If these things happen to your succulents, it will be too late if you don't fertilize them

When a succulent blooms, you need to fertilize it right away. Flowering and fruiting is an important life cycle for a plant, and it will inevitably consume a large amount of nutrients, so whenever this time comes, all of the plant's tissues cooperate with this important act of producing offspring. These include: the stems thicken to prevent the flowers and fruit from being too heavy and causing the plant to topple, the roots grip the soil more deeply to help the plant itself absorb more nutrients, and some succulent leaves will drop appropriately so they do not block insect pollination and the fruit's exposure to light.

Is it hard for succulents to bloom? Take the ever-popular Echeveria genus as an example. Generally speaking, most varieties already meet the conditions for blooming after one or two years of growing. If your succulents have been growing for several years and still have never bloomed, it is often because you believed the idea that succulents come from barren native habitats and do not need fertilizer, so you gave your succulents a very shabby regimen: the soil mix is just plain medium, the water is just tap water, and with insufficient nutrients, it is futile for the succulents to try to bloom.

After blooming, succulents consume a large amount of nutrients, so they often become unattractive. Therefore, during the flowering period, do not stop the nutrients (monopotassium phosphate); keep the nutrients coming so they do not get too far out of shape, but after an old stem blooms, it may still lose its shape, because the roots may not necessarily be able to absorb the nutrients. If you are worried that your succulent will lose its shape after blooming, or if you are not interested in succulent flowers, you can use scissors to cut off the flower stalk from a position close to just below the stalk. Do not rush to clean up the remaining flower stalk; it will gradually dry out and eventually fall off on its own. If you pull it off too hastily, you may instead injure the succulent.

Succulents need more nutrients to support their own flowering and fruiting. Flowering fertilizer is mainly phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, and it is best applied in liquid form because it takes effect quickly. Succulent growers who do not know much about flower fertilizer can simply choose monopotassium phosphate: mix 1 gram of fertilizer with 2 kilograms of water. Some growers say a 1:1000 ratio is better, but that is under greenhouse or conservatory cultivation conditions, where the plants grow vigorously and this concentration can be used. Succulents grown at home cannot absorb nutrients as fast as those in greenhouses and conservatories, so dilute it as much as possible.

Do not throw away the cut flower stalks; you can put them in a bottle like cut roses, and the buds will slowly open. So if you do not plan to pollinate, you can cut them off and put them in a bottle when the succulent flowers are still in bud, so you can both see the flowers bloom and avoid consuming too many nutrients. After some succulent flower stalks are stuck into soil, they can survive again and produce new little lives, but you have to cut off the flowers, otherwise the flowers will consume the vast majority of their nutrients.

When the environment is relatively suitable, succulents grow fairly quickly, especially during the growing season, when succulents are in a state of frantic growth. If you find that your succulents do not have enough nutrients and are growing relatively slowly, you can appropriately supplement them with some nutrients so they can grow better.

In their native habitat, succulents generally bloom within one year, mostly concentrated in spring. However, because they have left their native habitat, after climate, water and other environmental factors change, succulents bloom relatively rarely. But as long as the temperature and environment are relatively suitable, succulents can also grow flower stalks or bloom. At this time, many flower lovers struggle over whether to pull off the flower stalks and pinch off the flowers, for fear that the succulent will die right after blooming.

This is a gathering place for succulent lovers, sharing succulent care tips. You are welcome to follow and exchange ideas.