What to Do When Succulents Go Crazy with Leggy Growth? Save This Guide
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ForewordQian Yan
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Source / Internet
Editor / Succulent Plant Hub
Oh my! My plant bloomed! Haha, my plant has grown taller again! For growers of green plants, this might be a huge comfort, but for succulent growers, it takes on a whole different meaning.
Today let's chat about those things regarding succulent leggy growth! What is succulent leggy growth?
For leggy growth, to put it simply, it is an abnormal growth phenomenon in which a plant departs from its original shape, some part begins to grow wildly, and the overall appearance changes greatly compared with before.
(This is the same reason fruit trees need frequent pruning; otherwise they consume a large amount of nutrients but cannot bear fruit in autumn.)
For succulents, leggy growth is mainly shown in stems growing taller, or flower stalks emerging, or sudden color changes; all of these are collectively called leggy growth.
What are the common leggy growth phenomena?
Stems and leaves growing wildly
When this happens, please do not be too sad; at least it proves that your succulent is growing healthily.
Flower stalks emerging
Flowering may be a terrifying thing for succulents; for succulents of the Crassulaceae family, the mother plant will die after blooming.
Spreading out like a pancakeThis is not food, haha. "Spreading out like a pancake" is a joking term for succulents lodging, mainly caused by lack of light.
Note:Students who want to buy old-stem succulents, please note: many leggy succulents, after certain treatments, become fake old-stem plants and flow into the market, "swapping a raccoon for a crown prince".
What should be done with leggy succulents?
First, let me tell you some bad news: succulent leggy growth cannot be reversed (once it has grown out, would it shrink back?). You can only take no action in summer, and in spring and autumn choose the right time to behead and propagate by cuttings. In principle, this means removing the top plant to make it lose apical dominance.
(In botany, the top plant produces inhibitors that suppress the growth of surrounding plants, causing a single dominant stem), so the surrounding plants can obtain better growth.
Steps for beheading：
Step 1: After selecting the position to behead, cut it off.
Step 2: Remove the 2 to 4 leaves at the base of the cut-off head to make it easier for the cut head to be inserted into the soil and take root. Leave the base after cutting in the original pot without moving it. After pruning, place it in a ventilated position to dry the roots.
Step 3: Insert the healed head into new soil, and the head will regain its compact, beautiful appearance. The leaves removed can be used for leaf propagation; each leaf breeds a new life. After beheading, because apical dominance has been removed, the old roots will send out many side branches, forming multiple heads.
How to prevent succulent leggy growth?
Succulent leggy growth is mainly caused by unreasonable water and light. Most cases are caused by insufficient light, excessive watering, soil that is too rich, improper placement, and poor root respiration. Similarly, as long as these few factors are well controlled, the problem of succulent leggy growth can be well controlled.
Take notes!
Insufficient light: If you plan to grow them entirely indoors, try not to buy outdoor-grown succulents. Succulents grown in greenhouses and succulents grown from leaf propagation will be more suitable for you, because although greenhouses have excellent light, they also lack ultraviolet rays, so greenhouse succulents suffer from ultraviolet imbalance relatively mildly.
In addition, frequently opening windows can also effectively alleviate this problem, because scattered ultraviolet rays will come in through the window (one window is enough to double the ultraviolet content indoors), making the succulents think there is enough sunlight.
Overwatering：
Water as much as the light allows. A greenhouse is also indoor cultivation, but the succulents there grow fast because they have dozens of times more light than you do. Never water frantically to compete for growth speed. Tell you the truth: those succulents that are claimed to be fine with random rain and not become leggy are outdoor-grown succulents.
Soil that is too rich: Succulents should be grown poor, that is, the soil should be barren and they should often go hungry. In this way, the resistance of succulents can also be stimulated, and they are less likely to get sick.
Improper placement: The best placement for succulents is a ventilated, scattered-light position near a window.
Poor root respiration: When the roots of a succulent have difficulty breathing, the entire plant will be in a suffocated state. Under oxygen-deficient conditions, the life activity level of the succulent is greatly reduced, and photosynthesis also slows down.
The organic matter produced will also be supplied preferentially to the stem part (because succulents mainly rely on the roots for respiration).
Finally: In the difficult summer for succulents, succulent killers such as black rot and scale insects are all eyeing your succulents eagerly! If you want them to survive, please do not perform any operations now, so as to avoid wound infection causing the death of the succulent.