A succulent grower of 2 years gives 19 pieces of advice to new succulent friends: not comprehensive, but very sincere

It has been more than two years since I got into succulents without realizing it. Although it has not been very long, I have been seriously hooked. Over these two years, I have stumbled along the way, fallen into quite a few pits, and also gained a lot of experience. Now, I will write out some of my shallow personal experience in caring for succulents. If it can serve as a reference for new friends and help beginners avoid some detours, then my goal will have been achieved.

1. If the price difference is not too big, I personally suggest buying succulents from local greenhouses or flower markets. Not only is it what you see is what you get, but because the overall environment is similar and there is no transport process, the risk during the acclimation period of succulents is greatly reduced. However, even if the succulent has already been potted for a long time, it is still best to change the soil, trim the roots, and repot it after bringing it home, because you never know whether there are insects or eggs in the potted soil you brought back.

2. Once summer arrives, hold back first and try not to buy more succulents, especially rootless succulents. This is because in summer many succulents enter dormancy and are not easy to root.

3. Do not blindly buy large old-stem plants online. You should know that old stems are far less tough than you imagine, and coupled with the long journey by express delivery, when they finally reach your hands, problems are very likely to occur during the acclimation period.

4. Do not be blinded by all kinds of Korean names, because many varieties are actually common domestic mass-market plants. Also do not blindly buy expensive varieties or leaves of expensive varieties. Many expensive varieties that were once hyped to sky-high prices have now plummeted. This is especially true for leaves of expensive varieties. Leaf propagation was never guaranteed to succeed 100 percent; moreover, it is too difficult to determine from just one leaf whether it is the correct expensive variety.

5. When choosing a pot, it is recommended to choose a pot with drainage holes that is one size larger than the maximum diameter of the succulent. A larger pot has three advantages: there is enough space for the root system to grow fully; the larger pot surface means relatively better breathability; and there is no need to repot frequently.

6. For succulent soil mixes, definitely do not dig up local garden soil, as it is extremely unfavorable to the roots. Previously, I recommended an economical locally sourced mix of 3 parts peat + 1 part coal cinder + 1 part sawdust + 5 parts coarse sand, but in fact professional succulent soil mixes on a certain online marketplace are now very convenient and cheap.

7. Greenhouses have high humidity, and succulents can absorb water and stay alive simply by opening the pores on their leaves, so the requirements for potting soil are not too high. However, for home care, especially outdoor growing of succulents, the soil mix needs to have a certain water-retention capacity. Soil mixes differ between the south and the north. If you are interested, you can follow Xiao Jingzhi Shenghuo; previous articles specifically introduced soil mixing.

8. Newly potted succulents should not immediately receive full sun. They need to be placed in a cool, ventilated place to get through the acclimation period, then gradually receive more and more light until they can be grown normally under full sun.

9. Sunlight is the best fertilizer for succulents. All the good condition of Crassulaceae succulents is brought out by sunlight. However, sunlight is also a double-edged sword. If suddenly exposed to blazing sun, succulents are very easily sunburned.

10. Try not to grow succulent seedlings outdoors, because they are very fragile themselves. Rapid water loss from open-air soil plus blazing sun can easily lead to death or injury. Dry on the surface and moist inside is the potting soil environment that leaf-propagated seedlings like best.

11. Many succulents are summer-growing types. During summer dormancy, just place them in a ventilated, cool place and control water. Note: controlling water is not the same as cutting off water.

12. It is not scary for succulents to become leggy in summer. As long as they can stay alive, they will show good condition again in autumn. Of course, becoming leggy is an irreversible process.

13. A predecessor summarized the secret to getting through summer: high temperature but not high humidity, high humidity but not high temperature.

14. When watering succulents in summer, be sure to avoid noon. The best time is in the evening after sunset, waiting until the potting soil temperature has dropped before watering. Watering at this time happens to allow a whole night to pass, and basically by the time the high temperature comes the next day, the soil will have dried out, reducing the danger to the succulents to the minimum.

15. Succulents that have just been beheaded or had their roots trimmed must not be potted immediately. Otherwise, the wound coming into contact with the potting soil can easily become infected with pathogens, leading to rot and black stem. They need to be placed in a ventilated, cool place and left until the wound is dry and has shrunk before potting.

16. Do not rush to pursue good condition in succulents. First ensure the health of the succulents. Once they are healthy, good condition will come sooner or later and will last longer.

17. The three key elements of succulent care: light, ventilation, and water control. If you want good condition, add one more element: temperature difference.

18. You should accept black rot in succulents with a calm mind, and there is no need to be overly upset or blame yourself. Even experienced growers have walked forward step by step over the corpses of succulents. What we need to do is summarize the experience and lessons to avoid the next tragedy. If the same tragedy happens again and again for the same reason, then you really need to look for the reason in yourself.

19. Online, do not directly transfer money to unfamiliar sellers or flower friends. Be sure to use a certain online marketplace or a forum guarantee platform. Otherwise, it is better not to buy.

Although the above text is not especially comprehensive, everything I have summarized so far is here. I hope it can serve as a reference and help for new friends. If there are criticisms or additions, please comment below.

Organized and published by Xiao Jingzhi Shenghuo.