An elderly couple who have grown succulents for 40 years built a succulent greenhouse that everyone envies

Whenever succulents come up, it seems that in the eyes of many flower lovers, succulents are something young people love to grow, but that is actually not the case.

Today, Huahua will introduce everyone to an elderly couple who grow succulents, and they have been growing succulents for a full 40 years!

As a Chengdu native settled in Switzerland, the author of this article, "Jasmin yajian de hen", had the good fortune to visit this elderly couple's succulent greenhouse. Next, please follow in her footsteps and take a look at the legendary succulent greenhouse of someone else's home!

Switzerland's HAKAFLOR comprehensive succulent greenhouse is owned by a kind elderly couple who have been growing succulents for more than 40 years, and the varieties they have stably propagated alone number more than 2800! In the elderly couple's greenhouse, the main varieties cultivated include cactus, Euphorbia and mesembs, and there is practically everything you could imagine!

The first thing you see upon entering is the elderly couple's succulent greenhouse. Whether it is the outdoor growing area or the indoor growing area, it is densely packed with succulents, and your eyes can hardly take it all in!

Next to the greenhouse is the small Western-style house where the elderly couple lives, and the entrance to the house is also piled full of succulents. Doesn't it look super cute?

I have a cactus expert friend who said that the elderly couple's succulent greenhouse covers almost all the top-quality cacti. Any cactus variety you want to buy, you can buy it here!

I heard they are still constantly buying rare cactus varieties. Previously they proudly told me that they had bought a variegated cactus for 500 euros. Huahua did a quick calculation, and that is more than 3700 RMB, which absolutely shocked me!

And after entering the seedling room, I was practically drooling and wanted to carry off a whole tray! Unfortunately, I could only dream about it...

Although Sedum only counts as a small portion here, this is still the only Sedum propagation greenhouse in Switzerland with several hundred varieties! And the old lady seems to prefer Sedum types, because I went several times and found that the Sedum varieties were not for sale at all; she kept them all for her own enjoyment. Only if you kept pressing her would she slowly take out a few for you to choose from. Too cute!

Next, let's look at the succulent that the old gentleman likes best. I heard it grows one ring a year and probably flowers only once about every 5 years, and this one is about 70 years old. The cute old gentleman kept asking me whether it was beautiful. I kept saying yes, yes, beautiful, but in my heart I still did not understand its beauty.

The old lady told me that she feels she is not a businessperson but a succulent enthusiast, so they love helping fellow succulent growers answer questions about succulents. Next, I summarized the couple's more than 40 years of experience growing succulents, just for everyone's reference!

First, let's talk about the issue of watering succulents.

Fellow growers who raise succulents all know that watering is the first step in growing succulents, and only after this first step is done well can you continue with the rest. So for growers whose normal summer temperature is above 32°C, just cut off water entirely, and there is no need to give water again until it drops below 30°C.

If during the summer period there are occasionally 2-3 days when the temperature suddenly falls to within 30°C, there is also no need to water, because if the temperature suddenly rises again in the following days, the previous watering may cause stuffiness and heat, and it will basically rot.

In spring and autumn, the water amount is greater, and generally watering 2-3 times a month is enough. If succulents are grown outdoors and get rained on, then reduce watering. Old Mr. KAHA's advice is that beginners should not let them get rained on, and when the temperature is above 30°C, absolutely do not let them get rained on!

The second point is about preventing common succulent pests and diseases.

For invasions by fungal diseases such as sooty mold and black rot, the main cause is lack of ventilation. If it is not serious, the old lady suggests it is best not to spray chemicals; place it outdoors in a shady spot with strong air circulation, cut off the diseased part, and after cutting off water, just wait until the wound heals naturally.

And the most effective method for killing pests is drenching the soil twice a year.

For the first pest-killing treatment, you can choose the first week after resuming watering in early spring. Water the succulents once with warm water to relax and awaken the roots. After the potting soil is completely dry, water a second time, at which point add a water-soluble insecticide and pour it around the roots until the entire potting soil is thoroughly soaked.

For the second pest-killing treatment, mid-August is the best time. At this time, just as in March, you can drench a large area with insecticide. Before and after the 2 pest-killing treatments, it is best not to let them get rained on, and you must let the solution dry completely. Do not carry out these 2 large-area pest-killing treatments too frequently, otherwise it will cause the succulents to develop pesticide resistance.

Do you see the hole in the cactus at the very front? The old lady told me that one year it was gnawed by insects, and because there were too many succulents, it was not discovered until a large chunk had already been eaten away.

Huahua thinks this is a blatant show-off of wealth!

On the issue of fertilizing, the old lady also has something to say.

The old lady told me that succulents actually do not need fertilizing at all. After all, they originally grow in the wild, and throughout the year, aside from rain, there is basically not much fertilizer for them to take in. If you do give fertilizer, just a little bit is enough; too much can easily cause harm.

As for choosing flower pots, the old lady said that actually any container you want is fine, but generally speaking plastic bottles are still the best, since they are both cheap and help retain water.

Look at this pot of succulents. Isn't it even bigger than my palm?

Finally, let's talk about the temperature for succulents!

Actually, 15-25°C can be considered the optimal growing temperature. Apart from the dormancy period, if this temperature range can be maintained continuously, succulents will grow better! So why do many flower lovers build a greenhouse? Isn't it because the temperature in a greenhouse is relatively constant!

Now the summer temperature is too high. If it stays above 30°C continuously, then you need to provide shade and cut off water. However long the high temperature lasts, that is how long you should cut off water.

Many flower lovers may ask, Switzerland's climate is completely different from ours in China, so isn't saying all this useless? Actually, Switzerland's weather is similar to the climate of Northeast China, so it can absolutely be done when growing them domestically!

Finally, there is still one especially regrettable thing to mention.

That is, because the elderly couple's children are all unwilling to inherit the greenhouse,

so now the succulent varieties are gradually decreasing,

and perhaps in a few more years,

even the succulents of these current varieties will no longer be seen!