The cultivation method of succulent plants
Abstract: This article introduces the relevant experience of succulent plants, the cultivation methods of succulent plants. Let's follow the editor to learn more!
The cultivation of succulent plants, although each experienced flower friend has their own set of methods, the core is almost the same. For beginners, the cultivation methods of succulent plants are not limited to issues such as watering and maintenance, but should also understand how to buy succulents and how to care for seedlings and other follow-up issues.
I. Beginner's Guide
I once saw a flower friend ask on the forum, how do you define a beginner? This is a very interesting question. Because the word "beginner" is not quantifiable. Does raising 20 pots count as a beginner? Does raising 30 varieties count as a beginner? Does raising for a year through the four seasons count as a beginner?
My answer is, whether you are raising meat or buying meat determines your level of expertise. Some flower friends are persistent with their succulents, manifested by repeated failures and resilience. They buy them in good condition, raise them for a while, then they become crippled or die, and they throw them away and replace them with a new batch. Therefore, at each stage, the succulents in their home are always fresh and new, with new varieties constantly emerging. I believe that such flower friends, even if they raise succulents for ten years, will not become experts. This also provides us with a criterion for judging the level of flower friends: the appearance at a glance does not represent good raising, because temporary appearance can be bought. Maintaining the appearance is something that cannot be bought. The state you raise yourself is the standard, and the state you buy is just throwing money at it.
II. Raising Succulents
I have a point of view: if a plant grows well, it must be a gift from nature; if it grows poorly, it must be due to human destruction. There is a saying, "All things grow by the power of the sun." I believe that "sunlight" in this saying is a collective noun, which means not only sunlight but also environmental factors such as soil, air, and water. If a plant grows well, it must be growing in the most comfortable environment for them. Why do plants in greenhouses grow well? Because the environment in greenhouses is good: long daylight hours, high humidity, good air circulation, and specialized soil formulas.
I once went to a greenhouse with a friend to choose succulents, and she picked an exceptionally plump Angel's Tear. I said this one looks very nice, but it will become ugly within two weeks after you take it home. The environment in greenhouses is something that is hard to replicate in a regular home balcony. So when we raise succulents, we are simply trying to provide a comfortable environment for the plants, with sunlight and air circulation, watering when necessary, and keeping warm when necessary.
If you find that there is no suitable natural environment at home, it's best to give up raising succulents. "Love does not necessarily mean possession." Provide what you can, and don't force what you can't. For example, if you love someone, if you can't provide what they hope for, then forcing it is pointless, and the result can only be ruining the other person. If children are abroad, don't think that taking the elderly out to live is a blessing, on the contrary, it's虐待.
When raising succulents, what we need to do is provide a good environment. Growth is the plant's own business. If the environment is good, the plant will naturally reward you with a good state, and if there are problems with the environment, it's bound to look crippled.
III. Watering
In my view, watering is the most challenging aspect of so-called "raising skills." Because once the soil is prepared and the potting is done, there's no need to dig it up again for at least a year, and the only thing left to do repeatedly is watering. Newcomers to the hobby often water too much and drown the succulents because of impatience. Raising succulents is a long-term process, with some plants living longer than humans. Although some plants are sensitive to water, it's not possible to see a reaction within an hour after watering. Therefore, patience is a must when dealing with plants.
I remember when I first started, I bought a book by Ermu and strictly followed the watering needs of each variety at different seasons as stated in the book, setting a watering schedule, and recording each watering session. What was the result? Some died and some were injured. So, like drinking water for humans, setting a specific time to drink every day will not yield good results, because neither humans nor plants are machines.
Many flower friends will ask, how to water? My answer is, I don't know. We can get an idea of a plant's habits by consulting资料, roughly understanding whether the plant prefers more or less water. Then, based on our own raising environment, we can summarize a set of breeding experience that is truly useful. Others' experience is only applicable in their environment and has reference value at most. If you copy it completely, it will not yield good results.
Some replies under posts asking about watering might say, "I water every day and they grow very well," or "I have a lot of water and sun, and nothing happens." If the original poster lacks experience and follows suit, they will know the consequences. Questions like how to water are almost impossible to answer. This is related to the breeding environment, which means it is related to multiple factors. For example, what material is the pot made of, its permeability and water retention; what is the local temperature; what is the local sunlight situation; what is the humidity; what kind of soil is used, its permeability and water retention, and so on. Even if the above parameters can be provided accurately, it still involves the small breeding environment, the owner's watering habits, and the definition of different terms by different people. For example, "I just watered a little bit," how do you define "a little bit"?
So I think it's more accurate to ask how much water a certain plant needs rather than how to water. And the person answering should try to explain the environmental factors as clearly as possible, rather than saying harmful things like "I water this every day and it grows very well." The person getting the answer should not copy it without thinking. They should consider what is different about their breeding environment compared to the other person's and then adapt the other person's breeding experience to suit their own.
IV. Purpose
Some people raise succulents to make them comfortable, and when they are comfortable, they will reward you with a good state. Some people raise succulents to make themselves comfortable, and what happens to the plants after that is not so important. At the end of the day, raising succulents is a hobby, just like playing with birds or fish. Everyone can have their own way of playing, the key is to be clear about your purpose. I believe that if you want to make yourself comfortable, having enough money is enough; but if you want to make the plants comfortable, there is a lot to learn.
Compared to mature plants, I prefer seedlings and seeds. Because I want to have a plant that shows its state under my care, although in reality it's not really my merit (it's the "sunlight's" merit).
V. Common and Rare Succulents
This is not a clear distinction. For the wealthy, there are no expensive plants in the world. All kinds of plants are equal in nature, but people have classified them into different levels. This also involves market factors: rare ones sell for a high price; rare ones sell for a high price; this year's greenhouse production is low and they sell for a high price.
The quality of meat is not about its price. As long as you can raise it well, common plants can be just as beautiful.
VI. Caring for Seedlings
As the saying goes, it's easy to conquer a kingdom but hard to keep it. The same is true for sowing: it's easy to germinate but hard to raise the seedlings. And the care of seedlings will vary at different stages, and different species will require special attention at special times (such as not watering when stone flowers are shedding skin).
I know a flower friend who has been raising succulents for several years, and I asked him why he never sows. He said: Do you think it's easy to raise seedlings? It's not that simple to become a big grower. Only with home conditions, even if they can grow, their state is not as good as the ones bought. So he chooses to buy mature or semi-mature plants and provide them with a good environment, letting them show their state. This is also a way of playing.
VII. Buying Succulents
I believe that many flower friends, like me, initially bought succulents at bird and flower markets or on Taobao. Bird and flower markets and Taobao each have their own advantages, and everyone will have different judgments based on their own situation. But since I found a local wholesale market, I haven't bought any more succulents at the bird and flower market. I've also been to greenhouses, which are relatively more expensive than wholesale markets but have better appearances. Wholesale markets are suitable for buying common plants, while greenhouses are suitable for buying expensive ones. This is my experience, and the situation may be different in different places.
Besides the above-mentioned, I also have two important channels to refer to: one is the forum, and the other is the boutique store. Not advertising for the forum, but the trading area of Xianzhen is definitely better than Taobao. Most sellers are very professional, the prices are generally more affordable than Taobao, and there are more boutiques. This is why buying things at Xianzhen is a race against time. Often the good and cheap items are snapped up immediately. Missing out is truly heartbreaking!
What is a boutique store? The boutique stores I'm talking about are run by some veteran players, possibly in a bird and flower market or an independent store. For example, there is a store in Shanghai's Jiangyin Road Bird and Flower Market run by a master named Shi (I don't know the character, but people call him that), who has been playing with succulents for 15 years. The things in his store are very good, mainly fish, tubers, peonies, and twelve species, all of which are expensive. I almost never buy anything from him, I just occasionally go to see and learn, and listen to his conversations with others, from which I can also learn something.
VIII. Acclimatization
My another point of view: newly bought plants need to acclimatize, whether or not they are repotted. Acclimatization is not just about the pot, it's about the environment. Since the living environment has changed, there is bound to be a period of adaptation.
Acclimatization is crucial for plant growth. If it goes well, the plant grows rapidly; if not, it needs a long time to acclimate, or may even remain in a state of discomfort for a long time, like a person in a sub-healthy state, neither dead nor alive for a long time.
What is the principle of acclimatization? Try to create a suitable living environment for the plant, including soil, light, air, and pots. This requires us to have a certain understanding of the plant's habits and know what to do at what time.
Shortly after I started, it was summer, and the first thing I did with the plants I bought was repot them. Now I realize that this was a form of torture for the plants. Last summer, many places had consecutive days of temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius, and many plants went into dormancy, but I ignored this and repotted them. This made the already struggling plants even worse, and many of them couldn't survive.
I have a friend who saw that I had raised a lot of succulents and thought they were cute, so he wanted to try raising a pot himself. I got him a pot of观音莲 to play with. Last December, he said the flowers were a bit big and asked if he should change to a bigger pot. I said it's almost winter, wait until spring to change. Now I realize that was a wrong decision. I didn't expect that Shanghai could still be 20 degrees Celsius at the beginning of the year. I should have changed to a bigger pot in December.
The above are some reflections on my half-year journey into succulent plants, and there may be mistakes. Welcome to correct and exchange.
The specific content of the sharing of the cultivation methods of succulent plants (beginner's guide) is not allowed to be copied without permission!