Succulent bear paw plant (Cotyledon tomentosa) transformed into a chubby bear in two years

Using photos to record the growth history of a certain bear kid at home. This bear cub is way too tough. First, a comparison photo to see how the bear cub transformed into a chubby bear in two years

-- Photo from when it arrived home in November 2015, looking like a bear cub still in swaddling clothes

-- October 2017, after two years, under my painstaking care, it turned into a chubby bear girl with a plump figure and impressive whatchamacallit

Let me bring out a small succulent pot for comparison

-- The growth history of the bear cub

The scene when it was first cuttings in November 2015. Since there were basically no extra branches at the base of the bear head, I had to use fish sand as top dressing to prop it up, so it wouldn't wobble and fall over. (Pure peat moss for cuttings. During the cutting period, control your hands, don't fiddle or dig around. Just keep the cutting medium slightly moist. Under suitable temperature, roots will form in two weeks)

-- From September to November 2016, after 2 rounds of topping, it started to have some charm as a bear girl. (Topping for bear paw plants is similar to herbaceous flowers: remove the main branch, remove weak branches)

-- April 4, 2017, the bear girl had become a chubby girl. The small pot could no longer satisfy her appetite and size, so I decisively changed her housing. (Pure coconut coir brick planting)

-- May 27, 2017, the bear girl was very satisfied with the new house she moved into and had already acclimated to the pot.

-- October 2017, the bear girl began to feel romantic stirrings, every day sticking a few little red flowers on her big head, arranging her cloud-like hair by the window, applying yellow makeup in the mirror. I estimate if Brother Ximen Qing had passed by downstairs at this time, she would have thrown a bamboo pole down at him.

During this period, I wanted to show off, but I still hoped to cultivate a bear plant that could burst with bear flowers like herbaceous flowers, which would give me more to show off about.

The tragedy is, at this point the bear girl had been brainwashed, chanting every day that family planning is great. The bear flowers only bloomed sporadically, with no thought of bursting into full bloom at all...

Then began the flower mouse show-off law -- any plant that has been shown off in the pot friends circle will definitely stage a tragic transformation under the attacks of a bunch of so-called friends. Not long after showing off, it either jumps off a building or gets disfigured. The bear girl didn't escape this law either. On January 11, 2018, on a dark and windy night, a cold snap hit. When I was carrying her back inside from outside the window, she nearly staged a jumping-off-a-building tragedy. Luckily I grabbed her in time, but what I grabbed was... her hair. A floor full of broken hair, too horrible to look at. I only photographed part of the hair I pulled off, couldn't bear to photograph it all

After being grabbed, the bear plant's hair was noticeably sparse. The bear girl had completed her second transformation -- becoming a bear matron

Replying collectively to some questions from flower friends:

1. The growing medium is pure coconut coir brick, no nutrients, so why can it still grow so fast?

Actually, succulents are just like herbaceous flowers: the strength of the root system directly affects the size of the crown. Coconut coir and peat moss media are loose and soft, which is good for the plant's roots to spread. When the roots are strong, growth is naturally fast.

2. What fertilizer was applied during the growing period?

Just like normal plants, when thirsty, drink tap water. I sprayed nitrogen fertilizer, but not frequently. I feel the green bear doesn't have high fertilizer requirements; growth mainly depends on sunlight.

3. The topping question for green bear

If you want a full plant shape, the main branch must be pinched off, otherwise the shape will become thin and tall. Weak branches can be removed or kept; it doesn't affect the plant shape much.

I am guilty, I confess honestly, actually I just raised the green bear like an herbaceous flower. Topping, watering, and fertilizing all followed herbaceous flower habits, because I am still a succulent blind person to this day.