7 rules for beginners growing succulents: you can grow beautiful succulents on a balcony too

I've always dreamed of having a yard to grow succulents outdoors, but unfortunately I only have a balcony, and I believe many friends feel this same frustration. But does being a balcony grower really mean you can't grow beautiful succulents? Not necessarily. Below, Little Exquisite Life has put together, based on my own actual experience, the following points to note when growing succulents on a balcony, for reference. But everyone has their own actual situation, and no single method can be applied universally, so this is for reference only.

1. Flower pots

Stuffiness, heat and dampness are the three things succulents fear most. To grow compact, beautiful succulents, you must choose flower pots with holes that let air through. Below is a ranking of flower pots of various materials by how breathable they are:

1. Terracotta pots: the walls are relatively thin, breathability is the best, and the potting soil dries out quickly. Beginners are advised to use terracotta pots, so that if you happen to overwater a little, there is still room to recover.

2. Black coarse ceramic pots: although the walls are thick, breathability is still quite good, and after watering, moisture can seep through to the outer wall of the pot.

3. Zisha (purple clay) pots: zisha is mainly used for growing orchids, and is equally suitable for succulents.

4. Jingdezhen unglazed pots: breathability is slightly inferior to the previous three, but drainage is very good and no water will collect.

5. Jingdezhen coarse ceramic glazed pots: drainage is comparable to unglazed pots, but because of the glaze, breathability is a bit worse. However, heat insulation is very good, which protects the roots of succulents well in summer, and they are very beautiful.

6. Plastic pots: mainly referring to black square and white square pots, which are not breathable but have very good drainage. Black square pots absorb heat in summer, which is not good for the roots, so white square pots are recommended. They look a bit plain, but their uniform shape makes them a good choice both for greenhouses that need space and for friends with OCD tendencies.

7. White porcelain pots: breathability is basically negligible, heat insulation is very good, drainage is average; suitable for growing seedlings, and when growing mature plants you must strictly control water.

2. Soil mix

The simplest locally sourced method I've always mentioned: 3 peat + 1 coal cinder + 1 sawdust + 5 coarse sand. But to be honest, online shopping is so convenient and cheap these days, so today let's talk about an upgraded version.

1. If the balcony has rather poor ventilation, you can use akadama + rice husk charcoal + maifan stone;

2. If the balcony's light is not ideal, you can use pumice + volcanic rock + Kiryu sand, and if ventilation and breathability are good, add some peat soil;

3. If you have conditions for growing outdoors, the soil mix must include 30%-50% peat soil;

4. Personally, I think coconut coir holds water too well, so it is not very suitable for balcony growers;

5. Leaf-propagated seedlings like a soil mix that is dry on the surface and moist inside. It is recommended to use 80% peat soil + granules; for mature plants, 50% peat soil + granules; for old stumps, 20%-40% peat soil + granules.

6. When mixing the soil, also mix in some carbendazim and Xiaobaiyao; the former sterilizes, the latter kills insects.

7. There is no fixed rule for how to mix soil. Succulents' habits, the season, weather, climate, environment and other factors differ, so the soil mixing method differs too. The above is only for reference.

3. Watering

1. Watering frequency: when you feel the bottom two layers of leaves of the succulent become soft, you can water.

2. Watering amount: water until it runs through.

3. Watering time: evenings are best in spring, summer and autumn; in winter, water at midday if possible. In summer, you absolutely must avoid the blazing midday sun.

4. If water gets on the leaf surface of the succulent, you can gently blow the droplets dry with a bulb blower; otherwise, once the sun hits them, the convex lens effect of the droplets may well sunburn the succulent.

4. Light

No matter how suitable the pot and soil are and how reasonable the watering is, without light it is all for nothing. Ventilation and light are the two major factors that directly affect succulents. If the pot is not breathable, you can adjust by adding granules to the potting soil; if the soil mix is unreasonable, you can change your watering habits. But without sunlight, absolutely not. The downside of a balcony is that sunlight is uneven and not abundant enough, so do everything you can to let your succulents get as much sunlight as possible. Of course, summer + midday + high temperature means no direct blazing sun, but because a balcony has a roof, the chance of direct sunlight is basically very small. Some people use grow lights, but at this stage that is still too luxurious, since the effective range of a grow light is only about the size of one succulent...

5. Ventilation

Just like sunlight, ventilation absolutely must not be poor, and a balcony's ventilation is indeed not as good as growing outdoors. Everyone knows that in summer you need to add a fan for your succulents, but actually the placement of the succulents is also key. Why build a plant stand? It is actually to raise the bottom of the pots so that the bottom can get air too.

6. Pests and diseases

As mentioned when mixing soil, mixing some carbendazim and Xiaobaiyao into the soil can have a preventive effect. If pests or diseases still appear, remember to isolate first. A balcony has only so much space, so don't accidentally end up with total wipeout. Isolate first, then remove by hand or kill with pesticide. Methods for killing pests and treating diseases were introduced in previous articles, so I won't go into detail here.

7. Mindset

Basically every time I mention the issue of mindset. Here are two idioms: let nature take its course, and don't court disaster. The growth of any plant is a process, and most succulents' native habitats are harsh environments, so excessive pampering actually changes the succulent's growing environment. If you fuss over it every day, trying to pull up seedlings to help them grow is definitely not as good as going to look at it once after some time and getting a pleasant surprise. Why not try setting down the succulent you keep worrying about for a while.

The above was compiled and published by Little Exquisite Life, and I hope it is helpful to everyone.