What to Do When Succulents Always Grow Crooked? The Curator Teaches You Correction Methods

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Image and text: Le'an

We all know that plants have phototropism, and succulents are no exception. The reason our succulents grow crooked is mostly because they are placed in the same position for a long time without changing direction. As shown in the image below, the plant will grow toward the direction with stronger light (toward the sun), and over time it becomes crooked. So how do we sun our crooked succulents back to straight?

In the process of caring for succulents, we often encounter the situation of succulents "tilting their heads." There are three reasons that cause succulents to tilt: the phototropism of succulents, top-heaviness, and root problems. The first situation is easy to solve - just rotate the pot 180 degrees, and the succulent will gradually recover. If the tilting is caused by top-heaviness, we can repot the succulent with some heavier granular soil so the roots can grow deeper and more stable. We can also prop up the succulent with something, so we don't have to worry about it toppling over as it leans. This situation is relatively better and won't cause the succulent to die.

If the density of the potting soil is uneven, and you habitually water toward one direction, the plant will gradually deviate from the center, which can also make succulents grow crooked. If it was just planted recently, you can directly use a stone or something else to gently prop it up and let the plant return to the center. Because it was just planted, even if the roots are slightly torn, it's not a big problem. Try to avoid doing this in summer. Also, don't habitually water in only one spot of the pot.

When a succulent was perfectly fine the day before and suddenly tilts its head, we need to be cautious - it means the root problem is already very serious at this point. Hurry and repot the succulent to check, trim the roots, and then repot it. Never just leave it alone. Besides paying attention to succulents tilting their heads, you should also watch for leaves becoming soft. In spring, we often encounter leaves becoming soft. When this happens, many people think it's caused by lack of water and will water it, but actually lack of water is only one reason - other factors can also cause succulent leaves to become soft.

There is a category of succulents whose stems are relatively soft to begin with. Once they grow to a certain extent, growing crooked is inevitable. The most typical example is succulents like the jade pendant (Sedum morganianum). You can deliberately let it develop in the direction you want it to lean - for example, suspending it at the edge of the pot from the start and giving it more light in the direction of the tilt. Another common reason for growing crooked is lighting. When there is insufficient light, the plant easily grows toward the direction with ample light. If discovered early, you should provide sufficient light or rotate the pot appropriately.

Here I also want to tell succulent lovers that some succulents grow relatively fast and easily form old stems. As the succulent grows taller, the upper part becomes heavier and heavier, so the stem naturally gets bent down. This can't be changed just by changing the lighting, but once the stem bends, the shape actually looks even better. There is another situation where the succulent is crooked quite severely - in this case, simply sunning it won't solve the problem. Even if you change the direction, the plant's shape won't be perfectly corrected. The best approach is to behead it and replant a new pot.

Alright, hurry back and check whether your succulents have grown crooked~

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