Essential maintenance knowledge for newcomers to grow succulents

How to buy succulents and their pros and cons

Flower market, supermarket, flower shop

Advantages

1. Able to directly identify the varieties of succulents.

2. It is easier to buy healthy and high-quality succulents.

shortcoming

1. It is easy to bring pests and diseases home.

2. The price fluctuates greatly, which makes it difficult for beginners to grasp and spend more money.

Online store, forum

Advantages

1. Easy to purchase, with a full range of products, you can buy them without leaving home.

2. It is convenient to compare prices, which are relatively reasonable. You can also exchange experiences on buying and growing succulents online.

shortcoming

1. It is difficult to directly see the succulents and judge their size, health, etc.

2. If the buyer and seller are in different regions, succulents will need a longer time to adapt to the new environment and recover.

3. Succulents are easily damaged during the express delivery process.

How to distinguish whether succulents are healthy or not

Healthy succulents

1. The plant is upright, with many thick leaves and fresh color.

2. The plant is healthy; the leaves have no defects, no scorch spots, and no diseases or insect pests.

3. Multi-headed succulents are more cost-effective than single-headed ones.

4. The thorns are dense, without defects, diseases or insect pests; the sphere is plump and has no signs of aging.

Unhealthy meat

1. Uneven growth

2. Severe rhizome growth

3. The flowers are lifeless, the leaves are turned down, and there is a lack of nutrition and water.

4. Pests and diseases

Precautions

1. Succulent plants do not grow well in winter, so they should be purchased in spring and autumn, avoiding winter and summer.

2. Do not buy too many succulents at one time. 2-3 pots are appropriate. Experience needs to be accumulated slowly.

3. Don’t buy expensive or precious varieties for the first time, otherwise it will easily fail and damage your confidence in growing succulents.

4. Succulents need careful care to become more and more beautiful.

What are the common tools for growing succulents?

Small sprayer

A small sprayer is used to spray around leaves and pots when the air is dry to increase air humidity. At the same time, the sprayer can also be used to spray medicine and fertilizer.

Watering can

It is recommended to use a squeeze-type curved-spout watering pot, which can control the amount of water to prevent excessive water from damaging the roots. It can also prevent water from being poured onto the plant to prevent leaf rot. When watering, just pour along the edge of the container. For succulent plants and mini succulent plants in bottle scenery, it is more suitable to choose dripper watering.

Small spatula

The small shovel is used to stir the cultivation soil, or to shovel soil, remove pots, add soil, etc. when changing pots. Generally, the flower pots for succulents are not big, so it is recommended to use mini tools.

brush

The brush can be replaced by a toothbrush or a brush to remove dust, soil particles, dirt and insect eggs from the plants.

tweezers

Tweezers are used to remove dead leaves, propagate succulent cuttings, and can also be used to remove insect eggs.

Scissors

Scissors are used for pruning and shaping, and are generally used for root pruning and cuttings.

Bamboo skewers

A bamboo stick can be used to test the moisture content of the soil in the pot. Insert a bamboo stick into the potting soil. If the soil is not brought out, it means the soil is dry and you can water it.