 Hi everybody, today we're gonna be talking about how to take care of our succulents and cacti in the winter. Okay, coming up. Our succulents and cacti love bright light and in the winter we don't get so much of it. So the first tip is to increase the light that you provide for your succulents and cacti. There are different ways that you can do this. The first is actually moving your succulents closer to a window. As you move them closer to the window, the light intensity will be stronger. Now, of course, this also depends on window orientation. For example, here in Berlin, south-facing windows get way more light than north-facing windows. So when I move my succulents closer to the windows, I tend to move them closer to a south-facing window. But of course, in the winter, we don't get as much light as in the summer, even in front of a south-facing window. This is because in Berlin, we get sunlight from 7.30 a.m. to about 4 or 4.30 p.m. And the light that we get between those hours is not as intense as in the summer or in the spring. So in the winter, even if I put my succulents in front of a south-facing window, they will still not get enough sunlight, which is generally bright light every day for 12 hours. So if you are like me, I would recommend that you get a grow light for your succulents. I'm actually using a special grow light for succulents right now. This is a full-spectrum grow light from Sansi Grow Lights. And I turn it on from 7.30 a.m. to 7.30 p.m. So my succulents get bright light for 12 hours every day. Now, to help you decide whether you need a grow light or not, what I recommend is that you check the growth of your succulents and cacti. If you see that your succulents or cacti are actually growing really thin and long, this means that they're actually growing towards the sunlight, and they are not getting enough of it. If this is the case, I would recommend that you get a grow light so they get the amount that they need. Now, as much as succulents and cacti need light in the winter, they don't need fertilizer. I usually water my succulents in the growing season, which is from summer to full, but in the winter, I actually stop fertilizing them. This is because succulents and cacti generally grow very slowly in the winter, or they go completely dormant. So they don't need fertilizer at all. And in order to prevent over fertilizing them, I just stop fertilizing in the winter. The same goes with water. We want to cut back on water. So during the growing season, I usually water my succulents every two weeks or so. But in the winter, I water about every month. This is because we really wanna make sure that the soil dries out completely in between waterings. This is true in the spring, as it is in the summer, as it is in the winter. And you will notice that in the winter, the soil dries out slower than in the summer, for example. So in order to make sure, I always recommend that before you water your succulents, you check the soil, and make sure that it has dried out completely, and then you can water. Talking about letting the soil dry out completely in between waterings, the putting mix that you use for your succulents is also very important. So make sure that your succulents have a succulent-friendly putting mix, or if you make your own, make sure that you put some perlite, pumice, sand. This is gonna increase the drainage in your mix, and it will make it more breathable for the roots. I'm using my own putting mix now for my succulents, and I can see the difference. It's very fluffy, so it's very breathable, and it has very good drainage. Another tip that I can give you is that you always put a top dressing on top of the putting mix. This will prevent your plant from standing in wet soil, and hence will prevent rot at the base, which is very useful for the winter, as we don't open the windows so much, and the air ventilation in our homes is not the best, so a top dressing will be very helpful. Okay, you guys, so do you have any other tips for succulent winter care? Make sure to comment below so we can all learn together. And as always, I will see you in the next video. Okay, ciao!