Succulents Fear the Heat in Summer Too? They Need Cooling and Heat Protection Just Like People

Take Me Home，Country Road

 Take Me Home Country Roads

John Denver 

00:00/03:16

BGM：take me home , country road

Summer is hot and stuffy, and by the afternoon the sleepy bug inevitably comes calling - you wish you could find a place with air conditioning, grab a blanket, and sleep until the world goes dark. That's when you start envying the succulents at home. They go dormant whenever they please and sleep all the way to autumn. Today let's talk about everything related to succulent dormancy in summer!

- Dormancy -

Dormancy is part of a succulent's life cycle. When light and temperature are no longer suitable for active growth, they need to rest in order to maintain a healthy state. The first sign that a succulent is entering dormancy is that it stops growing. Then the leaves quickly turn yellow and drop, and the rosette closes up.

Although it doesn't show on the outside, a dormant succulent is not actually idle. Transpiration continues, so the water supply cannot stop. Their roots need a certain level of moisture, so the soil cannot be kept completely dry, otherwise the root system will dry out and die. So, whatever you do, do not, cut, off the water!

- Dormant Succulents -

1. Aeonium 'Emerald Ball'

Crassulaceae, Aeonium genus. In the south, Aeonium 'Emerald Ball' roughly starts dormancy in May and doesn't finish until late autumn. Does that seem a pity? But this is when they look their most rose-like - golden-yellow leaves, a withered and silent beauty. Many people are obsessed with this form.

Dormancy signs: leaves close up into a rose shape, as shown below~

Care: shade, do not cut off water (reduce watering frequency, give water once a month, water along the edge of the pot, with roughly 1/3 of the usual amount). When the weather cools, mountain roses also end dormancy, and that's the time to gradually increase watering frequency and amount.

Aeonium 'Emerald Ball' after ending dormancy

2. Mountain Rose

Crassulaceae, Aeonium genus. A goblet-shaped rose. During dormancy it is similar to Aeonium 'Emerald Ball', and the care is the same too.

Other mountain roses: Aeonium 'Gary Meier', Pink Mountain Rose

Mountain Rose

3. Aeonium arboreum (Mage)

Crassulaceae, Aeonium genus. Mage types basically go dormant in summer; it's only a matter of how long it lasts. Some go dormant early, such as Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop', and some go dormant late, such as Aeonium arboreum 'Velour'. Temperature matters too - when it warms up quickly they go dormant quickly, and vice versa.

Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop' not yet dormant

Dormancy signs: the center of the rosette starts to grow dense and close up, and the leaves decrease, as shown below.

Care: start reducing water in the early stage of dormancy, then shade in the later stage and reduce watering frequency. Never cut off the water.

Pot and soil choice: ceramic pots are preferred for their good breathability, and choose a gritty mix with a high proportion of grit (7:3 / 8:2 = grit : peat).

A bitter lesson: last year my Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop' died because - I increased watering in summer, which disrupted the Mage's biological clock. Was it better to keep growing or to go dormant? It agonized back and forth and ended up killing itself.

Aeonium arboreum 'Ink'

Mage-type succulents: Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop' Halloween, Aeonium arboreum 'Ink', round-leaf Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop', Aeonium arboreum 'Verde', Aeonium arboreum 'Velour', Aeonium 'Mingjing', Aeonium 'Bachijing', Aeonium 'Shaoxiu', Aeonium 'Voodoo', Aeonium 'Yanzi', Aeonium 'Xiangfu'

Variegated Mage: Aeonium 'Hongfulunjin', variegated Aeonium arboreum 'Zwartkop'

(Too many to post pictures of; some Mage types look the same when not in color)

Aeonium arboreum 'Velour'

4. Aeonium 'Lily Lily'

Aeonium 'Lily Lily' is actually a member of the Aeonium genus too!

It has a honey-like fragrance, and the more colored-up it gets, the more fragrant it is. The leaves form a rosette, it readily forms clusters, it sunburns easily in summer, and it grows extremely slowly.

Aeonium 'Lily Lily' in summer, all green

Care: not heat-tolerant and not cold-tolerant, shade in summer, fairly simple care, water along the edge of the pot in summer, watering at least once a month.

Aeonium 'Lily Lily' bouquet in autumn and winter

You've probably noticed that the succulents with obvious summer dormancy are basically all in the Aeonium genus. So does that mean other succulents don't go dormant?

Winter-growing succulents should, by rule, go dormant in summer, but most of them don't reach the conditions for extreme dormancy. They show slight signs of dormancy and growth slows down, but it doesn't come to a complete halt.

Haworthia cooperi (winter grower) basically does not go dormant in summer

Has your succulent already shown signs of dormancy?

Hurry and leave a comment to share with everyone~

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