How to Grow Succulents? A Complete Guide to Soil Mixes and Care Tips
When it comes to succulents, everyone is surely very familiar with them. Not only are their appearances adorable, but their growing methods are simpler than those of ordinary flowering plants, which makes them deeply loved by the public. However, quite a few people have told the editor that no matter how they try to grow succulents, they just cannot grow them well. In fact, growing succulents always comes down to aspects such as light, temperature, water and soil. Today the editor will talk about the methods and tips for mixing soil when growing succulents.
Succulent Soil Mix Methods and Tips
1. Soil mix for succulent plants
For a general succulent soil mix, people choose peat soil (coconut coir), perlite, vermiculite and akadama soil (orchid stone or river sand will also do) mixed in a ratio of 4: 1.5: 1: 3.5.
2. Soil mix for sowing and cuttings
If succulents are being propagated by cuttings or sowing, the soil mix can be made by mixing peat soil, perlite and vermiculite in a ratio of 3: 2: 5 to form a nutrient soil.
3. Soil mix for old succulents
If your succulents have already grown into old plants, the soil mix can be made by mixing perlite, vermiculite and akadama soil (river sand) in a ratio of 0.5: 1.5: 8 to form a nutrient soil.
4. The bottom of the pot must have something placed in it
To ensure good soil drainage, some large-grained material must be placed at the bottom of the soil. Expanded clay pebbles, broken bricks and tiles, or nut shells will all do.
How to Grow Succulents Well
1. Choose suitable succulents,
The beginning of growing succulents is choosing them. You must choose healthy ones and start with ones that look relatively good. Some look sickly at a glance, and the start is not very ideal, so how could they be grown well? The prerequisite for growing succulents well is having a good succulent to begin with.
2. The sunlight issue
It is not just succulents; all other plants need sunlight too. It is only the amount of sunlight needed that differs, so succulents are no exception. I believe everyone can understand that succulents can go a long time without fertilizer and can go a while without water, but they cannot lack sunlight.
3. To grow succulents, first grow the roots
Growing succulents is growing roots, because most succulents that develop problems start with the roots. If the roots are not good, the succulent will not grow well either. In fact, growing roots is nothing more than a soil issue. Choose soil suitable for succulents to take root in, and by growing the roots you achieve the goal of growing succulents well.
4. Watering takes ten years of skill
Speaking of succulent roots, let's talk about the watering issue. You can think carefully: do you not often see questions about watering? So watering is one of the key points for succulents. Watering differs somewhat in every region, environment and even home. When you truly understand this key point of watering, then you are not far from growing succulents well.
5. The habits of succulents
Every kind of succulent is different, so the management methods are different too. So it is best to first understand the habits of succulents, and to put it more precisely, understand the habits of the succulent varieties you are growing, and use different management methods for different succulents. Read more reference material, or ask experienced succulent growers more. I believe they will not selfishly refuse to tell you; on the contrary, people who grow succulents well all like to share.
6. The mindset of the grower
The last key point for growing succulents well is one's own mindset. Many succulent growers who have just fallen into the hobby are very anxious to grow succulents well, but conversely, some growers who grow succulents very well have a very steady mindset, or have become calmer through experience. So if you want to grow succulents well, your mindset needs to change somewhat. Not everything can be achieved by being anxious; set your mindset at ease and grow your succulents properly.
Proper Care for Succulents
1. Light
Summer temperatures are high. If succulents are left in direct sun, it easily causes leaf scorch, so at noon in summer be sure to remember to use a shade net for shading. In other seasons they can be in full sun all day without shading. If your home really does not have enough light, Huahua suggests you had better not grow succulents.
2. Watering
Watering should follow the principle of watering when dry and watering until thoroughly soaked. It is best to choose the evening or morning, and after watering, wipe the water droplets off the leaves. Usually you can let tap water sit until it is about the same as room temperature before watering, or you can directly collect rainwater to water with.
3. Ventilation
When growing succulents, the most important point is ventilation. Open the windows during the day, or place the succulents outdoors. In the rainy season, you can add two electric fans to blow air.
4. Fertilizing
Succulents are rarely fertilized normally. When potting, add a few granules of compound fertilizer to the soil, or you can add bone meal, monopotassium phosphate, etc., all of which can meet the needs of succulent growth.
How to Make Succulent Seedlings Grow Big Quickly
Step one: Maintain the watering frequency for the seedlings, especially in the first few months when the roots have just touched the soil surface, and be sure to pay attention to the number of waterings and the amount of water. Because at that time the soil surface easily dries out.
Step two: Choose the watering method. Try to choose the evening for watering, and use a spray bottle to water in the form of a mist. Try not to flood-irrigate heavily; with the mist form the plant leaves absorb water more easily, but be careful not to leave standing water on the leaves.
Step three: Maintain ventilation; this point is very important in care. If ventilation is poor in an environment with sufficient water, the plant stems will rot, and bacteria will also breed near the roots. But when ventilating, be careful not to place the plant in a draft, so as to avoid the leaves wilting.
Step four: When the seedlings have grown big enough, they need to be repotted. Move the small seedlings into a large flowerpot to meet the nutrients needed for seedling growth. When doing so, be careful to first place them in a warm place for about 48 hours. During this period do not water, and after repotting carry out normal care.
Step five: After repotting, as the plant grows bigger day by day, watering can now be resumed, with the amount of water appropriately reduced, just keeping the potting soil moist. When the plant enters its dormant period, reduce watering even more.
The above is the editor's introduction to the proper care methods for succulents. I hope it is helpful to everyone! Not only does the soil aspect need everyone's extra attention, watering is the same. Whether there is too much water or too little, it will make succulents lose their plumpness, so everyone must master the techniques.