Succulents grow plump thanks to a healthy root system; let me teach you the care methods

To grow succulents well, you must first grow good roots, and also learn to control water for succulents. What does succulent water control mean? Here it means reducing watering. Gardeners should note that it is reducing, not stopping watering. For example, if a certain variety of succulent is watered once every three days during its growing season, then water control means not only reducing the watering frequency, but also reducing the amount of water given.

Water control is a good way to grow plump succulents. Effective water control can make succulent leaves grow round and full, with a compact shape, and it is also easy to bring out the state colors. But if you want to use water control to make succulents plump and beautiful, you still need to grow good roots first; otherwise the succulents grow slowly and still look like a thin, small clump. Succulent water control is mostly carried out in winter or summer, that is, during the dormancy period, because succulents are divided into winter-growing types and summer-growing types, and their growing seasons differ, so the water control times also differ. Back to the point, succulent water control works first because during dormancy the plant's biological activity decreases and its water demand is reduced; second, it can prevent black rot, because under high temperatures and sufficient moisture, black rot disease spreads very easily.

Whether a succulent's root system is healthy can play a very important role in its growth. Succulents absorb nutrients and water through their roots and maintain respiration and growth. Succulents with healthy roots can both grow normally during water control and store water in their leaves, becoming plump; while succulents with less healthy roots will gradually stop growing after water control, and their leaves will become thinner and thinner as they are consumed.

In most cases, if water control is needed, gardeners can reduce the number of waterings, and when they see the soil is dry, give a little water along the edge of the pot, keeping the potting soil on the dry side but still with some moisture, so the succulent will not dry to death. Many gardeners may go a long time without root pruning their succulents, and sometimes when repotting they just put the succulent into a new pot with the old soil. In fact, repotting a succulent is a good opportunity to check its root condition. Some dried-up roots are best cut off so they will not affect the succulent's growth of new roots.

For transplanting and repotting succulents, river sand can be used for rooting. First let the succulent dry in the sun for a few days, and after the wound is completely dry, insert it into river sand and keep the river sand moist, but there must be no standing water. After the succulent has rooted, dig it out promptly and transplant it into another pot. This is because river sand alone cannot be used for permanent planting; river sand contains very few nutrients and has very poor air permeability, but it is very good when mixed with other soil.

Maifan stone can also be used for rooting. First disinfect the Maifan stone, then put it into a container, add water, and place the succulent on top and fix it in place. It is similar to the water propagation method, but its effect will be more obvious than water propagation. It also needs to be placed in a ventilated spot with scattered light. Generally speaking, air permeability is good for root hair respiration and mainly affects the exchange process, so we have always advocated air-permeable substrates, which is why granular materials are regarded as the finest air-permeable materials. But without water as the reaction medium, air permeability is useless. Therefore, we must view substrate air permeability rationally and do not need to pursue granular materials blindly.

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