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Thanks to the author [Langyuequan] for theoriginal submissionsharing

Edited and compiled by: Encyclopedia Jun

Location: Weishan, Dali, Yunnan

Liren Chou

 Liren Chou

Li Yuanjie 

00:00/04:08

Over the many years I have been growing succulents, I have been fortunate enough to make quite a few succulent friends from all over. It is precisely because of your help and support that Uncle Wolf has been able to grow more and more, and better and better. This is my second submission since I started growing succulents, dedicated solely to my friends in the community and to those of you whom I have never met but who love succulents just as much.

May, early summer. The season a succulent grower fears most; how to get through summer safely is everyone's biggest headache. Many succulent friends care about "How do you get through summer? What should you pay attention to in summer?" First of all, what I want to tell everyone is that different locations, different climates and different growing environments require different growing methods. Do not follow a set routine. I am not some great master, nor do I understand it very well; I have merely taken advantage of my geographical position. Everything I say below is just my own experience, purely for exchange, and does not mean it is entirely correct.

There are plenty of posts out there on the problems to watch for when getting various succulents through summer, so I will not say much about that. But today what I want to talk about here is the most important point --- growing roots. To get through summer, you must first grow good roots; only with a healthy root system can you get through summer safely. Many friends buy succulents in winter or spring. When buying, they are first attracted by the succulent's beautiful condition. Once a succulent in good condition is in hand, they dry the roots, plant it in a special good soil mix, and admire its beautiful color.

"Hey, a week has passed, it's even redder, even prettier, great. Another month passes, the color is still very red and very beautiful." Everyone wants it to get redder and more beautiful. But have you ever thought about it: has this beautiful succulent actually settled into its pot??? If you think it has settled in, I want to tell you: "Dear, don't celebrate too soon." In my view, settling in definitely means growing new leaves or losing color; that is what settling in is, because it has grown new roots, and the new roots are absorbing water and the nutrients needed for growth, so your succulent will put out new leaves and lose color. Only that counts as settling in.

So I think that with a beautiful succulent bought in winter or spring, we should first not try to preserve its beauty but rather grow its roots well and let it truly settle in, even if it loses all its color and returns to the ugliest green. That way we can give it a healthy, well-developed root system in our hands, so that even in the hot summer it can breathe freely in the soil and not suffocate into black rot and death. When autumn comes, we then begin to control water, and wait for it to transform gorgeously once more in winter, returning to the most beautiful state it had when we bought it.

"Remember, to grow succulents, grow the roots first."

When I receive a newly bought succulent, my habit for planting is:

Step one, trim the roots: just use your hands to remove the roots that break off very easily. There is no need to trim too much; any root that you have to pull hard to remove is healthy and does not need to be trimmed off.

Step two, soak the roots: mix rooting medicine and fungicide with water. The concentration does not need to be too high; soak for about 15-30 minutes.

Step three, dry the roots: let the soaked roots dry out. Remember, dry them, not sun-dry them.

Step four, pot them: use the medicine water you just mixed for soaking the roots to moisten the soil for planting. Lay a layer of clay pebbles (which can be maifan stone, volcanic rock, or other breathable stones) at the bottom of the pot, then add soil and plant the succulent.

After planting, place the succulent in a cool, ventilated spot, not in a place with direct sunlight. After 7-10 days, soak it thoroughly with water and then move it to a sunny, ventilated place, until it grows new leaves and new roots and fades in color, which is when it counts as settled in. The time to settle in depends on geographic location, climate and variety.

The above is my personal view on the importance of growing roots. It does not represent everyone's opinion and is for reference only. Below is the editor's time to "spread the poison"; these are all condition photos of succulents I grow outdoors. I hope they bring you motivation. Thanks for viewing.

Bitao (Peach): Many of you may have seen this Bitao already; it is a top-grade one, and deservedly so. The first photo is from when I potted it. Later I noticed one branch had gone a bit soft, so I immediately cut the roots off at the base, and then it grew into photo two, and later photo three. I have grown it for 3 years.

Blue Light: Both photos are the same one, in different states. You are all very familiar with this pot of Blue Light, right? It too is a top-grade among top-grade.

Aeoniums in rose state:

I will not introduce the varieties one by one. They are all Purple Velvet; after the Shaoxiu crested form was grown out, it took on a rose state.

Photo when potted

Photo of current state

This stem shape is nice

Photo shortly after potting

Photo of current state

Jade Ice: My description of her is "this Bingbing surpasses Fan Bingbing."

European Purple: The variety most worth having among aeoniums. Photo one is the crested form, photo two is not crested.

Datura Aeonium crested form

Carnival

Thick-Leaf Shaoxiu

Halloween

Brilliant

Censer Plate crested form

Lily Lily

Red Crest, Doris, it has many names

Esmeralda: This variety looks very different in and out of condition. This may be why it is expensive. I do not have the skill to grow it into full condition; it is not very pretty.

Ball Red Skirt

Xiuyan

Xiuyan crested form

Nana Little Hook

Ice and Fire? Not sure

White Chrysanthemum

Purple Heart

Qunque crested form, Chulian crested form. I feel these two varieties have been blurred by many sellers.

Ivory Cheese

Chunmeng: Photo one, when potted; photo two, current state. It took 3 years.

Yamei Peach Egg

Nüchu variegated

Money-Sucking Tree

Golden Champagne hybrid: I think it is a hybrid, not pure, but as long as it looks good, that is fine.

Joey crested form

Thick-Leaf (Round-Leaf) Variegated Echeveria: This is my favorite variety. It is different from the ordinary one: the leaves are thick and fleshy, and the stem has gray-black fuzz.

Light Bulb

Ping-Pong Fukuniang

Hongzhiyu

Little Man Festival

Pansy

Light Snow

Round-Leaf Jiqiuli

Colorful Crayon

Red Plum

Desert Rose

Mountain Rose

Appreciation of the ball types; I am only a beginner too

Alright, that is all for now. When I have time later I will share more with everyone. Wishing everyone a safe summer!!!

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