Pay close attention to the dormancy period of succulents, or they will die in 3 days

Source: Internet

Image source / xplant

Editor / Succulent Plant Hub

Recently the editor-in-chief has been mired in the resentment of not getting enough sleep every day. The editor-in-chief really feels deeply about being sleepy in spring, tired in autumn, and dozing in summer. By comparison, our succulents are actually doing very well, only needing to go dormant once a year~

The dormancy period is a peaceful yet dangerous stage for succulents, because after many plants go dormant, they never wake up again.....

In order to adapt to their growing environment, almost every variety of succulent has developed the habit of an annual fixed dormancy or semi-dormancy period, during which they stop growing and survive by consuming their own internal nutrients.

Different varieties of plants have different dormancy. Generally, according to growth patterns, succulents are divided into three types: summer-growing type, winter-growing type, and spring-autumn-growing type

In the hot summer, apart from summer-growing plants that can still burst out with vigorous vitality, most of the other types of plants will enter dormancy to varying degrees.

Now that the temperature is gradually rising, quite a few varieties have already begun to show signs of dormancy. Succulent lovers must take care of their little moods, after all, succulents can't cry, throw tantrums, and threaten to hang themselves to get our attention!

First we need to know that during dormancy, succulents don't change much in appearance, and they become dull. How so? That is, their response to water and fertilizer becomes sluggish, they are prone to rotting and other phenomena, and with one careless move they will ascend to heaven.....

Characteristics of the dormancy period

1. Leaves: dull and lusterless, and the leaf color of the whole succulent is uniform, while yellowing and falling leaves may also occur.

Some rosette succulents will become more tightly closed, while succulents like those in the Aizoaceae family will grow a papery outer skin to protect themselves.

2. Root system: vitality slows down or even stagnates, the root tips and the middle sections of the roots become mature roots. If you stare at it every day, you may even notice that its root tips are gradually shrinking in diameter.

During this period, the succulent has no obvious new root system, after all, the nutrients available for its own growth are already barely enough to stave off hunger.

If you confirm that your succulent has entered the dormancy period, then at this time we absolutely must not treat them all the same. We need to treat them differently!

Only by doing the following points well can our succulents steadily sleep through this summer and wake up beautifully in autumn~

Watering

Although outwardly they all look like quiet "beautiful succulents" (pretending succulents are still beautiful in summer, after all, we must love every state of our succulents!), in fact their own transpiration is diligently going on. But at the same time, the vitality of the root system is slowing down or even stagnating.

Quite contradictory, right? So the debate about watering has never stopped. Generally, water control is adopted, reducing watering frequency and watering amount, and it is enough to just spray a little on the soil surface.

Their roots need a certain amount of humidity, so they cannot be kept completely dry, otherwise the root system will dry out and die. For slow-growing varieties, signs of decline may only appear in early spring.

It is best to water in the early morning or evening when the temperature is lower. It is recommended to find a cool night, and after the flower pot is no longer hot, comfortably give it a little water~

Fertilizing

If you are still struggling over whether to control or cut off watering, then as for fertilizing, don't even think about it. During the dormancy period, succulents have extremely little ability to absorb fertilizer, almost negligible.

If you fertilize at this time, it is very easy to cause fertilizer burn to the seedlings, so staying alive is the priority. As long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood!

Light

Try to avoid direct sunlight and place the succulents in diffused light. Although they cannot withstand the scorching sun, succulents cannot do without sunlight. Without light, they tend to grow leggy.

Therefore, the best environment for succulents should combine coolness, ventilation, brightness, and good light all in one. This really is not contradictory at all.

Succulent lovers who use shade nets can refer to this: when the temperature does not exceed 30°C, the shade net can be left off, but you need to pay attention to the condition of the succulents. Some succulents that are difficult to summer can be cared for in a cool, ventilated place.

Between 30°C and 35°C, you can either pull the shade net or not, mainly depending on the light conditions the succulent has always had, and you can treat them differently.

Succulents that have always been grown outdoors have strong UV resistance and can still accept direct sunlight, so it is fine not to pull the shade net.

Succulents cared for on balconies in semi-outdoor conditions are not as resistant as outdoor-grown succulents, so it is best to avoid the high-temperature time period and pull the shade net.

For succulents grown indoors in shade, do not suddenly change the light conditions, as they are very easily sunburned.

In addition, within this temperature range, succulents will one after another close up into little buns and begin to go dormant. Such succulents need to be placed in a cool, ventilated place for care, and the shade net needs to be pulled.

When the maximum temperature reaches 35°C and above, the shade net must be pulled. Even summer-growing succulents will go dormant in such a high-temperature environment.

Ventilation

Ventilation is very crucial for succulents during the dormancy period. At this time the temperature is high, because water evaporation will take away heat.

Good ventilation can effectively cool the plants and reduce the moisture in the soil, which can avoid root rot. It can also effectively prevent and control pests and diseases.

If the care environment is not ventilated, no matter how cool it is, it is useless. Your succulent will very likely not last a few days before killing itself, and black rot, turning to water, and so on are all incurable diseases!

Usually open the windows more to let some fresh air in. Man-made air flow from fans and blowers ultimately cannot compare with natural wind. You can also place the succulents in a slightly higher position, though of course safety comes first.

Succulent dormancy is not scary, and summering is also an inevitable path. We should carefully observe the condition of the succulents, and it is best to keep records, and combine the above points to create a good sleeping environment for our succulents~

The editor-in-chief wants to remind everyone that all methods cannot be applied blindly. You need to keep exploring and summarizing the method that suits you best during the care process. Everyone can also share their own experience in the comments~

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