Just because it rained on your succulents, should you move them indoors? Watch out for black rot

Location / Beijing

Editor / Succulent Plant Hub

Summering is an ongoing process, with different focuses in the early, middle and late stages. Come and learn quickly~

In the blink of an eye it is summer. Here in Beijing, direct sunlight on clear days already exceeds 30 degrees, and some minor sunburn appears from time to time. At this point, no matter what, you should do some preparation work for summering~

The succulent varieties widely loved by growers are basically not native to our country. The rise of succulents has not been long. It is fine in the cool season, but in the hot summer the failure to adapt becomes more obvious, with soft rot and black rot being the most common.

Therefore, when it comes to summering, it is by no means as simple as doing something in midsummer to avoid death. Preparing for a rainy day and preventing trouble before it happens is the basic principle of summering. This article will explain from several aspects.

Before Summering

About one month before putting up the shade net, we need to do the following two things:

It is recommended that each time you water, after you think you have watered thoroughly, water once more (a method devised to ensure you really watered thoroughly). This can better expel stale air from the pot and bring in fresh air, speeding up root establishment.

In addition, if you feel time is pressing, it is recommended to mix HB101 or Meinenglu into the water to speed up root establishment, with remarkable results.

Mixing streptomycin sulfate or other bactericidal drugs into the water before summering can also effectively prevent black rot and soft rot.

If you summer your succulents in an air-conditioned room around the clock without regard to electricity costs, you can roughly maintain the previous watering frequency.

But remember, appropriately widening the interval does not mean widening it without limit. Long-term dryness in the pot will cause many problems.

My own habit is to generally extend the interval by 3-5 days, with the reference standard being to water once the succulent starts to soften.

During Summering

Shade and rain protection

Summer rain is often heavy and prolonged, and combined with high temperatures, it easily breeds various pathogens and attracts various insects, leading to various diseases. So for important matters, say it three times: you must shield from rain, you must shield from rain, you must shield from rain!

Regarding the timing of putting up the shade net, I once said on Weibo: put it up when you feel it is not quite right and you feel it is time to put up the net.

Do not ask what day people generally put up the net, do not ask others what day they put up the net. It is like your own body: when you suddenly feel unwell, you should go see a doctor. There is no need to ask others at what level of pain one should go see a doctor!

Because only you yourself know your own situation. If you really are the kind of person with no sense of judgment at all, then wait until the succulents begin to have relatively serious sunburn or begin to show black rot one after another, and then you can put up the net.

Shading and rain protection proceed simultaneously. Do not ask me about choosing a shade net; you should ask the seller for more comprehensive parameters and suggestions. For rain protection, just get a piece of transparent plastic sheeting.

In addition, rain protection and keeping the ground of the succulent-growing environment dry can effectively reduce the number of snails... deeply hated and deeply suffered...

For succulents in thumb pots, remember not to stretch the watering interval too long, or the roots will dry out.

If the pot is especially large and the variety is relatively tough, it is indeed possible to completely cut off water for summering, but: it is not recommended.

Because many flower lovers have done this and summered perfectly, but many flower lovers' succulents have also dried to death. There is no guarantee that yours will definitely be safe.

But what is worth referencing is that for succulents in especially large pots, the watering interval can be stretched very, very long, provided that your succulent's root system is well developed and healthy.

Succulents in Summer

The following emergencies are prone to occur in summer:

The best treatment is of course to bury Xiaobai medicine in spring. If you have not buried medicine, do not be afraid either.

Remember to spray insecticides such as Jiebizhi or Dabingpong in the evening. After spraying, isolate them and place them in a cool place with little light. Never spray medicine or fertilize under high temperatures, as it will cause serious phytotoxicity (irreversible).

Actually, sooty mold is what I personally worry about least, because although this disease spreads over a relatively wide area, its mortality rate is relatively low, and the interval from onset to death is also long, so we have enough time to cure it.

Once sooty mold appears, please remove the diseased leaves, then spray thiophanate-methyl in the evening. For detailed usage, please ask the seller and read the instructions.

Thiophanate-methyl is the most commonly used, effective and remarkably effective medicine for treating sooty mold. Generally, spraying it several times will cure it. Still remember not to apply medicine in a high-temperature environment.

Air conditioning is never better than outdoor ventilation. What you need to do is provide rain protection on the spot and ensure good drainage. Let the plants drain naturally under outdoor conditions and dry slowly; generally there will not be much of a problem. Moving them indoors will welcome the embrace of black rot.

Succulents given emergency drainage and rain protection after water accumulated on the terrace in summer

Indoor Summering

In addition, in summer please do not choose grow lights with high temperatures under the lamp~

In many cases it is "heat" damage, that is, leaves rotting and turning to water due to excessively high temperatures. If you cannot use other methods to effectively lower the balcony temperature, or if the balcony has too much sunny side, you can hang a layer of shade net with the lowest shading rate on the window.

The above are some of my own summering experiences. At the end I include summering photos to give everyone more confidence~

Succulents after summering, photographed after last year's October 1st holiday

2 months later

If you have other questions or additions, feel free to leave a comment below. Let us discuss together. Wishing everyone a perfect summering and a safe summer!

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