Want succulents to grow vivid leaves? Pay attention to light and temperature difference

If you want your succulents to become beautiful, you have to let the leaves color up, otherwise they will stay green and succulents, which is very ugly. There are three key factors for coloring up: light, temperature difference and water control, among which the most important are light and temperature difference. The greater the temperature difference and the more light, the faster succulents color up, so if we want our succulents to color up, we need to increase the day-night temperature difference and give them more light. Autumn and winter are the seasons when succulents color up fastest. The temperature is suitable, succulents can be grown outdoors all day, they receive a lot of light, and the temperature at night is still very low. After growing them outdoors for two or three days, you will find that the color of the succulents has changed noticeably.

According to the ecological habits of succulents, they can generally be divided into winter-growing, summer-growing and spring-autumn-growing types. The so-called winter-growing type means dormancy in summer and growth in winter. The summer-growing type is dormant in winter and grows in summer. The spring-autumn type is dormant in summer and winter and grows in spring and autumn. In September, most succulents enter the second stage of their growing period, so once the potting soil has dried out completely, they should be watered thoroughly. At this time, summer-growing types can have their shading and ventilation reduced, but topdressing can be added. As for winter-growing types, ventilation and watering should still be maintained. Whether the variety is a summer-growing type or a winter-growing type, attention should be paid to ventilation, because only in this way can the plants grow healthily. When the leaves of those summer-growing caudiciform types placed outdoors turn yellow, they should be moved into a greenhouse.

What should you do when a succulent grows crooked? We know that plants have phototropism, and succulents are no exception. The reason our succulents grow crooked is mostly that they have been placed in the same position for a long time without the direction being changed. Plants generally grow toward the direction with stronger light (toward the sun), and over time they become crooked. So how do we sun our crooked succulents back into shape? It is very simple: just turn the succulent around. Change the direction in which it gets sun. Some succulents grow relatively fast and easily form old stems. As the succulent grows taller, the upper part becomes heavier and heavier, so the stem part is naturally bent over. This is not something that can be changed just by changing the light, but once the stem is bent, the shape actually looks even better.

When the autumn rainy season arrives, for some varieties that are afraid of moisture and varieties whose place of origin is a tropical region, once growth stalls, the plants should be kept from being rained on directly. In September, sowing, grafting, cuttings and so on are all very suitable. For varieties that bloom in winter, repotting can be done at this time. The difference between repotting at this time and in spring is that there is no need to prune the root system of the plant to a large extent. In October, with plenty of sunlight and a large temperature difference between morning and evening, peony-type plants and some Aizoaceae plants enter their flowering period, and the leaves of Crassulaceae plants begin to turn red.

About watering: summer-growing types go dormant in winter, while spring-autumn and winter-growing types grow in spring, autumn and winter. In winter, especially in January and February, summer-growing types are hardly watered at all, or even cut off from water, while other varieties can be watered a small amount. Of course, if indoor heating in the north is sufficient, there is no need to follow this watering amount. As for the spring-autumn-winter-summer types, search on Xianzhen and there will definitely be relevant classification posts, so I will not repeat them. January is the coldest month of the year. However, the sunshine in late January is slightly stronger than in December, and at this time winter-growing varieties grow very vigorously, so do not be reluctant to water. Pay special attention to the fact that when thawing the plants, it is best to place them in a shaded, dark place so they thaw slowly; this is better than placing them in the sunlight.

About outdoor growing: the suitable growing temperature for sedums is 10°C to 30°C. Below 5°C, most of the more delicate varieties have to be brought indoors. In early winter, the temperature difference between morning and evening is large, often over 10°C during the day and around 0°C at night. In such conditions, pay more attention to the weather forecast to prevent sedum leaves from getting frostbitten. Some tough varieties that are in good condition and have well-developed root systems are not under much pressure outdoors, but you should still pay as much attention as possible to rainy and snowy weather. When the water stored in the epidermis is high, the plant is relatively more likely to suffer frostbite and cracking.

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