How to grow succulent plants
Let's talk about the knowledge of succulent plants, how to grow them, and follow the editor to see the specific content!
Everyone who loves succulent plants will first understand how to grow them, but they often feel helpless about them. It's not that succulent plants are too difficult to grow, but that gardeners need to summarize through practice. As a common saying among gardeners goes, "Experts are stepping on the corpses of plants." Next, let's look at the experience of a succulent plant grower from Guangxi.
If you ask where in China is considered hell for succulent plants, it can be responsibly said that it is the two Guang provinces. High temperature, high humidity, and little temperature difference make it easy for beginners to suffer numerous losses.
It's frustrating to say that I started to grow succulents last winter, which is the growing season. I felt everything was wonderful and started the path of buying and buying, with various small and old stakes in dozens of pots, taking good care of them. However, the good times didn't last long, as soon as Guangxi entered the seamless connection mode of winter and summer. Last year was also a warm winter, with temperatures warming up rapidly like a rocket, quickly soaring to over 30 degrees Celsius.
In early spring, March, the humid weather in Guangxi is so wet that you can almost squeeze water out of it. Dead plants are dead, and damaged ones are damaged. Almost the entire army was wiped out. It was simply indescribable. In a fit of anger, I threw the succulents into a large tray and left them on the public balcony to let them survive on their own and let the cleaning lady pick them up, out of sight, out of mind.
Picking up my backpack, I went on a trip. However, many things are full of changes. When you think everything is down to the bottom, it suddenly takes a turn for the better. After leaving home for more than 20 days, in a free-range mode, the cleaning lady didn't take them away! No one (L-Y). One morning, I casually glanced at them and they were thriving, instantly reversing the situation. So I decided to dive back in and start studying seriously.
In a sense, succulent plants are not suitable for indoor planting. If you want to play with them indoors every day, you might as well give up that idea. All plants are products of nature and must follow natural laws. Otherwise, they will either die or be disabled. The essential elements for growing succulent plants are temperature, sunlight, soil, and circulating air, all of which are indispensable.
Now that I've been growing them for a while, I even think that a good ventilation environment is more important than sufficient sunlight. Lack of light may only disfigure them, but poor ventilation can mean the difference between life and death.
What does it mean for the air to be circulating? Put simply, it means whether there is wind. Wind can take away the excess moisture in the soil and bring more air to the roots. A stuffy and hot environment will quickly kill your succulents! Ventilation conditions can be artificially created, such as using an electric fan to accelerate air circulation.
Sunlight: The key to achieving a good state, large temperature differences, and sufficient sunlight. My balcony gets more than 7 hours of sunlight a day, from 9 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon. Sufficient sunlight makes the succulents fatter, shorter, and rounder, with more beautiful leaf shapes.
Watering: I estimate this is the most concerning and confusing issue for beginners. In fact, watering often depends on the situation. Let me share my own method. I basically decide whether to water based on the state of the leaves. If the leaves are very firm and hard, I will delay the watering time. The state of the leaves often reflects the plant's water demand. For plants lacking water, the leaves generally become soft and wilt. If the succulents have good roots, they will quickly recover after watering. If you find that the watering frequency is not low but the leaves are always soft, you should consider whether there is a problem with the roots.
Do not water at noon. This is mainly because many pots become very hot under sunlight, and when you pour a bucket of water, it's like boiling frogs in warm water. The pot will quickly turn into a steamer. Try to choose a time with strong wind and cool temperatures in the evening for watering.
How much to water and whether to water thoroughly is hard to say, it depends on the size of the pot. Small pots and containers with large mouths evaporate quickly, so the watering frequency can be slightly higher. In summer, try to water at midnight and see if it needs to be watered thoroughly, because once the sun comes up the next day, if it doesn't dry out and stays inside, it turns into a sauna again. The best state is slightly moist but not waterlogged. Do not let the fine roots wither, and avoid flooding. It's better to have less water. Too much water is not a good thing; it will make your succulents fade and grow tall. It's the source of all black rot bacteria. Haha, in short, succulents are resilient. When the roots are good, you can mistreat them harshly.
Soil: If the climate can't be changed, then the soil can be artificially changed in proportion to help the succulents adapt better to the environment. The climate in Nanning is hot and humid, so I use large particles in my soil mix to avoid compaction and root rot to the maximum extent and drain water quickly. I never use pots without drainage holes. The disadvantage of particle soil is that it is not conducive to the growth of fine roots because it is very breathable, and the fine roots can easily dry out when it's dry. I've had the painful experience of roots growing, but after a few days, I found that all the fine roots had died. But once the roots are established, I personally think there is not much difference in the state of the succulents between particle soil and carbon soil. Don't worry about how to mix the soil. There is no good or bad, only suitable or not.
Succulents are not very picky about soil. Think about their original living environment. In those dry deserts, if they were so fragile, they couldn't survive.
Material of the pot: I actually don't think it's necessary to worry too much. Red pottery pots are not recommended. Many people say they are suitable for beginners, but I don't feel that way. Under the action of particle soil, red pottery pots dry out at a可怕 speed. They can't retain water, and many times the plants haven't absorbed it yet. They're already dry. I've read some literature before, not sure if it's correct, saying that small containers can grow more robust leaves.
The principle is that small containers limit the development of roots and stems, slowing down the overall growth rate of the plant, further dwarfing and strengthening it. That's why you often see very cute and fat plants in controlled pots.
Meeting the above conditions, succulents are basically lazy person's plants. You can't even force them to grow. Like a joke a friend made with me, how strong are succulents? Assuming one day you want to throw them away, you have to boil them to death before throwing them away. Otherwise, they won't die. Don't be afraid of the succulents drying up. Think about their little round bodies.
The highly succulent body stores enough nutrients. Fear of high humidity. Good roots are the guarantee of health.
About surviving the summer: 90% of the reasons for life and death are due to the roots. A succulent plant with poor roots is very prone to all kinds of problems. Without good roots to support, it can't consume excess water, and high temperature and humidity cause excessive bacteria growth, leading to black rot.
About stopping watering in summer. I totally disagree. The consequence of stopping watering in summer is that all the fine roots will dry up, and in autumn, they will have to re-grow new roots! Don't believe it? Pull out the roots and see for yourself. So many players don't die in summer but turn black when they water in autumn.
Stopping watering is definitely not worth the loss and is often a last resort.
About adapting to the pot and rooting: It's best not to plant some woody old stakes in summer, not because they can't adapt to the pot, but because summer is the dormant period for succulents. The entire metabolism slows down, including the response to water stimulation, which also decreases. So it's hard to grow new roots in unsuitable temperatures. Many times, before you can wait for them to grow new roots, they have already been consumed beyond recognition.
Lucky ones can survive, but it's hard to avoid damaging the overall appearance. The best rooting environment is a slightly moist one. How to make the plant know it "should wake up" is temperature and humidity. In dry particle soil with high temperatures, it becomes extremely difficult to adapt to the pot. So during the potting period, I spray water on the roots every night without watering thoroughly, just to maintain some moisture without waterlogging. Telling it to wake up and grow roots quickly:)
In nature, summer dormancy is a self-protection measure for succulent plants. In the hot and dry summer, they have to lower their metabolism to resist harsh conditions.
Go with the flow. Buy in autumn and don't go against nature. Less worry, don't give up even if it's ugly. As long as the stem is there, it will definitely reverse next year.
In the end, I wish everyone's succulents grow strong and healthy! I hope this experience can help you a little:)
Above is [] about how to grow succulent plants (the bitter experience and insights of gardeners), hoping to bring a little help to your life!