Succulent Growing Pitfalls and Beauty Tips: The Scams She Fell For When Buying Succulents and How She Turned Things Around
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ForewordQian Yan
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Location / Dongying, Shandong Editor / Succulent Plant Hub Every succulent lover must have been captivated by others' photos of thriving succulents millions of times, only to have their hearts collapse when the plants arrive... But hey, with a bit more patience and effort, they will definitely become beautiful~
Author / Miss Yuesheng Tianli
When I first got into succulents, I knew nothing. I didn't know what types of succulents I liked, but I just thought succulents were cute and pretty, and I wanted to have every kind.
Whether buying on Taobao or WeChat, I was always fooled by those photos of succulents in their prime, so when I saw what actually arrived, my heart just...
When I saw the goods arrive all dried up and messy, I nearly went crazy! At first I tried to straighten them out one by one and arrange them neatly, but by the end I'd had enough - whatever, who cares! I just piled them in the middle and buried them...
Back then I didn't know any better, and I was still using these little white stones as top dressing. Later, once I learned a bit more, I basically replaced all the little white stones with volcanic rock or akadama.
From this angle you can see just how much patience I had... or rather, how little...
Two weeks after planting, I felt that the Sedum anglicum (Dwarf Stonecrop) had finally come back to life, and they were all standing up. Even though it's ugly, I was still happy that it survived. But the ugliness was still undeniable...
This photo was taken in July 2017. I put up a shade net, and the succulents began their survival phase.
It was my first summer, and I had read many articles online about how difficult it is to get through summer. I was on edge the entire summer.
Every rainstorm was a "thrilling journey" for me. Luckily, I didn't lose a single one all summer. Celebrating~
August 2017 - maybe because I wasn't watering much, part of the middle dried out... But the rest had already developed color layering. I don't know if I should be happy or not...
It had already started spreading outward, and the dried-out part in the middle had basically grown back. But at this point it was still ugly. Thinking about it now, it really wasn't easy that I didn't give up on it when it was that ugly!
I don't know what happened - was it a soil problem? - but wild grass leaves actually sprouted in the middle...???? But there were already pink Sedum anglicum (Dwarf Stonecrop). Slowly waiting for it to break out of its cocoon and become a butterfly.
November 2017 - after more than 5 months, it had grown quite a bit. Although it still looked pretty bad, compared to when it first arrived it was already so much better.
And its growth made me willing to keep waiting for it to become beautiful. So much anticipation!
In winter I moved them indoors and didn't take many photos. It actually grew to fill the whole pot without me even realizing it. In March 2018, I moved all the succulents back outside, and right after moving them out they experienced heavy rain mixed with hail. Luckily, Sedum anglicum (Dwarf Stonecrop) doesn't have large leaves, so it's not easily damaged by hail...
I really love rainwater. On a side note, is that Echeveria 'Shuxian' behind and to the right of the Sedum anglicum? I got it for free from a promotion at Wanda.
I think the succulents Wanda gives away, even though they're in poor condition, are really easy to keep alive. The Wanda near us also loves giving away succulents - I've already received 3 pots of Echeveria 'Shuxian'.
Behind and to the left is the Echeveria 'Shuxian' I bought for 35 yuan during my naive days. When I get a chance, I'll tell you about all the scams I've fallen for over the years!
This is what the Echeveria 'Shuxian' from Wanda looks like now - green as can be but constantly pupping!
This is the Echeveria 'Shuxian' I got scammed into buying. It looks pretty good now, but when it arrived, words can't describe it!
This is a photo I took this afternoon, with no filter. While everyone else's succulents are losing their color, this one has become so gorgeously vibrant. It's turned into rainbow colors. I truly love it!
It's almost been a full year of growing succulents. I think no matter how ugly a succulent is, as long as you give it time, it will definitely show you its beauty. You need to have faith, you need to wait!
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