Knowing these 15 things, you will become a "succulent expert"!

1.What are succulents?

As the name suggests, succulents refer to plants that are watery, juicy and fleshy. To be more professional, it refers to plants with enlarged nutritional organs and whose leaves are degenerate in order to store large amounts of water. In gardening, they are sometimes called succulent flowers. It is mainly distributed in Crassulaceae, Agavaceae, Euphorbiaceae, Apocynaceae, Liliaceae, Aizoaceae, etc.

2. What are the succulents suitable for beginners?

Succulents in the Crassulaceae family are relatively easy to grow. Varieties such as Longyue, White Peony, Huangli, Maiden Heart, and Jade Butterfly are all easy to grow and have strong vitality.

The easier-to-grow varieties of the lily family include Jade Dew, Treasure Grass, and Triangular Lily, which are very suitable for beginners to practice.

Another thing is that cactus plants are easier to grow for beginners.

3.How to choose succulents?

When selecting, it is best to choose plants with fibrous roots and intact root systems, so that they can grow new roots in a shorter time after being purchased and planted.

The plant should have normal color, clean patterns, and no disease spots, insect spots, or water-soaked spots.

When purchasing combination potted plants, you should not only pay attention to the staggered and dense arrangement of the plants, and whether they are novel and interesting, but also pay attention to whether the living habits of each type are similar.

4. What’s the first step after buying succulents?

First clean the plants, trim the leaves and remove the yellow leaves. If the plant is too wet, it needs to be dried first (in a cool place, not in direct sunlight). If the leaves are wrinkled, it is because of lack of water during transportation. This is a normal phenomenon and will slowly recover later.

5. How to prepare the soil?

For beginners who are raising succulents for the first time, it is recommended to choose special soil for succulents, which contains fertilizers, medicines, preservatives, etc., which will help promote the growth of plants.

If you want to prepare it yourself, the soil only needs to be breathable, that is, when water is poured into the bottom of the pot, it will flow out immediately. Beginners should be aware that it is best not to use soil from the vegetable garden or flower beds, because these soils are prone to freezing after watering, causing the plant roots to be unable to breathe and die or rot. There are many breathable soils around us, such as: river sand, which can be washed and the powder can be removed, and the particles can be 1 to 5 mm; coal slag, which can be crushed to remove the powder, and then washed to remove the dust, and the slightly larger ones can be placed at the bottom of the pot; red bricks, which can be crushed into small 3 mm particles... or you can directly buy Akadama, pumice, diatomaceous earth, Kanuma soil, vermiculite, perlite, peat, etc.

6. What kind of flower pot should I choose?

It is best if there are water holes at the bottom of the basin

Size: When choosing a pot, follow the principle of "prefer small to large, better deep to shallow". It is best to use a half-height or flat pot.

Material: Plants will grow better in plastic pots because plastic pots retain water better. Ceramic pots absorb water very well, so overwatering is not a big problem and can alleviate the negative effects caused by excessive watering.

7. How often should I water?

Check the weather forecast before watering and water according to the local air humidity. You can water as you like in spring and autumn, as the succulents are growing wildly in these two seasons. It is best to water in the morning and evening in summer. It is best to water at noon in winter.

It is recommended that beginners use the "empty pot method": prepare two identical pots, put the same medium in them, plant the plant in one and leave the other unplanted. When watering, use the same method and amount of water. Before watering next time, pour out the unplanted potting soil and observe the dryness and wetness of the soil. Water if dry, and do not water if not dry.

When watering, do not pour water directly on the plants, but water along the edge of the pot.

8. What should I do if I water too much?

If the situation is not serious and there is no large amount of water accumulation in the pot, you can first place the plant in a ventilated and sunny environment (the light should not be too strong), temporarily cut off the water until the situation improves, and then put the plant back to its original place.

If there is a large amount of water accumulated in the bottom of the pot and it cannot be drained immediately, you need to move the plant out of the pot and carefully remove the soil from the roots. Removing the soil is usually enough, and the plant and soil should be dried separately.

9. Can I give fertilizer to new plants after they are potted?

It is not appropriate to apply fertilizer to plants that have just been potted. The roots have not yet grown well, making it difficult for the plant to absorb fertilizer. Generally, when the plants are growing stably, you can give them a small amount of thin fertilizer.

10.What are the lighting requirements?

Succulent plants that have just been potted should not be exposed to sunlight immediately. They should be allowed to grow roots in a cool and ventilated environment first, and then exposed to sunlight after they are stable. Otherwise, they will easily become dehydrated and die.
Succulents in the growing season generally require sunlight, usually 1-2 hours a day is enough. However, during the dormant period, you should avoid exposure to strong sunlight. For example, many succulents will hibernate in summer. What you need to do at this time is to provide shade, ventilation, and less water.

11. Is it better to grow succulents at a higher temperature?

Generally speaking, when the temperature is above 10℃, there is no need to worry about most varieties. Succulents are not flowers in a greenhouse, so there is no need to be overly cautious about their seedlings.

12. How to change the pot?

Generally, when the plant is one year old, you can consider repotting it, depending on the size of the plant. When repotting, the original soil can be completely removed or half of it can be left and mixed with the new soil. The old soil should be checked for insect pests. If so, remove all of it and replant the plant.

13. What is hibernation? What should I pay attention to?

The most suitable growth temperature for succulents is 10℃-30℃. When the temperature exceeds 35℃ in summer, most "winter-type" (winter-growing) succulents will enter a dormant state (no longer absorbing water). When the temperature reaches 40℃, almost all succulents will enter a dormant state.

The main characteristics of succulent dormancy are: leaf falling, cessation of growth, leaves becoming soft, and ugly appearance.

During dormancy, there are three main things to pay attention to: reduce the duration of sunlight to within 1 hour; extend the watering interval to once a month, and a small amount is best; place in a ventilated place.

14. What should I do if pests and diseases occur?

Succulents are not very attractive to insects. There is no need to use pesticides when there are no insects normally. Once insects are found, just use pesticides 2-3 times continuously according to the instructions on the pesticide.

If the plant is always listless or dying, you need to check the roots of the plant to see if there are scale insects or if the roots are black and rotten. If there are insects, remove them and change the soil. If the roots are rotten, you need to cut off the rotten roots. If the situation is very serious, the entire root must be removed. 15. Does falling leaves mean the plant is dying?

First observe the condition of the plant. If only the leaves at the bottom of the plant are drying up and falling off, this is probably because the temperature of the environment in which the plant grows is too high, causing the plant to enter a dormant state. At this time, reduce the amount of watering.

15. Time to buy succulents

The time to buy succulents is actually very important for beginners. If you buy them in spring or autumn, the temperature of 10-25℃ is a very suitable temperature for succulents to grow. If you buy them in summer, wouldn’t that be asking for trouble?