How to grow succulents in early summer

May in late spring and early summer is very suitable for the growth of succulents. The temperature is suitable, the temperature difference between day and night is large, and the sunshine time is long. It is the peak growth season for succulents.

Especially the "summer type" succulents, such as the Cactaceae, Golden Dragon, and Beautiful Flower Horned Plants, many species of which bloom this month.

In spring and autumn, the succulent plants that grow include Stone Lotus, Black Master, Simple Leaf Flower Moon, Sunset Goose, Lying Cow, Dinosaur, and some species of Longevity. The "intermediate" succulent plants also grow vigorously during this period.

However, "winter type" succulents such as Lithops, Bulb, Spring Peach Jade, and Anzhen of the Aizoaceae family, Xindongni, Moonlight, Snow Lotus, and Dongyun of the Crassulaceae family, and Scale Celery, Spring Grass, and Broad-leaved Spring Grass of the Hyacinthaceae family grow slowly due to the rising temperature, and even stop growing in the southern regions with higher temperatures.

Therefore, the management of succulents this month should be carried out according to different types.

Lighting for succulent plant cultivation and management in May:

"Summer type" succulents such as Huishan, Jiaxie, and Leishen of the Agavaceae family, Longwangqiu and Jinque of the Cactaceae family, and "intermediate type" succulents such as Yanrihui and Huoji of the Sedum family can be placed outdoors in a sunny place for maintenance, which can make the plants strong and colorful. If there is insufficient light, it will easily cause succulents to grow too tall and have a loose plant shape. Some succulents with bright colors will become dull or even disappear. "Intermediate" varieties such as Jade Dew, Winter Constellation, and Zuikaku of the Aloe family can be appropriately shaded to prevent strong sunlight from burning the leaves and affecting growth, but they should not be too shaded to prevent the plant from becoming loose due to lack of light, and the leaves becoming brittle and easily broken. "Winter types" such as Lithops, Vientiane, Jade Fan, and Snow Lotus can be kept in a place with bright light but no direct sunlight. Make sure that plants placed indoors are well ventilated to prevent the hot and stuffy air from damaging your beloved succulents. There is more rain in May, so succulents grown outdoors should avoid long-term rain, otherwise it is easy for water to accumulate in the pot soil, causing root rot and even black spot disease. You should also be careful about strong sunlight after rain, which may cause sunburn to succulents and even black rot.

Watering of succulent plants in May:

For succulents that are in the growing period, the soil can be kept slightly moist. If the potting soil is dry and water-deficient for a long time, the plant will not die, but its growth level will be slow or even stop growing. The leaves will shrink and become dull, which will seriously affect its appearance. When watering, be sure to water thoroughly. It is best to water until the water flows out from the drainage holes at the bottom of the flowerpot. This will wash away the salt in the soil and prevent it from adhering to the roots and affecting the growth of succulents. At the same time, avoid water accumulation in the pot soil to avoid root rot. As for the "winter type" succulents such as Emperor Jade, Vientiane, Jade Fan, and Bear's Paw that are about to hibernate, although the growth of the plants has not completely stopped, it is very slow and the water required is not much, so you need to control watering appropriately and keep the soil in the pot half dry. Plants of the genus Haworthia in the Aloe family and some species of cactus have certain requirements for air humidity. When the weather is bad, be sure to spray water on the plants to increase the air humidity, which can make them more colorful. It should be noted that there is more rain in May, so watering can be temporarily suspended in rainy and humid weather to avoid excessive growth of succulents due to excessive water, cloudy weather and insufficient light.

Fertilization of succulent plant cultivation and management in May:

For growing "summer type" succulents, you can fertilize them according to the variety; for "winter type" succulents that are about to go dormant, you should stop fertilizing them. Even for succulents of the same type, the choice of whether to fertilize should be made based on the different varieties and the basic differences of the individual plants. In short, fast-growing plants should be fertilized more, while slow-growing plants should be fertilized less or even not fertilized. Fertilizers you can choose include Aolv A2 slow-release fertilizer, or some well-rotted fertilizers with less fertilizer damage.

Disease prevention and control of succulent plant cultivation and management in May:

The climate this month is suitable and pests are beginning to become active, so we should pay attention to prevention and control. It is also necessary to improve the ventilation conditions of the succulent cultivation environment to prevent the plants from developing abnormal yellow spots, black spots, robe spots and other physiological diseases due to infection with pathogens. If found, fungicides should be sprayed in time to prevent and control them to avoid expanding the scope of infection.
This month, you can continue to repot the "summer type" succulents, and carry out division, cuttings, grafting, and sowing propagation. Some flowering succulents can also be artificially pollinated and bred.