How do you get succulents to develop jelly colors? Mastering these secrets is all you need

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ForewordQian Yan

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I believe many flower lovers who like Crassulaceae succulents are attracted by the colorful variety of Sedum!

This article is a summary by a flower lover based on personal care experience about little-known tips on how to enhance the color of Sedum. I believe after reading it, everyone will have a new understanding of "how to grow jelly-colored succulents"~~

Why do plants develop jelly colors?

① Plants naturally have some anthocyanins under normal conditions, but the chlorophyll content is high, so they are masked.

②Low temperatures and strong light can make plants change color, because darker plants can absorb more heat. This is something plants evolved.

③ So knowing this, can jelly colors be obtained by sunlight alone? Yes,but without sufficiently high light and low temperatures it is very difficult to achieve a goodeffect, and the color produced by sunlight alone comes out dark.

So are there any other methods?

There can be. Simply put, it means destroying the plant's chlorophyll and increasing the water content in the plant's body. In other words, after some of the chlorophyll is destroyed, the color of the anthocyanins gradually shows through.

When not too much pigment is distributed into a thick fleshy leaf, that is a jelly color.(PS: Too much pigment will not produce a jelly color)

This point is already known by many flower lovers. If you can receive normal sunlight for 4 hours every day, you can achieve a moderately ideal color-enhancing effect. This refers to direct sunlight, not including sunlight passing through glass or other transparent objects. The ultraviolet rays required for this play the role of a beautician.

However, even this basic requirement is not something we can all achieve now. Many flower lovers grow Sedum indoors, and glass directly blocks 90% of ultraviolet rays, which means that although there is light, it is very difficult to enhance the color. Even with outdoor care, in today's weather, how many days a year can you see the blue sky you saw in childhood? Haze weather is really upsetting. Let's not talk about the weather...

Water control

Here I will briefly mention it to provide some reference for beginners. Water control will prevent the succulent leaves from being in a swollen, water-filled state for a long time, which naturally reduces the luster of its growth color (green), thereby reducing the formation of green pigment.

You can control the water content in the soil by reducing the frequency of watering, increasing the proportion of granules in the soil, and using more breathable flower pots.

When the temperature difference is large, the leaves of Sedum produce anthocyanins (Anthocyanidin - English: Anthocyanidin, a water-soluble plant pigment that exists in the cell sap within vacuoles, commonly found in the tissues of flowers and fruits and in the epidermal cells and lower epidermal layer of stems and leaves.

After it combines with sugar substances through glycosidic bonds, it becomes anthocyanin, which is related to flower color and leaves turning red, and is a natural antioxidant. It can change color with the pH of the cell sap.

If the cell sap is acidic, it tends toward red; if the cell sap is alkaline, it tends toward blue. At a relatively survivable temperature, the lower the temperature, the lower the pH value of anthocyanins (more acidic), which is the reason they turn red. In other words, this is also the reason why Sedum can be very brilliantly colored in spring and late autumn. I will not explain too much here.

Now that you know the three basic factors affecting the color of Sedum, then for the Sedum we want to grow into top condition, we must pursue how to meet these requirements!

Method one, increase sunlight utilization

If conditions do not allow it, you can use grow lights for artificial supplemental lighting.

Method two, artificial biological fertilizer

Carrots are very common, and Sedum will also absorb carotene. By changing the carotene content absorbed by Sedum, you can change the color of the leaves (it will make Sedum that originally could not produce jelly colors turn jelly red-yellow)

The fertilizer I make is very simple. Just wash the carrots and cut them into pieces, then put them in a pot and cook them until done. Cook them for a longer time, then ferment them. Once fermentation is complete, you can fertilize the succulents with it.

Leaves that originally could only be green may turn transparent yellow! Those that are naturally prone to turning red may show semi-transparent yellow-red and so on, different colors that should not have appeared originally.

Method three, regularly adjust the pH value

Every month, for each pot of Sedum, I use aged vinegar diluted in water and irrigate once, adjusting the pH value of the potting soil to 4.5 to increase acidity (you need to measure the pH value of your own tap water source, then adjust according to the pH difference. It is recommended that you buy test reagents or test paper. Do not use it indiscriminately when you are not sure about your own water source)

There are also many other methods to adjust the pH value. For example, the ready-made ferrous sulfate sold at flower markets serves this purpose. It is very economical and practical. You can also use white vinegar and so on. Be careful to repeatedly confirm that it is safe.

Actually, Sedum's adaptability is still very strong. During my use, there were sometimes errors, but they still did not harm the Sedum.

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