and try to put the succulent arrangement in place. So, when applying this concept, you need to recreate the look of jellyfish into your succulent arrangement.
How to make jellyfish succulent arrangement
What do you need?
Further, as the other type, you can use any other rosette-forming succulent. That you can use for the middle of the succulent’s body.
Besides, you need to arrange the right type of hanging baskets also. It could most probably be a coated metal black or plastic cocoa fiber basket.
However, I recommend using a cocoa fiber basket since they are eco friendly and drain well . Not only that, you may also decompose them as well. They are durable as well.
Further they can come with a chain also. In addition to that if it doesn’t come with a chain, you need to arrange a hook to hang them so that the pot will stay steady.
Apart from that you need to arrange a garden cloth, felt, thin wire and needle. Lastly, ensure that you arrange a soil mix which has excellent drainage.
The base
As base you can use succulent soil mix. You can prepare the soil mix at home or you can buy a good succulent soil from a plant store. Mainly the soil should be porous and neutral pH.
Hanging succulent for middle
As aforesaid, you need to get ready with two types of succulents. You may use attractive flower looking plants for this purpose.
Keep in mind that whatever the succulents you use should have the same requirements when it comes to water and sunlight in.
Check on their active growing season as well. Either all of them should be winter growers or summer growers.
In case if you end up using succulents which have numerous requirements, it would be difficult for you to look after them.
- Burro’s Tail (Sedum morganianum)
- Trailing Jade (Kleinia petraea, Senecio jacobsenii)
- Ruby Necklace (Othonna capensis)
- String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyanus)
- String of Nickels (Dischidia nummularia)
Rat Tail Cactus (Aporocactus flagelliformis) - Monkey’s Tail (Hildewintera colademononis)
- Fishbone Cactus (Selenicereus anthonyanus)
Other succulents you need
There are so many spectacular looking succulents which form in numerous colors and in numerous shapes which you can use to recreate the body of the jellyfish succulent arrangement. You may use either four or six plants in different colors.
- Echeverias
- Aeonium (Aeonium sp.)
- Graptopetalum (a genus with 19 species)
- Adromischus (a genus with 30 species)
Preparation steps
you need hanging basket with coconut fiber lineup, suitable soil, wire mesh, wire cutter and selection of succulents .
First fill the hanging basket basket along with cactus soil or with the well-draining soil you arranged. You can apply it to a certain level as you wish. Keep in mind that the smaller pot you use, the less it would take to recreate the look of a jellyfish in the jellyfish succulent arrangement.
You can apply some fertilizers if you wish. It is not mandatory to do so but feeding them would be beneficial for the overall growth of the succulents.
Now you can plant a trailing succulent . When you plant the trailing succulents, you need to plant them from the low center of the basket so that they can hang in freely.
Once you grow them, it will give the look of tentacles which will give the image of the jellyfish. Once they grow along the baskets, some might think that they grow like hair.
Next secure the plant with mesh wire. Before setting the mesh wire cut a hole in the middle to part through. secure the wire mesh to the hanging basket with wires. Unless, when you water the soil, chances are that it may get heavy and tend to break out.
Next flip the basket over carefully and place it in a bigger pot. Then make hole in the coconut fiber to plant other rosette succulents.
After that you can add another four to six plants. However, when you plant them , make sure they have enough space between the plants to grow well.
Once you complete the steps, make sure that the succulents are well established and they do not fall on the ground after hanging.
You may add compost for this as it will further enhance the growth of the succulent arrangement. If there are some overgrown plant parts, you can trim them here.
Make sure you take care of the plants well. You need to locate them in a spot where they can absorb dappled sunlight. As you may already know, if you expose them to intense sunlight, it would be harmful for them.
Moreover, succulents have minimal requirements when it comes to water. Hence , ensure that you do not supply them with water in excess. If they are in the dormancy, you can skip watering them.
However, when you plant them, you should place them on a piece of garden cloth and then plant them in the soil mix.
That will firmly fasten them to the basket Bear in mind that it could get heavier once you place all of the plants and once the soil is moist.
Planting the succulents is the fun part out of all these steps. You need to use succulents which look different so that it would give a unique look for the entire set up and make it look even prettier.
Further I recommend using mature plants so that you will have faster results. Having said that, if you are not in a rush, you may use the cuttings instead of using the mature plants.
Once you use cuttings it will develop roots as they wish and freely. Furthermore anybody could afford having cuttings as well.
So, it is cost effective too. Having said that, one might think he doesn’t want to risk the project by using the cuttings. However, if you can ensure that you take care of them, you will succeed with the project.
How to take care of jellyfish succulent arrangement
If you wish to have the perfect look of the jellyfish, you need to look after them well.
In terms of the sunlight requirement, they would perform well in dappled sunlight.
Instead, they would perform well in filtered sunlight . When you grow them indoors and if they are running short of sufficient sunlight, you can place grow lights or fluorescent lights closer to the plants.
Ideally, they need to have at least six hours of full sunlight and warmer temperature for them. Furthermore, do not keep air conditioners and heaters closer to this.
In terms of the fertilizers , you need to make sure that you do it less often as unless it would lead to feed burns in the entire set up.
You need to ideally feed them when they are actively growing. it could vary depending on the fact whether they are winter growing plants or summer growing plants.
Moreover, I recommend using diluted balanced liquid fertilizers so that it would not create a strong effect on the plants.
Do not spill any water on the rosettes. Instead water the soil. simply if you soil any water on the rosettes on the leaves, it will contribute to rot.
Whenever you spot their soil is dry, you need to resume watering them. Do not ever leave them to be in soggy conditions as if not it would lead to diseases that will ruin the entire succulent arrangement.
You should protect the jellyfish succulents arrangement from the bugs as well. Hence why it is vital that you choose all healthy pest free plants.
Having said that, you could expect pest attack at any time and make sure you closely check the succulent arrangement on a daily basis.
If you spot at least one or two bugs, you need to immediately remove them whilst using a cotton ball soaked in alcohol. Alternatively, you may spray them with neem oil as well.
If you spot any dead plants in the arrangement, best is to remove them too. Despite how well you take care of them, there could be one or two succulents which will find it difficult to cope up with.
If you keep them in the arrangement for a long time, it literally means you are making the set up more attractive for pest’s attacks.
Usually , if you manage to do this project well, it will thrive for years with fine blossoms and with vigorous growth of all of them.
However, once they keep growing, the nutrients will deplete, and you might have to replace the old soil with a fresh soil mix.
That will pave the way for the plants to absorb nutrients freshly. However, when you do that, do it with caution and do not damage the plants.
Ensure that you replace the soil mix with an excellent drainage. Remove the old soil around the toots and if there are any overgrown root parts , you need to trim them using sterile tools.
Unless you are exposing the plants to infections. Further make sure that you replace their soil only if it’s dry only.
When you finish replacing the soil, you can place the succulents back in their proper place. Having said that, if you feel like doing any changes in the design , you may do that as well.
For example, if you wish to add new succulents , you can consider adding them here.
Conclusion
Making a jellyfish succulent arrangement is such a fun project. It would be so satisfying to see.
If you are someone who is very creative and who wishes to try new things in gardening this would be such a great project to be involved with.
How lovely it would be to spot them growing and flourishing. How wonderful to spot them carrying blooms ! Not only that but also you can get your kids also involved in this project and let them handle this as well.
You can give them some responsibility to look after them too. We are sure that they would also find this project interesting.
Making a jellyfish succulent arrangement and maintaining it is not easy, but that doesn’t mean that it is impossible to do too.
If you provide the right growing conditions to your jellyfish succulent arrangement you will succeed with this. It is worth doing this as the feeling you get after seeing them flourishing is non parallel to any other feeling especially if you are a passionate gardener. It will be such a great beautiful piece of living art !
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