How do you keep succulents alive? Just get these few things right

Succulents have always been hugely popular plants, and many young people love them. How do you grow succulents? Why do so many people raise their succulents only to have them die along the way? Below is a summary of a few little secrets behind succulents not surviving.

Succulents have a healing effect; when everyday stress is overloaded, spending 10 minutes tidying them brings a good mood right away. For succulent care, patience is the most important thing. If you are not familiar with them, you will need to spend more time studying, especially since succulents need special care methods in each season, and varieties differ too, making it harder than imagined. But the key three points are sunlight, air and water, adjusted according to the situation, with regular care. In summer, when it is too hot, you should check the plants' condition at least every two days.

No.1 What will cause succulents to die?

There are many ways to kill them; please refer to the following succulent death guide:

1. Watering every day. (Most of them grow in harsh environments, so there is no need to pamper them excessively)

2. Watering in the middle of the day. (The water will heat up immediately and then the pot will be like a steam room, rotting the roots)

3. No hole in the bottom of the pot. (Because the roots need air circulation, which can speed up water flow)

4. Summer. (Especially summer in Taiwan, China, which is very muggy and humid; in summer I myself clear out lots of empty pots)

5. Pests. (The most terrifying is the mealybug; pesticides often cannot kill it, as the powder on its body carries the pesticide away. Try piercing them to death one by one with a needle)

6. Pathogens. (It often happens that diseased jelly-like leaves fall on the surface soil and start to rot, then begin to spread until the whole plant dies)

No.2 What should you pay attention to when planting succulents?

1. Long hours of sunlight. Succulents grow in desert-like environments; if the sunlight is not strong enough, you will find the distance between each leaf starting to stretch out, and then they are neither showy nor cute.

2. Water according to variety. If you take watering amounts seriously, you will never finish studying it. In my home environment (full sun, rain shelter, a ventilated spot on the fifth floor), day-night temperature differences are large in autumn, winter and spring. Approaching winter I choose to water once every 1-2 weeks, watering thoroughly depending on the situation; in summer and when spring and autumn are on the hot side, water less, about once a month, a small amount without watering thoroughly. Some varieties dry out easily and need occasional misting or moving to a shaded area.

3. The growing medium is the most crucial. If you want to grow succulents well, you must seriously explore this part; the environment, variety and watering habits all have their own formulas. My lazy-person mix: use large-grain coal cinder at the bottom layer, mix medium-grain akadama with medium-fine-grain coal cinder in the middle, and cover the surface soil with medium-grain akadama. Every famous succulent shop sells specially blended medium formulas, but they still may not suit your environmental factors. I suggest buying a prepared medium as the middle layer, pairing the bottom layer with a super-hydrophobic medium, which is better able to prevent you from giving in to itchy hands and watering thoroughly, so the roots will not rot. On the surface soil, it is best to lay a single-color akadama stone, simple and good-looking.

No.3 How do you care for different succulent varieties?

1. For cacti, in summer place them in pots with holes and water freely until thoroughly soaked, because it is the growing season and they really need nutrients.

2. Common Crassulaceae need to be careful of muggy heat, pay attention to whether sunlight is sufficient; too much water and low sunlight will make their necks stretch out and become somewhat ugly. In cool seasons do not water excessively; give a small amount of water, and in autumn with large day-night temperature differences restrict water. Some varieties will show color turning red and denser leaves, which is the so-called beautiful look that succulent growers pursue in the cool growing season. (You often see that in the dry, cold climate regions of Japan and Europe, most succulents are brightly red and plump)

3. The Liliaceae and Asteraceae little ones quite like drinking water; in summer use a sprayer to add mist, otherwise you will easily end up with empty pots.

4. Euphorbiaceae need special attention. It is not that they are hard to grow; their wounds produce white latex. If you have touched it, remember to wash your hands thoroughly or simply wear gloves. Once when handling them, my fingers got latex on them and I even washed my hands three times, but after rubbing my eyes, my eyes immediately began burning and tearing wildly, and it only stopped after emergency treatment. During that time my eyes were red and extremely painful. If it sprays directly into the eyeball, it may cause direct blindness.

5. If you want to put plants indoors, please use air plants (Tillandsia); they also live very well in air-conditioned rooms. As long as they are a bit dry, soaking them in water for 15 minutes makes them stiffen up right away. Remember to shake them dry quickly after soaking, to avoid root rot.

No.4 Can succulents be grown indoors?

It is completely not recommended to grow them indoors. Indoors is usually muggy, making water regulation harder, and without sunlight they will become strangely shaped. Air plants (Tillandsia), however, are very suitable.

No.5 Recommended succulents that are easy to care for?

The following succulents are recommended: Graptopetalum paraguayense (the common edible stone lotus; it grows and survives casually, and is fine even when left outdoors in the rain), White Queen's Dance and Butterfly's Dance (no need to bring them in when a typhoon comes; they are full of vitality, and fallen leaves will grow new stems), Lace Princess and Mother of Thousands (known as the demons of the succulent world, with a kalanchoe lineage; they grow a whole bunch of babies, and if they fall into another pot they keep growing, and before you know it they occupy the whole garden), cacti (in spring they bloom wildly with gorgeous little flowers), the Sedum morganianum series (jade-green succulents like waterfalls, prone to overflowing the pot), and also string of pearls and purple string of bananas (they grow like waterfalls and even produce little plum-scented flowers).

No.6 Do succulents attract mosquitoes and insects?

Fewer mosquitoes, but if the soil is too dry it will attract ants to build nests, and if the soil is too muggy or because of weather factors it will attract mealybugs. There are also aphids, spiders, caterpillars, centipedes and so on. You often find unknown small insects on the plants, and you can spray pesticide regularly, but this is not recommended if there are children and pets at home.

No.7 What should you do if a succulent gets sick or a leaf withers?

A single withered leaf is nothing to worry too much about; plants also need to replace old leaves to retain nutrients. Try to keep them fully dry and let them fall off on their own; in the half-dry state, new plants will grow again at the joint with the stem, and the plant will easily start growing messily. Jelly leaves that have turned semi-translucent but are not yet dry must be pulled off immediately. Check whether the stem or roots have turned black; if you see it, deal with it immediately with clean scissors, take the plant directly out of the pot and place it in a cool, ventilated spot to observe. If it is caused by mealybugs, kill the insects one by one immediately, and pay attention to whether there are any missed in the dense leaf areas, then take it out of the pot and brush off all the soil with a toothbrush, and soak it in alcohol water to sterilize and disinfect.

No.8 How often do succulents need watering?

In cool seasons (October to March), water once every 1-2 weeks; do not water on rainy days or when sunlight is too strong. In muggy seasons (April to September), water once a month, but water thoroughly depending on the situation; skip the plum rain season and occasionally mist.

No.9 Do you need to change the soil or add supplemental fertilizer?

Most succulents bought at ordinary flower markets come with potting soil; be sure to remember to replace the medium, because potting soil holds too much water. Centipedes are often found inside it, and foreign soil often has uncertain factors such as insect eggs and ant nests. I suggest that after buying them, remember to take them out of the pot, brush the soil clean, put them in a cool place to air-dry for a few days, let the wounds heal, and then plant them in a new pot. You can pour rice-washing water onto the succulents; it is simple, natural and clean. You can also choose chemical fertilizer.

Beginner tips:

Besides the plants themselves, whether the pots are beautiful or not affects the visual look of succulent growth. When planting multiple pots, try raising the height of the plants in the center and back to create a sense of layering, place some small plants in front as accents, and arrange shorter plants around the others that can still serve as focal specimens, giving the composition a center of gravity. After combining them, the lines, proportions, directions and variety pairings are very subtle; try a lot, and your photos will look better. One final reminder: never let your family water them for you.