East-facing windows provide optimum light for plants and succulents that need bright light. If direct sunlight is what your succulents best thrive in, then east-facing windows are where they will do exceedingly well. So, what kind of succulents can actually thrive in an east-facing window?
Some of the best succulents for an east-facing window are Crassula Ovata, Haworthia Margaritifera, Senecio Radicans, Rebutia, Sansevieria, Aloe Vera, Agave Attenuata, and Kalanchoe Tomentosa. They grow exceedingly well in the ample sunlight that east-facing windows get.
If you have light coming in from the east, then you can grow many succulents that will thrive in that light. Let us take a look at some of the best succulents that you can grow in a window with eastern exposure.
Crassula Ovata
Crassula Ovata is an ornamental succulent that is also known as the Jade Plant. It is believed that this plant brings fortune to the one who owns it. This succulent is highly adaptable and can adjust to any range of light conditions. Placing them in an east-facing window will only enhance their growth and make them healthier.
This succulent has shoots that look a lot like its trunk and is a very tough succulent. Its green leaves retain a lot of moisture, giving it a plump look.
This plant needs to be watered once every month and needs to be potted in well-draining soil. In case the plant’s leaves start to fall off, a quick drink of water will help revive the plant back to its original green glory.
Haworthia Margaritifera
Because of the way it looks, this plant is also known as the Zebra Cactus. This plant can also survive well in low light and filtered sunlight. The plant grows in clusters of deep green leaves with white dots all over it, giving the plant its nickname.
Zebra Cactus is of the same family as Aloe Vera, so it is as easy to maintain as its cousin. Like the aloe plant, the Haworthia Margaritifera also has leaves pointed in the end and are swollen all the way with water. Because this plant can grow exceedingly well in low light and under the shade of rocks, it makes for a great houseplant that you can place on your window sill.
You can water the plant once a month and allow it to drain fully between your watering sessions. In naturally humid regions, you can consider watering the plant only when the potting soil has dried up completely.
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Senecio Radicans
This plant looks like a string of miniature bananas and is also commonly referred to in the same way. Pretty with its long tendrils of leaves that have curled and are plump with moisture, this plant is also a very fast-growing plant.
Senecio also needs a medium to low light to thrive, and east-facing windows provide just that. Senecio is easy to maintain as it needs watering only once a month.
The plant grows best if it is occasionally trimmed. This will encourage the strands of the plant to grow more fully by splitting. A well-kept Senecio plants flowers in the autumn and winter months.
Rebutia
The succulent Rebutia is also known as Crown Cactus. It is spherical in shape, and there are bright red flowers that sprout at the base of this plant. This plant flowers indoors easily, making it a great choice if you plan to keep the plant indoors on the ledge of an east-facing window. Maintaining Rebutia is also easy; all you need to do is keep it away from a high heat source and avoid overwatering the plant.
Because this plant likes to avoid high heat, keeping it on an east-facing window makes more sense as the early morning light is gentle, and thereafter, during the rest of the day, the plant will only get the sun’s indirect light.
Sansevieria
The succulent variety of Sansevieria is more commonly referred to as the snake plant. It has pointy leaves that look like the raised hood of a snake’s head. The leaves grow in clusters and are relatively thin compared to other succulents.
Sansevieria plants are considered indestructible as they can survive in very little water for very long periods of time, and it also needs minimal lighting. An east-facing window will give this plant just the optimum level of light it needs to thrive, though it can do just as well in less well-lit corners as well.
This plant is a natural air purifier, and so it is often recommended to keep this plant in the bedroom to reap the benefits of the nighttime oxygen that this plant is believed to produce.
Both filtered sunlight, as well as low light, works well for this plant. You only need to water this plant once a month, even less if you are in a tropical climate where the humidity levels are high. If in doubt, wait for the potting soil to dry up before watering the plant again completely.
Aloe Vera
The aloe vera plant is easily recognizable by its narrow, pointy leaves. East-facing windows have less strong sun than the south side, but the aloe vera plant will do well even if it is kept on the east side. This plant can grow up to three feet tall and is very resilient in partially shaded areas or even under artificial light.
Aloe Vera plants can be considered not just for east-facing windows but for any other low-lit areas such as office spaces.
This plant has medicinal properties and is often used for moisturizing purposes and skin ailments. All you will need to do is cut the plant’s outer leaf at the base and then peel off the outer leaf layer to access the gel inside, which can then be applied to the affected skin.
This plant needs to be watered once every three weeks and even less during the winter months. Make sure that the pot drains well to ensure growth.
Agave Attenuata
This is considered the landscape artists’ favorite as this plant is highly drought-resistant and can thrive in extreme conditions. Outdoors, this plant can grow up to 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall and 8 feet wide (2.4 meters), but the young plants can also be potted on window sills.
This video shows how baby Agave Attenuata can be propagated from baby cuttings in soil and water:
Agave is highly versatile and can tolerate both the sun and shade, making it the perfect succulent you can consider keeping in your east-facing window. You need to water this plant every two weeks or when the pot is dry.
Kalanchoe Tomentosa
This plant is also just as versatile as the others mentioned in this list and can tolerate both the sun and the shade.
This is a high drought tolerant plant and has low watering needs. You can easily keep it on the east-facing window of your home to watch it grow. If you like the panda-eared variety of this plant, this Kalanchoe Tomentosa, Panda Ears Velvet Rare Succulent Plant Cactus Cacti, will be a great purchase.
Conclusion
Succulents are perhaps the easiest of all plants to keep. They can withstand neglect and variation in light. East-facing windows are great for succulents as it helps the succulents get direct sunlight in the early hours of the morning. There is also the guarantee of a steady source of indirect sunlight throughout the rest of the day, great for your succulents.