How Many Days Can Succulents Survive In A Box

Succulents are an attractive household plant to so many people because they look lovely without much care needed. You might even be interested in making a terrarium out of a table, but you have to wonder: how many days can succulents survive in a box?

With proper soil, succulents can last 10 – 15 days in a box. Others can last a few months up to several years with proper watering and sunlight.

You’ve done all your research, and now you need to choose which succulents will last the longest. Keep reading to learn about 10 of the most popular succulents and how long they’ll live in a box. 

Snake Plant

If you want a succulent that can certainly take some punches, then the snake plant is going to be the succulent for you.

You might not know precisely how to make a terrarium table, so the snake plant could be a great choice for you.

Snake plants don’t need much love to thrive and can easily tolerate a lack of water and sunlight without a problem.

You’ll need a large table because snake plants can shoot to a height of almost 6 feet! I don’t know if you know this, but that’s the height of some full-grown men. I hope you have enough space for a table that size in your living room! Your snake plant will live even if your table isn’t the best.

Aloe Vera

We’ve all heard of aloe vera before. Most of us know it’s the perfect cure for someone who’s been out in the sun for too long. But how well will an aloe vera plant survive in a box – a terrarium table?

Theoretically, an aloe plant will survive in a terrarium-like table, but your problem will be space.

Aloe vera plant leaves can grow to be almost two feet long, so you’re going to need a pretty large table if you want your aloe vera plant to be able to thrive!

In addition, aloe plants need ample sunlight, which your terrarium table may not get, so the growth of your aloe vera won’t be as strong as if your plant gets full sunlight. 

Jade Plant 

Jade plants are hardy succulent that can easily be grown inside the house.

You can plant jade plants on a terrarium-like table, but you will want to ensure that the dirt in the box you will be growing your plant in is deep enough.

Jade plants don’t have extensive root systems that need lots of soil, but your jade plant needs to be planted deeply to ensure it has the support it needs to stay upright. 

As its foliage continues to grow, the jade plant can become top-heavy, which can cause it to topple over. This isn’t an immediate death sentence for your jade plant, but constant uprooting inside your table could cause your jade plant to start dying. 

Sweetheart Hoya 

The Sweetheart Hoya is one of the best options for a table that you’ve turned into a terrarium.

The stem of a Sweetheart Hoya can grow to be a few feet long, but the heart-shaped leaves only grow to be a few including tall, making it a great choice for a terrarium on a table.

In addition to its compact size, Sweetheart Hoya plants like humidity above 50%, so if the plant is usually sealed inside a table or a box, it will be happy sitting in the humidity of its moisture. Even though it likes humidity, you only need to water your Sweetheart Hoya once or twice a month, so you won’t constantly be messing with your table.

If you like terrariums and are handy enough to craft your own box on a table for your succulents, you might also love the cute aesthetic of the Sweetheart Hoya. This succulent is a win all around! 

Christmas Cactus

Christmas Cacti thrive in bright, indirect light, so if you have a terrarium table in a sunny living room, you may have the perfect conditions for a Christmas Cactus. 

A Christmas Cactus can have hanging foliage, so a terrarium table may be a little shallow for this succulent, but you can get around that by making a box that is deep in your table.

If you choose a Christmas Cactus for your terrarium table, you will need to be careful with watering. Most Christmas Cacti are in pots with drainage holes, but putting a hole in your coffee table sounds like it will quickly spell disaster.

Rather than giving your cactus a soaking watering like you normally would, give it less water more often to keep the soil from getting swampy.

You can also prune a Christmas Cactus that is getting too large for its enclosure. This will not kill your Christmas Cactus. 

Sticks On Fire

Sticks on Fire can be grown inside a closed environment like a box or terrarium table if you choose.

A terrarium-style environment may be one of the best places to grow Sticks on Fire.

The plant didn’t get its name for no reason. The sap that comes from this plant can cause rashes on humans and animals if it comes in contact with skin. A closed environment like a table is one of the safest ways to enjoy this plant inside.

In order for your Sticks on Fire plant to grow as long as possible inside a box, give it little water because it does not like its soil to be too wet.

Burro’s Tail

Burro’s Tail can add interest to your table with its bushy, hanging stems. 

Burro’s Tail doesn’t need much water, like most succulents, so you can pop it on your table and know it will thrive without constant watering and babysitting.

I would recommend keeping Burro’s Tail in a separate pot in your table terrarium. It has long, hanging stems, so you can see it cascade down the side of the pot rather than splay across the soil in the terrarium.

You may prefer to see it run across the soil, though, and you can choose to plant it at the same level as the other succulents in your terrarium too.

Burro’s Tail is hardy without needing much care, so you can know that this succulent will last several years inside a box on your table. 

Hen And Chicks

As long as your Hen and Chicks succulent are with other desert-loving succulents, it will thrive on a terrarium-like table. 

Your table should have a few holes to allow moisture to escape if you plan to plant Hen and Chicks. This plant does not like moisture, so to give it the best chance of thriving, you will need to give it some airflow. 

Overall, Hen and Chicks are a good choice for this type of project for two main reasons:

• Hen and Chicks tend to grow closer to the dirt, so you do not need to worry about them getting too tall for the terrarium. 
• Hen and Chicks do not need consistent watering since it is a desert succulents, so you do not need to open and close the box to water the plant.