How to Grow and Care for the Chenille Plant Succulent

The chenille plant succulent is a type of succulent. Its shape is fairly small and compact, but its whole body is covered with spines. The body is generally green, with a layer of red distributed along the edges at the top. It grows best in a warm environment, and many people like to grow it at home, but there are still many things to pay attention to when growing it.

How to Grow the Chenille Plant Succulent

1. Repot every year in early spring. When the plant grows too tall, prune it or pinch out the growing tips to lower the plant's shape, and use the cut top branches for cuttings to propagate. In spring and autumn, when there is plenty of light and a large temperature difference, the leaf color will turn red. It can be grown hydroponically; in spring, cut 10-15 cm long branches, insert them in water or sand, and after rooting in 2-3 weeks, transfer them to a glass bottle to grow.

2. Watering: water once a week during the growing period, and once every 2-3 weeks at other times.

3. Potting soil: during the high-temperature dormancy in summer and the semi-dormant state in winter, keep the potting soil dry.

4. Fertilizing: fertilize once a month with diluted cake fertilizer water or with “Huiyou” 15-15-30 special fertilizer for potted flowers; do not fertilize in winter.

How to Grow the Chenille Plant Succulent

1. Light management: the chenille plant quite likes sunlight, and a long period without sufficient light will cause leggy growth. It is normally green, and after sunlight hours increase and the temperature difference grows larger, it will slowly change color. In spring and autumn, full sun is fine outside Xinjiang.

2. Fertilizer and water management: the chenille plant does not need much water, and too much water easily breeds diseases and pests and causes death by waterlogging. During the growing period, water generally only when the soil is completely dry, and water thoroughly; in winter keep the potting soil dry. It goes dormant in the high temperatures of summer, so be careful to reduce watering; in winter it can continue growing. During the spring and autumn growing period, fertilize generally once every 2 months.

3. Soil requirements: for potting the chenille plant succulent, a mix of peat, vermiculite and perlite can generally be used, or a mix of peat and coarse sand; during the growing period, water generally only when the soil is completely dry, and water thoroughly; in winter keep the potting soil dry; during the growing period, fertilize generally once every 2 months.

Precautions for the Chenille Plant Succulent

1. Care of the chenille plant during the high-temperature dormant period in summer. In summer, high temperatures are common nationwide, and the chenille plant is in its dormant period at this time. It should not be watered much or fertilized, to prevent the chenille plant from dying by waterlogging and rotting.

2. Precautions for growing the chenille plant at low temperatures in winter. The chenille plant is slightly cold-tolerant, so attention should be paid to freeze protection and cold protection in winter. When the temperature is below 5°C, appropriate warming measures can be taken, such as adding protective covers and so on. If the chenille plant is frozen, it will drop its leaves, which is very distressing to see.

Propagation Methods for the Chenille Plant Succulent

1. Cuttings. The chenille plant very easily forms clusters, and cuttings are its main propagation method. Cut healthy branches from the top of the plant, wait for the wound to dry, insert them into slightly moist potting soil, and wait for them to root.

2. Leaf cuttings. The first important thing to note for chenille plant leaf cuttings is to twist off complete leaves without damaging the growth point on the leaf. The growth point of a chenille plant leaf is the middle point. Chenille plant leaves are very tough, so they are not easy to twist off. When twisting, pay attention to staying close to the leaf axil and slowly twisting along the curve of the connection part. This method has a high success rate.

3. Division. Besides stem cuttings and leaf cuttings, the chenille plant can also be divided. Moreover, the survival rate of division is higher than that of stem cuttings and leaf cuttings. The chenille plant has vigorous growth and very easily overflows the pot, growing so full that it covers your small pot. At this time, you can trim and prune it into the shape you want. You can also find some small seedlings at the base of the plant. Pull up the small seedlings, plant them in a pot, and they will survive. Note that newly planted small seedlings should be watered after 3 to 4 days, to prevent the roots from being waterlogged.

4. Beheading. The propagation methods of succulents often cannot do without one with a very bloody and violent name, which is beheading. Leggy chenille plants and chenille plants with a few minor problems can all use the beheading method to make the plant look better. For beheading cuttings, wait for the wound to dry, insert into a pot, water after 3 to 4 days, and wait for rooting.

The cultivation techniques for the chenille plant succulent are generally carried out in terms of light, soil, fertilizer and water, and so on. It is not tolerant of high temperatures, so in summer protective measures must be strengthened, and do not water it too much. In winter, the lowest temperature must not go below 5°C, so certain protective measures also need to be taken for it during this period.