5 signs you are a reckless "itchy-hands" meddler in the succulent world - how many do you match?

As a newbie who has just fallen into the succulent rabbit hole, you wish your succulents would change every single day, and so all kinds of haste-makes-waste practices keep popping up. But succulents need time to grow, and many times good intentions end up doing harm - if you do not meddle, you will not kill them. Below, Xiao Jingzhi Life will go through with you the reckless "itchy-hands" behaviors that newbies tend to have.

Itchy-hands sign 1: Repotting at will

You simply feel the current pot is too cheap-looking, so you want to give it a fancy one, or one you believe is good for the succulent. Little do you know, every repotting forces the succulent to adapt all over again, and its roots are kept busy adapting to the environment the whole time - how can they supply the nutrients needed for growth? Unless the pot is truly affecting its growth, or the current pot really cannot hold the succulent anymore, it is best to repot as little as possible. And even when you do repot, choose the beginning of the succulent's growing season, not randomly in the middle of its peak growth period.

Itchy-hands sign 2: Pulling off leaves for no reason

Hmm, there are enough leaves, I want to do leaf propagation, I want to become a big grower; I want to pull off leaves to grow an old stump. Little do you know, some varieties simply cannot be propagated from leaves at all. More importantly, pulling off too many leaves can easily make the succulent top-heavy and wobbling, with a stem covered in scars, and if this happens during the succulent's dormancy period, heh, just wait for it to die. And for those common varieties with an extremely high leaf-propagation success rate, just wait to go crazy buying pots. Leaves can be pulled, but there must be a limit.

Itchy-hands sign 3: Giving the succulent no fixed home

This succulent is so beautiful, I want to pick it up and play with it; why is this succulent never showing its colors? No way, I will put it in the fridge to chill for a while. Come on, a succulent is a plant, and it needs peace and quiet while growing. Let us settle down and let it be a quiet, beautiful succulent, okay?

Itchy-hands sign 4: Overdosing on insecticide

Damn, there are bugs! Spray pesticide! And so, every succulent within a hundred miles gets sprayed. But pesticide is toxic, and so - great, the bugs are gone, and some of the delicate succulents are dead too. If there really are bugs, when there are only a few, a toothpick and tweezers will do; when there are many, isolate the affected succulents first and then apply Huahuashen. Hmm, I heard some people even throw away the pot along with the plant for fear of contagion. Rich folks, could you tell me where you dump the bodies?

Itchy-hands sign 5: Frequent watering

Why is the potting soil so dry? Let me water it a bit; my succulent has been in its pot for two or three days now, why is it not growing, and instead looking a bit wilted? Back and forth like this, the succulent becomes even more wilted, so you water again - well, this time no need to water, it has turned to mush on its own... A freshly potted succulent's roots have not fully grown yet, and watering too much easily causes poor root respiration and root rot; a normally growing succulent watered too much will, at best, stretch out into a leggy mess, and at worst, rot into mud... Succulents are actually very drought-tolerant. Control your hands - only by controlling water can you grow beautiful succulents.

As the saying goes, "Keep fish diligently, keep flowers lazily," and there is real sense in this. Over-caring for succulents is really just crudely interfering with their growth. Sometimes, if you choose not to pay them too much attention, after a while they may give you a big surprise. So: no zuo no die, and that is for you.

Compiled and published by Xiao Jingzhi Life.