Summer succulent care tips packed with practical experience you won't want to miss
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Images: Curator
1. About soil mixes
In the post by Xiaodong, the question asked most often was about soil mixes. When it comes to soil, Xiaodong has something to say. The knowledge behind succulent soil mixing is big if you make it big, and small if you make it small. Here, Xiaodong only explains his own experience. If there is anything lacking, I ask the experts to correct me.
The soil Xiaodong uses is basically a pure gritty mix (akadama, kanuma, pumice, orchid stone, volcanic rock, pine bark, perlite, rice husk ash). As for the ratios, I really go by feel. If this plant looks rather small or rather tender, such as leaf-propagation seedlings, or South African types, then for the Sedum types I add an extra handful of akadama and pine bark. If the whole plant looks like it does not like water, or it is a large old stem, then I add an extra handful of perlite and orchid stone. But Xiaodong has to say that for certain varieties, this kind of ratio may not necessarily be scientific.
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Tip 1: During the planting process, Xiaodong found that some varieties are not suitable for planting in a pure gritty mix. Add a little garden soil, the kind of big yellow earth from our garden, or even plant using pure garden soil, and the results may be better. Echeveria 'Yu Die', Aeonium 'Zwartkop', Echeveria 'Chuxian', Pachyphytum 'Dongmeiren', and Sedum rubrotinctum all belong to this kind of tough, low-maintenance variety,,,
Echeveria 'Yu Die' grown in garden soil [emoji332] Echeveria 'Chuxian' [emoji332] Sedum hispanicum
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Tip 2: Plants are at different growth stages, and the soil ratio also needs to be adjusted. Generally speaking, when plants are in a vigorous growth period, that is, in the first 1 to 2 years after leaf-propagation seedlings grow, because they grow quickly, they need soil with strong fertility and also need more water. Xiaodong suggests adding 10 to 30% peat or fermented wood chips, and the effect will be very good. As for adult plants and tough old stems, considering root aging and poor plant adaptability, Xiaodong suggests it is best to choose a pure gritty soil, which is breathable, drains water, and releases moisture, avoiding the risk of stem rot as much as possible.
The stem of Echeveria 'Jingye' that previously rotted,,,
Planting the old stem of Echeveria 'Jingye' in pure grit,,, protected now
Young Echeveria 'Nüchu' seedlings planted with added peat
A clustered old stem of Echeveria 'Nüchu' planted in pure grit,,,
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Tip 3: Xiaodong personally feels that when choosing soil, you still have to choose soil suited to your own home environment. Only by deeply thinking about the environment at home can you choose the most suitable succulent soil for yourself. In all four seasons except winter, Xiaodong grows plants outdoors. With high sunlight intensity, choosing a pure gritty soil fully takes sunlight conditions into account. What I need is a kind of soil where the water absorbed into the pot when watering flowers in the evening can be completely evaporated by the next day at noon, when the weather is hottest and the flowerpot temperature reaches its highest. Therefore, I chose this kind of soil. Wet + hot = death,,,
This is my soil mix diagram. Remember, it has layers,,,
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Tip 4: Honeycomb coal cinder is a good thing. If conditions allow, get more coal cinder and mix it into the gritty soil. There are many benefits: it saves money, drains water, is breathable, and even has an insect-killing effect. But the premise is that the collected coal cinder must be fully burned and thoroughly soaked and washed, washing away as much of the alkaline substances in the coal cinder as possible. Otherwise, it will not only kill the fungus gnats in the flowerpot, but the plant roots will also be affected, leading to stunted growth,,,
Sedum 'Qiuli' in coal cinder,,,
Graptopetalum 'Juhuijuan' in coal cinder,,, pure coal cinder oh,,,
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2. About watering
When Xiaodong waters the succulents, it is absolutely a big project. If, like everyone else, I carefully used a curved-spout white bottle to water, then Xiaodong would not need to do anything else, would not need to go to work, and would not need to eat. Everyone always asks me how to water, how often to water, and how much to water at a time. I always tell everyone: water when you want to, pour it over the top, and when you water, water thoroughly. Watering flowers is just this willful. Indeed, that is what I do. But then again, I do not suggest everyone learn my way of watering flowers, because the overall environment is different. If you water flowers like this at home, problems will definitely arise, definitely.
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Tip 1: When watering flowers, you must pick the right time. Xiaodong grows plants outdoors. What I do is watch the weather forecast, wait for the wind, and try to choose the time slot from 5:00 to 7:00 in the evening when the temperature difference between day and night is large. Because in this way, counting from the start of watering until the next day when the sun shines on the flowerpot, before the flowerpot starts to heat up, the water has basically already evaporated. Windy conditions are even better. On a windy day, you really can water every day.
Echeveria 'Jingye' after rain
Aeonium with variegated center just out of its bath
Generally speaking, when the temperature difference between day and night exceeds ten degrees, it is good weather for growing succulents and watering flowers,,,
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Tip 2: Plants that have just had leaves removed for leaf propagation must not be watered. Let them dry for as many days as possible and keep the environment ventilated. If watered immediately, the plant will generally get a bacterial infection leading to turning to mush or stem rot.
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Tip 3: Can leaf-propagation seedlings be watered? The answer, of course, is yes. If you want leaf-propagation seedlings to grow well, then when the leaf has grown roots, you can water. Even if it has not rooted, giving a little water can also force out roots, but do not make the whole leaf too wet.
Dense leaf-propagation seedlings,,,
Leaf-propagated Echeveria 'Tia',,, tender,,,
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3. About sunlight
Growing succulents of course requires sunlight. Proper sunlight will, to a certain extent, determine the color of succulents, but sunlight is not the only factor determining color. For Xiaodong, the sunlight conditions of outdoor growing are relatively good, but in the matter of sunlight alone, Xiaodong suffered a lot.
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Tip 1: Early spring sunlight is very deadly. If you are not careful, succulent leaves can easily be scorched. You may ask, compared with summer, how gentle the spring sun is. Let me tell you the truth. First, Xiaodong is located in the western north. Severe winter goes without saying, so the succulents mostly spend winter in rooms. The temperature in the room is just right for the succulents to grow rapidly, and so most people will crazily water the succulents in winter, urging them to grow. However, this is no different from pulling up seedlings to help them grow. When spring arrives and you think the sunlight is very gentle, so you bring them out of the house to sun the succulents, then you are done for. In spring, because the atmosphere is relatively dry and the temperature is relatively low, the atmosphere is in a state of dry contraction, and ultraviolet penetration is very high. And the leaves grown by succulents in winter in a greenhouse and low-light environment do not have the ability to resist ultraviolet rays, so they are very easily damaged by ultraviolet rays and scorched. So when encountering this situation, everyone has only two paths to choose from: ? After moving the succulents out of the room, they must be kept in shade for half a month, letting the plants gradually adapt to a strong-light environment; ? Do not water frequently in winter. The faster they grow, the weaker their ability to resist strong light. As for what to do, choose for yourself.
Sunburned Echeveria 'Romeo',,, personally, I think the more powdery ones are more easily sunburned
Scorched Echeveria 'Tianlangxing',,, disfigured
Echeveria 'Xiaohongdongyun' placed in a corner in winter, always forgotten when watering,,,
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Tip 2: Summer sunlight is too fierce for succulents, and for people growing outdoors, putting up a shade net is very necessary. For plants in Crassulaceae and Aizoaceae, one layer of shade net is enough, but for plants in the Haworthia truncata group, two layers are needed.
Who says you cannot grow Haworthia outdoors,,,
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Tip 3: In summer, considering sunlight exposure, the placement of flowerpots is also affected to some extent. In fact, it is fine to place them as densely as possible. On the outer side of the flower rack, you should place red clay pots, white glazed pots, and other light-colored pots that do not absorb heat. Inside, place those black and dark heat-absorbing pots. In this way, those dark heat-absorbing pots will be shaded by shadows and will not be exposed to the scorching sunlight. You should know that in summer, the temperature inside dark ceramic pots under the sun can reach above 70°C. For succulents, add a little water, and they will promptly die.
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Tip 4: Leaf-propagation seedlings are very sensitive to sunlight. They need sunlight, but they cannot have too much. In Xiaodong's view, as long as the seedlings have rooted, grown leaves, and taken root into the soil, they can receive full sun. However, seedlings are still very fragile. If you cannot control the humidity in the pot, then it is better to maintain them under half-shade conditions,,,
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4. About ventilation
Xiaodong thinks that when caring for succulents, the most important thing is not light, nor water, and even less the soil mix. It is precisely ventilation. To grow succulents well, having a very ventilated environment is necessary. The terrace at Xiaodong's home just satisfies this point. Although sometimes it is still somewhat lacking, through manual intervention the succulents can also overcome it. Regarding ventilation, Xiaodong also has a few points to say!
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Tip 1: Ventilation is not the wind blown out by an air conditioner, nor the wind blown by an electric fan, but natural wind. Xiaodong also does not understand why. The mountain rose that Xiaodong originally placed in an air-conditioned room also died after a summer of air-conditioning cooling. On the contrary, the pot of mountain rose placed on the terrace survived, even though the wind on the terrace was 30 to 40 degrees.
My small terrace,,, full of flowers,,,
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Tip 2: Ventilation means you can water, but the premise is that there must be no direct sunlight. Xiaodong's summer relies on just one shade net. In summer, evaporation is high, and the plants will of course go dormant, but they still need water. Xiaodong also waters the succulents on windy summer nights. If there are strong winds for several days in a row, I will water the flowers for several days in a row. What I want to tell everyone is: ventilation conditions are directly proportional to the amount and frequency of watering,,,
Watering cannot stop,,,
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Tip 3: Wind with humidity is a very good miracle cure for succulents. I think everyone has encountered the situation where leaf-propagation seedlings do not root and do not sprout. The cool wind after rain will urge the leaves to root and sprout. So why not watch the weather forecast to decide when to remove leaves? Xiaodong's principle is: if you see that rain is forecast for the day after tomorrow, and preferably several consecutive days of overcast rain, then decisively pull the leaves. The seedling emergence rate of leaf propagation can always be maintained above 95%. But the principle is: absolutely do not let the leaves get rained on or soaked in water.
Alright, the update is finished. Thank you everyone,,,
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