One year of growing succulents unexpectedly opened three windows of interest
Foreword
Follow the Encyclopedia · Meet Beauty (WeChat ID: duoroubaike)
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Thanks to the author [lilyyuyuhan] for theoriginal submissionsharing
Submission date: 2018-06-26
Edited and compiled by: Encyclopedia Jun
Location: Dongcheng District, Beijing
Growing up being called "yellow-haired girl," I was raised in a courtyard house in a small hutong by Shichahai, and the piano, dance, and painting I learned during my preschool-teacher training gradually faded away with the wind. In 2017, I was "planted" into this hobby by the gorgeous flowers and succulents of the people I respectfully call Sister Juan, Sister Liang, and Sister Wei (though all three are actually much younger than me), and of course Uncle Gonggu too. After cervical spine surgery in July, while resting and recovering, I bought my first batch of succulents online and fell into the rabbit hole.
Back then, after potting these little succulents, I was inexplicably excited and even posted a photo on WeChat Moments. Now looking at this photo, I realize, what kind of jumble was that? I was just a naive newbie who had never seen anything better!
This batch looked a bit better, and I planted them directly in crushed charcoal, giving it the fancy name: the charcoal rooting method, thinking I had found a shortcut. And then, there was no "then"! Two weeks later, I still moved them into pots and planted them in soil.
This past year, the three-habitat mode of fish in water, succulents on land, and sunset in the sky opened three windows of interest for me.
The first window, "fish in water." I started keeping fish after hearing that fish tank water has nutrients for watering succulents. As a beginner at growing succulents, I was worried the water with fish poop would have bacteria, so I didn't dare water the succulents with it.
My husband had always dreamed of keeping fish. After growing succulents and keeping fish, we found we had more common topics during tea time and after meals.
Keeping fish also cured my habit of fiddling too much. I used to love watering the succulents, but this shifted my attention. If I had energy to spare, I would go change the water for the fish.
After seeing Su Jun's garden, what I liked first was the koi pond. Once we got the hang of keeping small fish, we began thinking about raising koi. Though the fish tank is small, it carries my husband's and my dream of keeping fish and growing flowers in our retirement.
The second window, "succulents on land." Of the first two batches of succulents I grew, it seems only this string of coins plant, which has never been repotted, is left. The pot is too small, isn't it? It actually didn't sprout or grow bigger.
In the first half year of getting into succulents, I was a real doer. Whenever I saw any video or article about succulents, I would immediately water, behead, or pluck leaves, without even looking at the condition of my own succulents, and would immediately imitate the trend.
So only this tough pot of string of coins remained, bearing witness to my ignorance and fearlessness when I first fell into the hobby.
As a beginner who has taken succulents through a full year of four seasons, I'm showing off a few pots that I think have developed some nice color, to commemorate this year's growth.
Destiny, the baby of Peach Egg and Cheese.
Rose Lady, frozen translucent in winter, recovered during Spring Festival and became even more beautiful.
They all say Echeveria 'Runyonii' is hard to get through summer. This is my third one. This time I learned my lesson: kept it in the original pot and original soil for three months, and it grew quite a bit.
The little freebie plants potted together, growing up as companions.
Sika Deer / Red Hare water bubble
Debbie
Green Bear
Tom Comic
Burro's Tail
Purple Heart
Ruby
Unknown name
Peach Egg
Sedum pachyphyllum
Sedum pachyphyllum flowers
Golden Grass
Unknown name
In the first winter, I watched this Aeonium 'Zwartkop' turn beautiful over half a year.
The first Aeonium, one month after planting, the leaves shyly revealed their little faces like a lute half-hiding the face.
Two months, the leaves brightened, the leaf centers turned red.
Two and a half months, my little girl has grown up.
Four months, the Aeonium 'Zwartkop' went from its initial green to sun-reddened.
Five months later, confirmed by eye contact, you really are an Aeonium 'Zwartkop'.
Does the change over half a year mean that growing Aeoniums suits me better?
It is precisely because of the many states it showed me at different stages that this spring I fell into the Aeonium pit and couldn't climb out.
I like that Aeoniums don't tend to grow leggy and show obvious color changes, and I'm still collecting varieties.
The third window, "sunset in the sky." In order to take beautiful photos of succulents without post-editing, I started using sunset photography, the most money-saving way, to cultivate my aesthetic sense for photography. Because every day on my way home from work I pass the Forbidden City, and the corner tower under the setting sun is ever-changing and full of myriad moods.
I believe that in order to better accompany succulents, more windows of interest will open. I am full of happiness, looking forward to having a small courtyard in the future and living out my retirement with family, succulents, Aeoniums, and koi by my side.
Succulent culture needs you and me to promote it! Remember to share good articles more, so more people fall in love with succulents! Use the power of plants to influence and heal the people around us!
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