How to Grow Crassula 'Tom Thumb' and What to Do When Your Crassula 'Tom Thumb' Succulent Gets Leggy
Crassula 'Tom Thumb' is a very popular succulent that looks especially like little stars, incredibly cute and endearing. Crassula 'Tom Thumb' is also a winter-growing type of succulent, growing faster in winter, while summer is its dormant period. So how should Crassula 'Tom Thumb' be cared for?
How to Grow Crassula 'Tom Thumb'
1. Soil requirements. The growing soil for Crassula 'Tom Thumb' generally uses cinder mixed with peat and a small amount of perlite, at a ratio of about 5:4:1, with small stones spread on the soil surface. The small stones are somewhat necessary to avoid the nutrients on the soil surface being washed away by long-term watering, which causes the soil to compact. However, if you generally buy Crassula 'Tom Thumb' directly from a flower market with the pot and soil, just buy a little succulent-specific soil along with it, and you do not need to mix your own.
2. Temperature requirements. Crassula 'Tom Thumb' likes a cool, dry environment and grows rapidly in cool conditions. In fact, Crassula 'Tom Thumb' can tolerate low temperatures of 2°C (indoor temperature). In winter, simply move Crassula 'Tom Thumb' to a relatively cool indoor environment, with the temperature around 10°C, not too high. The temperature from home heating is sometimes over 20°C, so it is recommended to place Crassula 'Tom Thumb' in a slightly cooler spot.
3. Light requirements. From September to June each year is the growing season for Crassula 'Tom Thumb'. At this time the sunlight intensity is moderate, so it can be grown with full sun. But in summer it needs appropriate shading to prevent the leaves from being scorched. When light is insufficient, the spacing between leaves will stretch out, causing the plant shape to become loose, and the red color on the leaf edges will also disappear, making the whole plant dull and lusterless. In a sunny environment, however, the plant shape is compact and short and sturdy, and the distance between stem nodes also shortens.
4. Watering method. During the growing period of Crassula 'Tom Thumb', keep the soil moist and avoid waterlogging. Throughout summer, Crassula 'Tom Thumb' enters its dormant period, so water appropriately, increase the frequency of misting, ensure sufficiently high relative humidity, and provide good ventilation.
In winter, although Crassula 'Tom Thumb' is in its growing stage, water appropriately and mist lightly. If the temperature is below 5°C, try not to water.
5. Propagation method. Take healthy branches with growing points and cut them into sections about 3 to 5 cm high, let the wounds dry, then insert them for cuttings. You can also insert them directly into dry gritty soil, then give a small amount of water after a few days. It is a variety that is very easy to propagate, and many small roots easily grow between the leaves.
What to Do When Crassula 'Tom Thumb' Succulent Gets Leggy
1. Give it more sun. If leggy growth has just started to appear, put it in the sun immediately. If there is no sun, consider buying a grow light, and water appropriately less. If it has already grown leggy, just let it grow; over the years it will become an old stem, and old stems also look good, though it takes a very long time to grow into an old stem.
2. Beheading. If you cannot wait and cannot stand it, beheading is the most effective method for dealing with leggy growth! Cut off the leggy part with a sharp small knife. This not only promotes branching in the mother plant, but also gives you many little Crassula 'Tom Thumb' plants.
The Growing Environment of Crassula 'Tom Thumb'
Crassula 'Tom Thumb' needs a sunny, cool, and dry environment. It tolerates partial shade, fears waterlogging, and avoids stuffy heat and humidity.
It has the habit of growing in cool seasons and going dormant in summer heat, making it a "winter-growing type" among succulents. From September each year to June of the following year is the plant's growing period (the growing period also varies in length depending on the grower's environment). If light is insufficient, the plant will grow leggy, the vertical distance between leaves will stretch out, making the plant shape loose, and the red color on the leaf edges will also fade; whereas plants grown in a sunny spot have a short, sturdy shape with stem nodes arranged compactly. Kite's Crassula 'Tom Thumb' is grown in a full-sun sunroom. During the growing period, keep the soil moist and avoid waterlogging.
Crassula 'Tom Thumb' can tolerate low temperatures of around minus 2°C, which refers to indoor temperature, not outdoors. If it gets any lower, the growing points at the tips of the leaves will suffer frost damage, dry up, and die, and the following year new side branches will sprout from the withered areas. Basically cut off water throughout winter; once below 5°C, begin gradually cutting off water. In summer heat, the whole plant grows slowly or stops completely. At this time, provide good ventilation and appropriate shading, avoid exposure to blazing sun, restrain watering, and do not let it be rained on for long periods, so as to prevent the plant from rotting.
Tips for Getting Crassula 'Tom Thumb' Through Summer
1. At noon, move the plant to a north-facing balcony. Not only is ventilation good, but it also gets no sun, so in the trade you do not need to worry that Crassula 'Tom Thumb' will die in summer.
2. Didn't I say you cannot water much in summer? Then add humidity to the air. If conditions allow, use an air humidifier, or if that is too simple, use a basin of water and a small fan, place Crassula 'Tom Thumb' opposite the basin of water, and blow the fan toward it.
As described above, Crassula 'Tom Thumb' is somewhat similar to the string of buttons (Crassula perforata), causing many people to be unable to tell them apart. Although summer is the dormant period for Crassula 'Tom Thumb', it cannot be left unattended; it still needs good care. When Crassula 'Tom Thumb' grows leggy, it must be dealt with promptly, because growing too tall will put an end to its good looks!