Always killing your succulents? Avoid these 10 common care mistakes

Mistake 1: Watering just a little each time

Some growers are so careful with their succulents that they dare not water them much, giving only a tiny bit each time, with water sitting around the stem. This easily causes the stem to rot, and the succulent becomes less plump and less attractive.

Mistake 2: The succulent is still rooting, but you think it is dying

When a newly bought succulent has just been potted, or a succulent was repotted just a few days ago, some growers see it still looking wilted and think it is dying, then start to panic and fret.

Even for the same kind of succulent, the time needed to settle into a new pot differs under different conditions. While it is settling in, wait patiently, at least 15 days, and sometimes even two months!

Mistake 3: Applying lots of fertilizer

Some growers want their succulents to grow faster, so they apply a lot of fertilizer, and the leaves end up with an ugly color. Plants change color as a stress response to harsh conditions; if nutrients are too abundant, it becomes very hard to get vivid, attractive leaf color.

Mistake 4: Broken leaves cannot be used for cuttings

Many people believe that succulent leaves that have been snapped off, crushed, or lack a growth point cannot root when used for cuttings, but some growers have used such leaves for cuttings and gotten thick, strong roots!

Mistake 5: Keeping leaf cuttings in indirect light the whole time

Before leaf cuttings have grown new shoots, they can stay in indirect light, but once many small shoots have appeared, they must be moved to a spot with plenty of sunlight, otherwise they will become leggy!

Mistake 6: A blackened stem means black rot

Some growers see the stem of their succulent turning black and get terribly frightened, thinking it is black rot, but the stem stays hard and the succulent is still plump and doing perfectly well. This is not black rot at all, it is the stem becoming woody!

Mistake 7: The succulent has dried to paper, so it is certainly doomed!

As long as a succulent has not developed black rot, never underestimate its vitality, even if the leaves are as dry as paper. If you do not believe it, just look at how this pot of Echeveria glauca (blue echeveria) changed!

A blue echeveria as dry as paper

The leaves are a little more hydrated

Almost recovered

Perfectly revived! Grown into its best form! The leaf color is so beautiful!

Mistake 8: Aerial roots mean the succulent is unhealthy

When a succulent grows aerial roots, it does not mean it is unhealthy; in many cases the succulent grows aerial roots simply because the surrounding environment is humid, so there is nothing to worry about at all! Let the aerial roots grow well, and after a while let them disappear on their own!

Mistake 9: Expensive varieties are simply better!

With succulents, the more expensive is not always the better. If your skills are excellent, growing ordinary varieties well can still beat expensive ones! Succulents originally have no varieties at all; it is just that some are imported, so customs duties and shipping costs apply, and the price is naturally much higher.

For example, Korea's "kawa" is the same as the domestic white peony, yet the price differs by as much as 10 times. When buying, growers must look carefully before making a move!

Mistake 10: Succulents are plants for lazy people

If succulents are grown in their place of origin or in a very suitable environment, then they really are plants for lazy people. But if you want to grow them well in the domestic environment, relying on laziness alone definitely will not work!

Succulents are fairly drought-tolerant, but spring is their growing season. Some growers still water only once a month; the succulents certainly will not die, but do not expect them to reach their best form either. You must water according to the environment of the region where you live.

These 10 succulent care mistakes,

how many have you made?

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