The cultivation methods and precautions for succulents (experience edition)

Methods and Precautions for Growing Succulent PlantsA very detailed introduction is about the small experience of succulent plants, the methods and precautions for growing succulent plants, and the related content is as follows:Many flower friends hope to see a valuable article on the methods and precautions for growing succulent plants, hoping to obtain useful knowledge for themselves in one article. For flower friends, the new experience of senior flower friends is better than thousands of uniform theoretical knowledge.There are many types of succulent plants, such as common ones like Crassulaceae, Aizoaceae, and Cactaceae, which can be called succulent plants, but the cultivation methods are different. Therefore, flower friends must understand clearly. This article mainly talks about Crassulaceae succulent plants, which are the common succulent plants we see.Let's take a look at the "Summary of My Sedum Potting Experience" by flower friend Xiaoyao Zhenren, hoping that flower friends can read carefully.The author is located in Jinzhou City, Liaoning Province. The highest temperature in summer is 38 degrees, and from November to March of the following year, the lowest temperature is minus 22 degrees. Generally speaking, minus 17 degrees is the extreme. The climate characteristics are less rain in summer, more wind in spring, short autumn, and large temperature fluctuations. Breeding conditions, outdoor windowsill, a small platform of about 8 square meters, and indoors in winter.SummaryMany friends who have just entered the meat pit are troubled by many things, such as which pot to use, soil proportion, which fertilizer and interval, watering frequency, etc., while old birds never worry about these things. Why? Because old hands understand that pots, soil, water, fertilizer, environment, and plants are a unified whole, and it is meaningless to focus on a single factor alone.For example, if the pot is very permeable, it doesn't matter if the soil particles are fine; if the soil is coarse particles and the fine content is very small, it is necessary to water frequently; if the soil contains a higher proportion of peat and other organic matter, the need for fertilizer is very small; if it is grown in the growth season with good ventilation, fertilizer and water can be supplied as much as possible; if the indoor environment is the main one, try to use small pots and strictly control the water; and so on. Of course, beginners lack knowledge and do not have the accumulation of experience that can be picked up at will, so they should still operate conservatively.Every meat lover is eager to see the beauty of Sedum, and low temperature, ultraviolet rays, water control, and ventilation are the magic of shaping and coloring. Many people are talking about temperature difference, and I myself am not very convinced. I think low temperature is the key point, and using temperature difference as a requirement is inaccurate. Low temperature and large temperature difference are not the same concept. In the northeast region, there are tens of degrees of temperature difference in all seasons, but Sedum will not be beautiful in summer. Why? Because the temperature is not low enough. Beginners must understand the relationship between ultraviolet rays and glass. Glass, due to its silicon content, blocks most of the ultraviolet rays in sunlight, while ultraviolet rays are essential for the beauty of Sedum.We must understand a truth, that is, why is Sedum beautiful? The so-called beauty is an emergency response of Sedum to harsh living environment, indicating that the environment is not suitable for growth. Strong ultraviolet rays, low temperature, water shortage and other unfavorable growth factors cause the plant to retract its leaves and change its pigments to cope with the harsh environment, which also slows down the growth rate. Therefore, growth and beauty are a contradiction. Beginners often ask: why does my beautiful Sedum become green vegetables and lose its beauty? The answer is that they are growing and have obtained a superior environment and are eating and drinking. Therefore, the extreme of beauty is degeneration. If you want Sedum to be beautiful, don't be good to it, abuse it!1. Choosing PotsI personally like coarse pottery pots, firstly because they are permeable, and secondly because my soil is rich in perlite, and pottery pots can ensure the stability of outdoor exposure and will not be blown over by strong winds. Coarse pottery pots are cheap, with a wide range of shapes to choose from. Although not as beautiful as purple sand, they are definitely more beneficial to plants than purple sand pots because the permeability of purple sand pots is much worse.Red pottery pots have very good permeability and are compatible with plant roots. They are a good choice for some plants that are very afraid of waterlogging. However, due to the capillary action of clay, the soil in the pot will dry up quickly. When maintaining normally, the frequency of watering should be increased. Some friends hope to achieve the appearance of controlling the shape and color with simple methods, so choosing red pottery pots is worth considering. It can make the soil dehydrate quickly.Plastic pots are cheap and light, save space, and are also very suitable. Now some plastic pots specially used for succulents have scientific bottom hole design and greatly improved permeability. However, in windy areas, the safety of outdoor exposure should be considered. In recent years, the root control pots that have emerged have very good permeability, but the water retention of single-layer root control pots is only slightly better than that of red pottery pots, so watering should be more frequent. The permeability of double-layer root control pots is similar to that of coarse pottery pots.Porcelain pots are only a bit heavier than plastic pots and can slow down the stimulation of the external temperature change to the roots. Because the bottom holes are simple, their permeability is much worse than that of plastic pots, especially narrow and deep porcelain pots are not suitable for raising meat, and special cushion layers need to be used to strengthen the permeability.The general principle of choosing pots is: the permeability of the pot wall should be good, shallow pots should be preferred over deep pots, wide-mouth pots should be preferred over narrow-mouth pots, and the safety of plants and the environment should be taken into account.2. Soil PreparationConsidering economy and practicality, my soil is mainly coarse perlite, Northeast pine needle soil, and gravel. The volume ratio is about 5:3:1, plus a small amount of charcoal, activated carbon, and nut shells. The advantage of this soil is that it has good permeability, slowly releases humic acid and other nutrients, is moderate in weight and very cheap, and the disadvantage is that it is not durable and will powder and cake. Although it will not affect the health of Sedum too much, it is not as durable as pure coarse-grained soil. My first batch of Sedum used coarse-grained soil, mainly light stones, planting stones, ceramsite, green zeolite, road construction gravel, charcoal, etc. used to raise orchids in the past. The particle size is mainly 0.6 to 1.2 cm, and no peat or pine needle soil is added. These pots have not been replaced for three years, and the condition is still very good now. This shows that coarse-grained soil is the best choice for adult plants.For soil used for sowing and seedling raising, I mainly use coconut糠 soil, peat soil, humus soil, vermiculite, fine perlite, and rice husk charcoal, basically mixed in equal proportion.If you don't care about the weight of the soil, don't consider the physical strength of screening and handling, I think the debris of weathered granite is the best soil for Sedum. The marketed maifan stone is actually a kind of granite. However, many of the maifan stones on the market are fresh gray and white granite gravel. You can see the reflection on the surface of the particles. This fresh rock has no water absorption and ventilation function, is difficult to release mineral nutrition, has sharp edges and corners, which will reduce the porosity of the soil and is not conducive to the roots. I suggest using highly weathered granite, which can be obtained without spending money in many places, but it is very heavy!Volcanic rock is a very poor granular soil. Although the volcanic rock on the market has many gaps and is cheap, the edges and corners are sharp, and it is very incompatible with plant roots. It can be considered as a paving material or a basin bottom cushion layer, and it is best not to use volcanic rock as a soil component.If you don't consider the cost, planting stones and green zeolite should be the best soil components, all excellent.Northeast pine needle soil is an excellent organic planting material. It is better than peat for adult plants. It has better permeability, stability and anti-corruption, but the pine needle soil of Masson pine in the south is different from this.The feeling of鹿沼土 and赤玉土 is general, and the cost performance is not good.Light stone, or pumice, can be used as a substitute for perlite, light, permeable, absorbent, and stable without powdering.Charcoal particles are a very good regulating component, versatile, of course, activated carbon is better.Diatomaceous earth looks good, but I doubt whether it is worth the money, and I doubt its affinity with plant roots.3. WateringI belong to the type who likes watering, and I will treat them differently according to the season, the difference of pot soil, and the difference of plants. In non-growing season, I will water along the edge of the pot, once every 10 days. In the growing season, it may be once every 5 days, and flood irrigation is used. For water-loving varieties like Aloe arborescens, the frequency should be increased, and tap water that has been placed for more than two days should be used. Due to the high hardness of local water quality, purified water should be used for spraying the leaves to avoid leaving salt deposits on the leaves. Salt deposits will block the stomata on the leaves, affect plant respiration, and are not conducive to aesthetics.Water droplets on the leaves will have a lens-like focusing effect, and under the sun, they will burn the plants. Therefore, try to choose to water in the evening when the sun has set, and the water droplets on the leaves will dry in the wind at night.As for whether to avoid watering on the leaves, I can't avoid it. It is impossible not to water on the leaves of dense clusters, so water as you like.After long-term indoor breeding, water control and exercise should be carried out before going out, and Sedum for outdoor exposure should stop watering and temper in autumn to fight against cold, extend the time of outdoor exposure, and reduce frostbite. Flower friends without outdoor exposure conditions, in addition to using thumb pots and granular soil, should also control water and shape, lengthen the watering interval, and water along the edge of the pot, without pouring through.4. FertilizationI like to use water fertilizer. In the growing season, it is once every half month. When watering, self-made fruit fermentation juice, self-made EM bacterial solution, biogas solution, beer, fermented bean cake and rapeseed cake solution, calcium treasure (a kind of trace element mixture), rapeseed hormone, amino acid fertilizer, potassium dihydrogen phosphate, superphosphate, urea, boron fertilizer, magnesium chloride, ferrous sulfate, etc. are added according to the difference of plants and seasons, and I call it cocktail fertilization method. Of course, a little controlled-release granular fertilizer is also used.Sedum has little demand for fertilizer. The general principle of fertilization is to absolutely avoid high concentration, and the concentration of soluble solids should generally be controlled at about one part per ten thousand. Avoid high nitrogen and do not feed biased. The quality of fertilizer is more important than quantity. The so-called quality refers to balanced nutrition.For Sedum in the seedling stage, a little urea or general nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer can be given to improve the growth rate. For adult plants, the use of nitrogen fertilizer should be cautious because nitrogen fertilizer will promote leggy growth.Phosphorus fertilizer is very important and should be placed in the first place among macroelements. Do not ignore the importance of trace elements. Biological fermentation fertilizer can help achieve balanced nutrition and should not be ignored.When fertilizing, the soil conditions should be referred to and treated differently. For example, if the soil has more peat, less nitrogen fertilizer can be used or not used at all, because the released humic acid is enough. Weathered or porous rock debris will release mineral nutrients naturally and slowly, while perlite and fresh rock, quartz river sand, etc. will not release nutrients almost at all.The porous particles in the soil will absorb free mineral elements and then slowly release them, which is very beneficial to the role of fertilizer. All the high-quality particles we use have this function.Fermentation juice and other liquid fertilizers containing live bacteria have the effect of promoting plant health and vitality, and can also help optimize the soil.Do not casually buy some compound fertilizer in the agricultural supply store and give it to Sedum to use. That kind of fertilizer is often of poor quality and not suitable for succulent plants. Potassium dihydrogen phosphate, etc. can be bought as analytical purity, online shopping or bought in chemical stores.5. MedicationEven if there are no visible pests and diseases, proper medication is still necessary. Insecticides and fungicides are used about once every two months, and they are poured into the roots with water. Insecticides mainly use abamectin, imidacloprid, scale control, etc., and fungicides mainly use carbendazim, methyl tobutrin, and chlorothalonil. When breeding indoors in winter, fungicides are used more frequently.The way of medication is mainly root irrigation and immersion basin, and spraying on the leaves is not important. Insects and bacteria are mainly in the soil, and systemic drugs can be absorbed by the roots.High manganese acid potassium solution is used to sterilize the soil for adult plants, and methyl tobutrin is used to sterilize the soil for sowing.Newly purchased goods are soaked in insecticides and fungicides for 20 minutes before being potted, which is useful.Pest control and disease prevention are mainly for prevention. Do not take action until pests and diseases occur, otherwise it may be too late. Not seeing insects on the plant does not mean that there is no pest damage. Most of the pest damage is hidden in the soil.Plants with serious pest or disease damage can be considered to be thrown away to avoid spreading.Occasionally, I use a little rapeseed hormone in biological hormone drugs.6. Shading, Rain Prevention and Cold PreventionThe local summer sun is also scorching. I personally feel that 33 degrees is a limit in my place. If it is lower than 33 degrees, basically no shading is needed. If it exceeds, shading is needed for varieties that are not resistant to exposure. My place is the drought area in western Liaoning, and there are few continuous rainy days, so rain prevention is not a problem.In early spring and late autumn, cold prevention is a big problem. The low temperature season is the golden season for Sedum. It is a pity to give up outdoor exposure, but precautions must be taken to prevent disasters. My experience is that most Sedum varieties can survive the weather with a minimum temperature of minus 5 degrees, and a few varieties such as长生草 and瓦松 can tolerate minus 20 degrees.For northeast meat friends who need to breed indoors in winter, the risk of outdoor exposure at the beginning of spring is very high. On the one hand, it is necessary to take advantage of the non-toxic sun as soon as possible to complete the safe transition, and on the other hand, the weather fluctuates greatly at that time, and the probability of sunburn and frostbite is high. Only with care and hard work can disasters be avoided.The resistance of plants is greatly related to the degree of exercise. Plants that have been tempered have thick skin and thick flesh, and their resistance is greatly strengthened, so it is meaningless to simply talk about how many degrees a plant can tolerate. You need to explore by yourself.7. Pollination and BreedingIn order to make Sedum bloom at the same time, they should be grown in the same environment, so that hybridization can be completed well. I like to use dental medication sticks as pollination tools. During the flowering period, attention should be paid to the health status of the mother plant. At this time, the mother plant consumes a lot. Once the physical strength of the mother plant is found to be insufficient, the flower spikes should be cut off, the growth conditions should be improved, and recovery should be carried out as soon as possible.Phosphorus and potassium fertilizer and trace elements should be strengthened during the flowering and fruit setting period.8. Sowing and Seedling RaisingI like to sow in spring. The seeds are fresh at this time. After two months of seedling stage, it is relatively safe to spend the summer. The soil used for sowing is a mixture of peat soil, humus soil, coconut糠 soil, vermiculite, and fine perlite, basically mixed in equal proportion. Before sowing, methyl tobutrin is mixed with water for sterilization. The seeds are sown on the soil surface without covering the soil, placed in a bright place indoors, covered with a moisturizing box or plastic wrap, and germinate in about a week. During the seedling stage, it is necessary to keep alternating between dry and wet, exercise the strong seedlings, give enough light, and prevent leggy growth. Appropriate use of insecticides for immersion basin to prevent soil pests.Try to use the immersion basin method for watering during the seedling stage to avoid washing away the seeds and seedlings.Dwarf seedlings often occur, which is often a problem with the roots, or the soil has pests that eat the roots of seedlings, leading to seedlings with no roots or few roots. The treatment of dwarf seedlings can be pulled out, cut off the roots, changed the soil, and replanted.9. Planting New PlantsNewly purchased Sedum has complex sources, damaged roots, and unhealthy body shapes, so some work needs to be done when potting. Firstly, the roots should be cleaned up, the dead roots and weak roots should be cut off, and they should be soaked in a solution of insecticide and fungicide for 20 minutes. I often use abamectin and carbendazim together. This work is troublesome, but it is still necessary. No matter how good the imported plants look, they may hide risks. Caution is the only way to ensure safety.After the bath with medicine, the pots are potted directly, and the soil is watered with the solution of insecticide and fungicide until it is poured through, and placed in a place with good indoor light. As for the so-called moist soil potting and air-drying roots mentioned by others, I don't agree.10. Cultivation of Old StemsOld stems are very beautiful, but they should not be promoted. Some people tear off leaves to create old stems, but such old stems lack flavor and are not worth imitating. Time creates, patiently waiting for the magic of time, the magician's magical work