Discussing the Significance of Non-Dormancy in Seedlings of Succulent Plants
Sharing content about succulent plants, this article briefly discusses the significance of non-dormancy in succulent seedlings. Next, the editor will introduce the topic.
When I first came into contact with succulent plants, I learned from many sources that seedlings do not go dormant within the first year. However, various sources often emphasize only that seedlings are sensitive to low temperatures during winter dormancy (using winter-dormant cacti as an example for convenience), and need to maintain a higher temperature than adult plants to survive the winter. However, they do not explain whether seedlings will be forced into dormancy if they encounter low temperatures or what the consequences of dormancy might be. Initially, I personally understood the need to maintain higher temperatures for the first winter as a way to prevent frost damage in seedlings, but after years of practice and communication with succulent enthusiasts, I realized that non-dormancy in seedlings is crucial for their healthy growth in the following years.
In fact, the impact of low temperatures during winter on seedlings less than one year old is not due to frost damage. Practice has also shown that seedlings have pretty good cold resistance, of course, not as good as some mature succulent species that can tolerate temperatures below zero, but generally, as long as they are not frozen, they can safely survive the winter. For example, in the Shanghai and Hangzhou regions, placing them in a sunny indoor area can ensure a safe winter.
While they can safely survive the winter (not die), the growth停滞 caused by low temperatures becomes apparent in the second year of growth. Many people may notice that their seedlings grow at roughly the same rate before winter, but after one winter, they find that their seedlings hardly grow at all the following year. Therefore, it is common for succulent enthusiasts to see photos of seedlings sown by experienced gardeners on forums and feel disheartened: "I've been growing my plants for 2 or 3 years, and they are still only as big as someone else's seedlings after half a year."
Actually, this is an illusion; it's not that someone else's seedlings grow faster, but that one's own seedlings haven't grown much in the following years after winter. This is the so-called "stunted growth" phenomenon, which appears to be a serious consequence of growth停滞 caused by low temperatures.
I used to be puzzled by this myself, not understanding why my seedlings, which grew well the first year, hardly showed any growth after one winter. I always thought it was due to improper planting methods, so I tried methods like pruning roots, changing soil, and keeping them moist, but only saw rot and no improvement. In the middle, due to frequent occurrences of mealybugs, I always thought the problem was caused by pests.
Until the second half of 2006, I bought some one-year-old Gymnocalycium seedlings (sown in 2005) from a greenhouse, and compared them to my own seedlings sown in 2005, the size difference was very noticeable. My seedlings were less than 1 cm, while the greenhouse seedlings were already 1.5 cm. The significant differences that appeared in the care process afterwards surprised me.
I planted the greenhouse seedlings in 7 cm square pots, with 5 in each pot (one in each corner and one in the middle), and cared for them in the same environment as my own seedlings. After a year (May 2007), the 5 seedlings in the square pots were already competing for space and "killing each other off." I had to repot them, still 5 in the same pot, into 10 cm square pots. By this June, the seedlings were pressing against each other and deforming the pot, with the fastest-growing one reaching 5 cm, requiring another pot change, and they even started to bloom.
Meanwhile, my own Gymnocalycium seedlings sown in 2005 (all varieties like Trichocereus,春秋之壶) were only 2.5 cm big, with almost no growth in 2006, and seemed to recover in 2007, essentially growing in 2008.
By comparison, the same Gymnocalycium seedlings sown in 2005, after one year of greenhouse care, could grow to over 5 cm and bloom within three years, while my own seedlings and those bought from the greenhouse grew at least one year slower. Since these seedlings were all planted in the same environment at home after the second half of 2006, the only difference was that the greenhouse seedlings had been planted there for one year, where the greenhouse ensured non-dormancy in the seedlings during winter due to insulation measures and temperature differences.
This result led me to rethink the issue of "non-dormancy within the first year" and I suddenly found that too many phenomena proved the importance of non-dormancy in seedlings for future growth.
One of my succulent enthusiast friends, due to the convenience of his workplace, kept his seedlings (Betta) there during winter, and the growth rate of the seedlings the following year was astonishing, almost fully mature, while my seedlings sown at the same time were far behind after one winter.
Later, on a famous website introducing Ariocarpus, an article mentioned a very important point: they believe that these slow-growing varieties are only difficult to grow during their juvenile stage and have a growth停滞 issue (which is very apparent in practice, especially in Ariocarpus, where seedlings sown in the spring can grow 4-5 tubercles by winter, but due to limited conditions in most homes, they hardly grow any tubercles the second year, meaning the growth rate of the second year is lower than that of the first year). This means that if continuous growth of more than 15 months can be ensured after sowing, it seems to break through the growth bottleneck, and the plant's growth rate will continue to increase, becoming faster and more beautiful, and can bloom earlier. It is said that this method allowed an Ariocarpus to bloom after 19 months.
Although I have not yet understood why non-dormancy in succulent seedlings within the first year affects their future growth, or what the mechanism is, the actual results have proven that there is indeed a causal relationship, which is worth the attention of all succulent enthusiasts who love to sow. It seems that for areas that cannot guarantee winter temperatures, a seedling incubator is an essential facility for succulent enthusiasts.
The above is the full content of the brief discussion on the significance of non-dormancy in succulent seedlings. Have green plant enthusiasts understood it?