A Taiwan, China flower enthusiast shares a beginner's guide to flower care

Body text

Images and text: Internet

Succulents are also very popular in Taiwan, China. Those who love nature but cannot often go outdoors mostly choose to grow green plants at home, especially succulents. Just like us, they have also reaped a lot on the road of a beginner's growth... empty pots. Taiwan, China flower enthusiasts have had this experience too. The total wipeout of his plants made him very panicked. After reading a large amount of material, he finally transformed into a succulent expert, and shared ten little secrets about why succulents cannot be kept alive. If you have also had the experience of harvesting a large number of empty pots, or do not want to have such an experience, you can read this article to learn a bit about it~~~

Succulents have a healing effect. When daily stress is overloaded, spending 10 minutes tidying them up brings a happy mood right away. For succulent care, patience is the most important thing. If you are not familiar with them, you will need to spend more time studying. In particular, succulents need special care methods in each season, and varieties also differ, making it more difficult than imagined. But the key three points are sunlight, air, and water. Adjust according to the situation, and care for them regularly. When it is too hot in summer, you should check the plants' condition at least every two days.

No.1 Are succulents really easy to care for?

It actually depends on the type. At first I thought it was simple and I could just plant them casually, but within 1 month I collected a lot of empty pots. Only later did I gradually realize that various varieties change in different seasons, and the three elements of sunlight, air, and water need to be adjusted according to the situation.

No.2 What will cause succulents to die?

There are many ways to make them die. Please refer to the following succulent death guide:

1. Watering every day. (Most of them grow in harsh environments, so there is no need to spoil them excessively.)

2. Watering in the middle of the day. (The water will heat up immediately and then the pot will be like a steam room, rotting the roots.)

3. No hole in the bottom of the pot. (Because the roots need air circulation, which can speed up water flow.)

4. Summer. (Especially summer in Taiwan, China. It is very stuffy, hot, and humid. I myself clear out many empty pots in summer.)

5. Pests. (The most terrifying is mealybugs. Pesticides often cannot kill them, and the powder on their bodies carries the pesticide away. Try using a needle to stab them to death one by one.)

6. Pathogens. (It often happens that diseased jelly-like leaves fall onto the surface soil and begin to rot, and then begin to infect the whole plant until it dies.)

No.3 What should be noted when growing succulents?

1. Long hours of sunlight. Succulents grow in desert-like environments. If the sunlight is not strong enough, you will notice the distance between each leaf begin to stretch out, and at that point they are neither gorgeous nor cute anymore.

2. Water according to variety. If you take watering amounts seriously, you will never finish studying it. In my home environment (full sun, rain shelter, fifth-floor ventilated area), the temperature difference between day and night is large in autumn, winter, and spring. As winter approaches, I choose to water once every 1-2 weeks, watering thoroughly depending on the situation; in summer, and when spring and autumn are on the hot side, I water less, about once a month, with a small amount and without watering thoroughly. Some varieties dry out easily and need occasional misting or moving to a shaded area.

3. The planting medium is the most critical. If you want to grow succulents well, you must seriously explore this part. Environment, variety, and watering habits all have their own formulas. My lazy-person mix: use large-particle coal cinder at the bottom layer, mix medium-particle akadama soil with medium-fine particle coal cinder in the middle, and cover the surface soil with medium-particle akadama. Every famous succulent shop sells specially blended medium formulas, but they still may not suit environmental factors. I suggest buying a pre-mixed medium as the middle layer, pairing the bottom layer with a super hydrophobic medium, which can better prevent you from itching to water thoroughly and thus causing the roots to rot. The surface soil is best covered with a single color of akadama stone, simple and good-looking.

No.4 How do you care for different succulent varieties?

1. For cacti, in summer place them in a pot with holes and water freely until thoroughly soaked, because it is the growing season and they really need nutrients.

2. Common Crassulaceae need to be protected from stuffiness, and you should pay attention to whether sunlight is sufficient. Too much water and low sunlight will make their necks stretch out and become somewhat ugly. In cool seasons, do not overwater; give a small amount of water. In autumn, when the temperature difference between day and night is large, restrict water. Some varieties will show a color shift to red and denser leaves, which is the so-called beautiful appearance that succulent growers pursue during the cool growing season. (You often see that in cold-climate regions such as Japan and Europe, succulents are mostly bright red and plump.)

3. Plants in Liliaceae and Asteraceae quite like to drink water. In summer, use a sprayer to add water mist, otherwise it is easy to end up with empty pots.

4. Euphorbiaceae require special attention. It is not that they are hard to grow. Their wounds produce white latex. If you have touched it, remember that you must thoroughly wash your hands or simply wear gloves. Once, while handling them, my fingers touched the latex and I even washed my hands three times, but after rubbing my eyes, my eyes immediately began to burn and tear wildly. It only stopped after emergency treatment. During that time my eyes were red and in severe pain. If it directly enters the eyeball, it may cause blindness.

No.5 Can succulents be grown indoors?

It is completely not recommended to grow them indoors. Indoors is usually stuffy and hot, making water regulation even harder, and without sunlight they will become strangely shaped.

No.6 What easy-care succulents are recommended?

The following succulents are recommended: Graptopetalum paraguayense (the common edible stone lotus, grows and survives casually, and is fine even if left outside in the rain), White Princess and Butterfly Dance (no need to bring them in when a typhoon comes, with vigorous vitality, and fallen leaves will grow branches again), Lace Princess and Mother of Thousands (known as the demons of the succulent world, with kalanchoe daigremontiana blood, they will grow a bunch of babies, and if they fall into another pot they will still grow, and before you know it they will occupy the whole garden), cacti (they bloom gorgeous small flowers like crazy in spring), and the Sedum morganianum series (jade-green succulents like waterfalls, easy to overflow the pot). In addition, String of Pearls and Purple String of Pearls (they grow like waterfalls and also produce small plum-scented flowers).

No.7 Do succulents attract mosquitoes and insects?

Fewer mosquitoes, but if the soil is too dry it will attract ants to build nests, and if the soil is too stuffy, weather factors will attract mealybugs. There are also aphids, spiders, caterpillars, centipedes, and so on. Unidentified small insects are often found on plants. Besides regular spraying, I am determined and directly sprinkle a bunch of pesticide. If there are children and pets at home, this is not recommended.

No.8 What should you do if a succulent gets sick or a leaf withers?

Do not worry too much about a single withered leaf. Plants also need to replace old leaves to retain nutrients. Try to let it drop leaves on its own. In the semi-dry state, new plants will grow again at the joint with the stem, and the plant tends to start growing messily. If a jelly-like leaf becomes semi-transparent but is not yet completely withered, pull it off immediately, check whether the stem or roots have turned black, and if you see it, deal with it immediately with clean scissors, then take the plant directly out of the pot and place it in a cool, ventilated place to observe. If it is caused by mealybugs, kill the insects one by one immediately, and pay attention to whether there are any missed in dense leaf areas, then take it out of the pot, brush off all the soil with a toothbrush, and soak it in alcohol water to sterilize and disinfect.

No.9 How often do succulents need watering?

I myself am rather lazy. In cool seasons (October to March) I water once every 1-2 weeks. On rainy days or when sunlight is too strong, I do not water. In stuffy hot seasons (April to September) I water once a month, but water thoroughly depending on the situation. During the plum rain season, skip it and occasionally mist.

No.10 Do you need to change the soil or add supplemental fertilizer?

Most succulents bought at ordinary flower markets come with potting soil. You must remember to replace the medium, because potting soil holds too much water, and centipedes are often found in it. In addition, foreign soil often has uncertain factors such as insect eggs and ant nests. It is recommended that after buying them, remember to take them out of the pot, brush the soil clean, place them in a cool place to air-dry for a few days, let the wounds heal, and then plant them into a new pot. The succulents in my home all grow up drinking rice-washing water, simple, natural, and clean. You can also choose chemical fertilizer.

Tips for beginners

Besides the plants themselves, whether the pots are beautiful or not affects the visual growth of succulents. When planting multiple pots, try to raise the height of the plants in the center and back to create a sense of layering, place some small plants in front as accents, and arrange shorter plants around the other sides that can still serve as feature plants to give the composition a focal point. After combining them, the lines, proportions, directions, and variety matching are very subtle. Try more, and the photos will look better. Finally, a reminder: never let your family water for you.

This article was compiled by the Succulent Plant Boutique Hall. Copyright belongs to the original author. For some articles, the source cannot be identified, so they are marked as from the internet. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately, and we will handle it promptly.