Shanghai Open-Balcony Succulents Through Summer: Do the Right Things Right Now

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Photos: Curator

More than two years ago I chose the path of growing succulents, and thus began my study and practice in the field of succulents. Where there is a will, there is a way. As a nine-to-five professional in the system, I gradually built up a signature-style balcony succulent garden of the free-shipping region, and inside I feel a little sense of accomplishment!

As succulent growers are about to face the most worrisome "summer survival ordeal," the big names on every platform are rolling out their technical experience and practical strategies in good time. Here, as an ordinary balcony grower of common succulents in the free-shipping region, what I want to share with you is mindset and attitude, so that growing succulents can be a beautiful scenery of our own all the way...

[Partial view of the large balcony] -- Two balconies facing south, one large and one small, 600+ varieties and pots, plus plenty of leaf-propagation seedlings. Right now, before 6 a.m., sunlight already slants across the whole balcony; as the sun rises and sets, the light and shadow shift gradually, and by one or two in the afternoon the inner layer gets no sun at all, while the outer layer gradually weakens too. Basically my succulents almost never get sunburned. With a half-open, roofed balcony, the light is actually limited...

I believe in one principle:

Because of my profession, I have always believed --

When we face many things,

No matter how things are going,

We should often check whether the core of the thing itself has the right things placed in it,

We should put in the right motive, the right original intention, the right thoughts, the right ideas,

All the right things...

[Star Tarot, others] -- So many bright red new varieties; though they are still dazzling, I hope the plants' functions in all respects can be a bit more stable! Before I understand how strong or weak their summer-survival resistance is, I plan to move them into the bay-window recuperation area this midsummer. After all, caution is the parent of safety...

Always uphold the "environmental adaptation theory" and practice it firmly.

1. Environment: includes the three aspects of natural, social, and cultural. For growing succulents, this means: geographic region, housing conditions, and care management -- the three major environments.

Speaking of this, you can all feel how incomparable the world of growing succulents is.

What I do: carefully observe and summarize my own environment's light, ventilation, and humidity, as well as the ecological condition of different succulents, and make personalized choices for care, placement, and varieties. For example, put the delicate ones farther in; for varieties like the Orostachys genus such as Fuji and the Jian Si line (with more than two personal lessons learned), which are prone to disease and damage in the local plum rain season, I resolutely do not grow them...

2. Adapting to the environment: it is an instinct of all living things, driving them to develop the functions necessary for future survival.

Succulents are advanced plants with their own regulatory mechanisms; the more they are trained, the tougher they become.

What I do: based on the large spacing between buildings in this small high-rise complex and the good regional ecology, I keep them outdoors on the balcony year-round through summer and winter, responding to the ever-changing climate of the four seasons by staying still.

3. Survival of the fittest: the basic argument of biological evolution theory -- in the struggle for existence, those with strong adaptability survive, and those with poor adaptability are eliminated.

Face the birth, aging, illness, and death of succulents rationally; it is a matter of probability!

What I do: diligently remove leaves to create a good small ventilation environment for the succulent plant itself; diligently patrol to control disease and damage crises to the minimum possible.

[Ice Jade, Baby Fingers] -- Look, the thick flower spikes; now you know how healthy my succulents are (hehe, purely showing off)...

Follow one principle:

Based on the "normal state" principle --

1. In summer, I believe succulents will not die of heat, only of dryness, so I boldly keep them outdoors and water them (see the detailed watering rules below);

2. Since the balcony is not in full sun, I believe ventilation is king, and I always feel that putting up shade netting hinders ventilation, so I do not shade them;

3. In winter, the lowest temperatures in downtown Shanghai cannot freeze succulents, so I keep them outdoors with confidence;

4. All succulents use only one kind of professionally packaged comprehensive granular soil with slow-release fertilizer (relatively more expensive than mixing your own). When repotting, one shake and it is clean; poke a hole in the pot and it is loose enough to insert and plant. It really is easy to use! Also, I once used rainbow stone as top dressing and found that in the strong balcony wind the lightweight pumice easily blew off, so now I use hard maifan stone, which is heavier and white, more stable, and also cleaner and prettier in photos. 5. I do not excessively pursue perfect coloration or clustering; I treat succulents as green plants, without beheading or stressing them -- natural and healthy is enough.

6. Legginess and spreading are normal for me. What I most like to do is fill in and reshape a pot of succulents, and this is where I spend the most energy and money. Key note: combination pots, merging pots, and filling pots are done in the cool autumn and winter; from late spring to early summer I basically do not repot or fuss, nor buy new plants. If my hands itch, then in the hot summer I move them indoors to the bay window for care.

7. Potting is based on the standard of beautiful shape, low price, and suitability (since they are grown outdoors on the balcony, the ornamental requirements for pots are not as high as indoors). I basically keep it around 10 yuan each, do not buy expensive pots, and spend the money on filling in and shaping each pot of succulents.

8. My home does not need bird or pet protection; only for pest prevention, in the first two years after the Awakening of Insects period, every two or three weeks I alternated root drenching and foliar spraying with Huahuashen until autumn, and patrolled carefully morning and evening every day to catch insects. This is now the third year, and due to current conditions and environmental considerations I plan not to use chemicals; if I find any, I will only treat them individually.

9. Regarding disease, as long as I find spots on the leaves, applying carbendazim and the like will not completely cure it; immediately removing the leaves is best. There is nothing to be reluctant about; do not lose the big for the small! Facts have proven the effect is very good...

10. As a Sedum variety enthusiast, I rationally buy large and expensive plants; the more expensive, the harder to grow. Due to limits on my own manpower, resources, and expertise, I just dabble without going deep. Do not end up exhausting both money and heart, with more loss than gain! So the common succulents on my two balconies are what I can handle; easy growing and beautiful is the right way!

[Maru-leaf White Chrysanthemum] -- Hehe, the most expensive in my home, like a treasured jewel; you absolutely must do well, do not break my heart!

[Peach Egg] -- The only succulent I have in large quantity; including large, small, and trunked ones, there are about 40 pots in total. There are two reasons: after I started practicing with it, it stays cute and beautiful in all four seasons and is tough and easy to grow; and it has always been popular with a price that never drops. A little lady also wants to have plenty, so I start growing from small seedlings (the spokesperson for being stingy is me)...

Practical watering in real life:

Regarding the regularity of watering, I am attaching a post of mine from a year ago. Its main purpose is to synthesize multiple viewpoints and remind you to use them flexibly! As follows:

(1) Getting watering right is very important; there are many factors to understand:

Regional climate, seasonal weather,

Temperature and humidity, ventilation conditions,

Growth habits, size and condition,

Sunlight hours, placement position,

Pot material, diameter and depth,

Soil structure, particle size,

Signs of water need, interval time...

(2) Grasp the timing of watering accurately; various methods can verify it:

The watering interval recording method,

The top-dressing wet-dry observation method,

The bamboo skewer inserted into soil to check moisture method,

The lift-the-pot-and-judge-by-weight method,

The touch-the-leaves-for-softness-or-firmness method...

(3) When watering by hand, think it over; water more or less as appropriate:

Water thoroughly after drying out, suitable for spring and autumn; in the growing season more is fine,

Water in summer evenings and in winter days; during dormancy moisten the roots with a small amount,

Old trunks and mature plants can be watered less; seedlings and small pots need more water...

Succulent care depends on attentiveness; each person and each home has its own way,

Principles and rules are only for reference; what suits your home is best.

[Lily Lili] -- I think the pot and plant are in harmony; the pot need not be expensive, only well matched, right?

[Tricolor Rose] -- White Rose and Lemon Rose classic three-headed pseudo-clusters; the perfect shape and low price of each pot is my unchanging pursuit (sounds nice, but in truth it is still all about being stingy)...

[Various kinds] -- Of course, this little lady is very curious; besides Sedum, I also want to try a little of each of the above categories. Although the outcome is always "not my cup of tea," it is still worth having entered the succulent-growing world...

Plant melons and get melons, plant succulents and get succulents,

Manpower, resources, expertise,

All cause and effect is the most important hidden potential of all things!

In the space of every thing in the universe,

Remember to put in place all that it needs,

Remember to put the right things in place,

And things will develop very well!

[Ji Qiuli] -- A common name to anchor the post! The mother plant and the second-generation leaf propagation in the same frame; even the most common is still beautiful, no arguing...

Blessings to all of us who love succulents as always; may this summer bring you everything you wish! Hehe, the secret is: keep it in mind, and there will surely be a response!

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