Don't rush to throw away succulents that have become leggy and flattened into a pancake in summer; with this treatment they'll become beautiful again

Anyone who has grown succulents knows that succulents easily become leggy in summer. What were once sturdy, upright plants, as you keep growing them, develop thin, pale yellow tips and a base that sprawls out into a big pancake. Once this happens, they're basically given a death sentence by their owner; but that's not actually the case. A leggy succulent is not beyond saving. As long as you handle it according to the methods below, it not only won't die, it will grow even better.

First, leggy succulents are basically caused by the following reasons:

Improper lighting:

Succulent plants love light. If a plant grows in an environment with insufficient light, becoming leggy is inevitable, because the succulent leaves want to increase their access to light, so they spread out to absorb more light. But in the end the light is still insufficient, so legginess and flattened, sprawling leaves occur.

Overwatering:

Most succulents are drought-tolerant and prefer to grow in a slightly dry environment. One very common cause of legginess is watering too frequently and water accumulating in the pot. The water that the root system cannot absorb can only be transpired, and the succulent leaves automatically spread out to increase transpiration.

Overfertilizing:

In the hot summer, when temperatures rise too high, succulents are basically in a dormant or semi-dormant state! But overfertilizing, especially with nitrogen fertilizer, will promote plant growth, and applying excessive nitrogen fertilizer to succulents in summer will cause the plant to become leggy.

If succulents become leggy in summer, with proper treatment they will grow even better!

1. Pruning:

For severely leggy succulents, don't hesitate; be sure to prune off the leggy part, leaving the base to sprout new branches and buds again. Moreover, in general, succulents that have been beheaded and pruned will grow even more branches after sprouting again, growing in all directions, and with proper care they will look even more beautiful.

2. Water control:

For pruned succulents, your care habits must be improved. If you watered too frequently before, then at this point you must reduce the watering frequency. Although summer is dry, there must be no water accumulating in the pot when you water. Each time you water, follow the principle of watering when dry and stopping when wet. Before watering, observe how dry the potting soil is, and wait until the soil is dry before watering.

3. Lighting:

After pruning, do not place the succulent directly in the sun to bake, otherwise not only will it not be saved and grow well, it will also cause the succulent to die. You can place the potted plant on a balcony with scattered light. After being exposed for a long time, after some time you will find that many colored buds have grown on the succulent stem. Another key point about lighting is that the plant's light exposure should be even, ensuring that all directions of the plant can receive uniform light.

When a succulent becomes leggy, just deal with it using these three methods. Not only will it not die, it will grow even more beautiful!