How to grow old succulents? One small trick makes them grow vigorously and turn into old specimens faster

In summer, succulents always stop growing, don't sprout new buds, easily drop leaves, easily develop black rot, easily rot their leaves..... A whole series of problems causes us plant lovers so much grief. How can we help succulents safely get through summer? Let me teach you a small trick that not only makes succulents grow vigorously but also turns them into old specimens in a very short time!

Beautiful succulents

As succulents grow, the lower old leaves either age, wrinkle and dry up, or rot because they are too close to the potting soil. Some flower lovers think this layer of dry leaves should not be removed and just let them grow naturally. But my experience is: these dry and rotting leaves at the bottom of succulents must be pulled off promptly!

The red arrow points to the already withered old leaves of the succulent

Increase ventilation and air circulation

The dry and rotting leaves at the bottom of succulents affect the ventilation and air circulation of the potting soil and roots. Over time, bacteria breed and easily cause leaf rot or black rot of the roots. If you don't believe it, the day after each watering you can pull apart the dry leaves of the succulent and take a look. Often the surface of the potting soil is already somewhat dry, yet the rotting leaves are still very moist, which is especially favorable for bacteria to multiply.

The old leaves of the succulent have turned yellow and been infected by pathogens, causing black rot

Increase growth vigor

When the old leaves of a succulent turn yellow, they are still consuming nutrients and water. If the yellowed and wrinkled old leaves are not cleaned up promptly, it will affect the succulent's growth vigor and make it grow slowly. After cleaning up the yellowed and dried leaves, the succulent looks fresh and neat, and even in the height of summer it can still grow very well.

Comparison between one with old leaves cleaned up and one without

Sprout new buds

Promptly clean up the yellow and dry leaves at the bottom of the succulent, and it will easily sprout new buds from where the leaves originally grew. Especially for those varieties that don't like to sprout, pulling off the lower leaves makes them sprout. This is because the spots where leaves originally grew already have bud points. After the dry leaves are pulled off, ventilation and light are both good, easily stimulating new buds to emerge! This is also a little shortcut to turning a succulent into an old specimen. If you don't pull off the leaves, it only grows leaves; if you pull off the leaves, it sprouts new buds; when many new buds grow, the original stem becomes an old specimen.

The succulent with dry leaves pulled off sprouts new buds from the bottom

Beautiful and attractive

Promptly pulling off the yellow and dry leaves at the bottom of the succulent also increases its beauty. Most succulents are plump and round, like a flower. If there are too many leaves below, the overall shape becomes cylindrical rather than flower-like. Pull off some of the lower leaves, and the top leaves form a perfect flower, every bit as good as a real flower!

A wonderful succulent flower

So, when caring for succulents, pulling off the yellow and dry leaves below, or even some of the healthy growing leaves, is beneficial to growth! Especially when the summer weather is hot and stuffy, pulling off excess leaves increases ventilation and air circulation, reduces nutrient consumption, and can also very well prevent black rot and leaf rot. If your succulent has a lot of dry leaves at the bottom, hurry up and pull them off, guaranteed to give you a refreshing new look!

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