Succulents & Humidity – All Your Questions Answered (and Next Steps)

Succulents and humidity sounds like an oxymoron.

For the most part, succulents originate from dry, arid conditions. It seems unnatural that they would survive indoors in humid environments.

Can it even be done?

Clearly people are confused, which is evident from the types of questions we receive from our readers like:

‘Do succulents like humidity?’

‘Can humidity kill succulents?’

‘How is humidity created indoors?’

Thankfully, we have combined our Green Thumb minds to provide you with the ultimate Guide to Succulents and Humidity. We answer all those perplexing questions, so you can provide the best care for your succulent plants.

So if you are ready to learn about succulents and humidity, grab a cup of coffee and let’s begin.

What is a succulent?

Before we jump into understanding the role of humidity, we think it is important to define what a succulent is. This way, you can be confident you are diagnosing the right conditions for the right plants (and not making assumptions).

By definition, a succulent is any plant that has thick, fleshy tissues on the plant that it uses for water retention. The parts of the plant that can be used for water storage include the stem, or even the leaves.

When you first hear the word ‘succulent’, it is natural for you to picture something with a thick stem covered in spikes (aka Cacti). However, there are other succulents called Agave plants, that have thick fleshy leaves which have also adapted to store water.

There are other plants that some people may consider belonging to the succulent family, such as the Hoya Pachyclada. Yes, their leaves are thick and fleshy like an Agave, but these plants are actually tropical plants that thrive in humid environments. And it would be incorrect to assume they are succulents.

So, to be clear, when we talk about succulents, we are referring only to cacti and agave plants.

How Does Humidity Affect Your Houseplants?

Getting humidity right with indoor plants is a bit like Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

Some plants find it too high. Some are too low. And reaching that elusive ‘just right‘ humidity level seems like an endless struggle.

But have you ever wondered why plants need humidity?

To understand this relationship, we need to familiarize ourselves with the plants process of transpiration.

Transpiration is vital to a plants’ health. The process involves the plant taking up water and nutrients via the roots, through the plants cells and then evaporating the water into the atmosphere via the leaves.

Humidity effects a