A quick answer is yes. Eggshells are good for succulent plants, as long as you wash them thoroughly to make them clean and free from pathogens that may get there is the first place. You can also soak them in hot water to make them safer. I have seen many succulent growers using eggshells and they don’t have any problem.
If you are new to using eggshells, you may also want to know how to plant succulents in eggshells. This technique is a bit controversial and not well-known, but since I’ve done it myself I will now show you how you can do it to!
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How to plant succulents in eggshells?
Planting succulents in eggshells is easy. You just need to remember the following simple steps. Before anything else, you need a half-dozen carton of eggs, a small succulent (small enough to fit well into six eggshells) and a potting soil. You also need some tools such as butter knife, small spoon and spray bottle.
Before we look at the exact steps, I want to point out one thing: if possible, try to get shells from eggs from chickens (or other birds) that were grown organically. Remember that eggs from supermarkets come from chickens that eat a lot of chemicals and are grown with the help of certain additives and antibiotics. Just as they aren’t good for you, they aren’t good for your plants. It is much better asking your neighbor who has a few chicks on his garden for some eggs, or buy these in a shop with bio/organic goods…. Let’s move to the steps:
1. Open the eggshell
First, you need to open the eggshell using the butter knife and carefully tap the pointy top of the eggshell, until you create a small hole or small crack. Using your finger, remove the crack side in the shell and have a hole that is big enough to separate the whites and yolk from the shell. Remember that you need to take everything away before you can plant the succulent.
2. Wash the eggshells with water
This is obvious perhaps, but you need to clean the shells. Softly rinse the eggshells using a soap and warm water and let it dry in the carton under the sun. Make sure that you do it gently though, and the end of the day an egg can break easily, so if you are not careful enough you may see your shells breaking into pieces and you’ll have to start all over again.
3. Fill the eggshells with potting soil
The third thing you need to do is to fill the shells with potting soil once it has dried. You can use your fingers or a small spoon to fill it with potting soil for about ¾ of the shell. Never fill it completely, you need to leave some space of the plant and also for some maneuvering. Remember to use the right soil for succulents, the fast draining soil (check my favorite soil mix on Amazon).
4. Plant and water the succulent
The fourth thing to do is to place the succulents to the shell. Remove the succulent plants from their original containers with care. Then gently plant them on top of the soil. Again, keep on your mind the eggshells are fragile. You need to do this cautiously, in order to not break your new container in the very last step! After transferring the succulent plants into the shells, you need to give them water immediately. But just a little bit, since succulents do not like too much water.
Also, make sure that the newly transferred succulents have access to light. Do not place them under direct sunlight because they can get sunburned or die.
Maintaining succulent plants in eggshells, few actionable tips
- Give them enough sunlight. First, you need to make sure that your succulent plants will get just enough light. Succulent plants need light for about six hours of sunlight per day, but small succulents freshly planted in eggshells won’t sustain scorching sun.
- Rotate the succulent plants occasionally. Rotate the plants occasionally because these plants really love the direct sunlight. It is important especially if only half of the plant is exposed to light, such as when you place your succulents near a window.
- Water your plants according to the season. Succulent plants need more water when they are actively growing. In summer they need more water than in colder seasons. What I use for my succulents is the soak and dry watering method. Said simply, it means that you need to water succulents as soon as the soil gets dry. When you water, make sure to soak the soil not the plant. Then water again only when the soil dries.
- Keep the succulent plant clean. If your succulent plants are placed indoors in eggshells, they will gradually pick up some dust. You need to clean their leaves and spines with a damp cloth. You can also use a small paintbrush to get rid of some dust that it is hard to reach with a cloth.
- Choose the right soil for your succulents. Succulents aneed fast-draining soil to keep them safe from over-watering. You can make your own fast-draining soil for your succulents. In my case though, I buy my soil from online stores (check my recommended fast-draining succulent soil on Amazon).
- Keep your succulents safe from bugs. You can use organic pesticides to get rid of the pests. The solution is 1 spoonful of dish-washing soap, vinegar, and water. Put it in a small bottle that you can spray your succulent plants with.
Final thoughts
Eggshells are good for succulents. Many succulent growers use eggshells and they have a good result, regardless of whether they simply add it to the soil mix (as an interesting source of nutrients), or they experiment with planting small succulents in eggshells.
Just make sure that you follow the advice from this post, and anytime possible, use eggs from organic farming (or from the chicks your neighbor has on their garden). At the end of the day this isn’t better only for your plants. It is better also for the planet…
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