Repeated deaths while keeping succulents, buying again and again, falling into a vicious cycle

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Images and text: Curator

The other night, Curator went out for a walk. On the way home, suddenly not far away, a bright light flashed, then a strong wind rose, as if a deity were descending.

Before I could react, bean-sized raindrops woke this fool right up. It turned out a rainstorm had hit. Seeing I was still some distance from home, I took off running at an astonishing speed, while glancing now and then at the old auntie beside me, who turned her head and gave me a couple of sideways looks as she sped past me.

Suddenly a jolt hit me: my succulents are still out exposed on the terrace!!!

I ran back like mad, and in a flash I dashed ahead of those aunties and added an extremely well-behaved smile.

Inside I was shouting desperately for my succulents! You have to stay strong and not die! After all, I just repotted you, and getting rained on like this will probably finish you off.

I couldn't help but think of the succulent babies Curator had lost over all these years of growing succulents. When I first started growing succulents, I didn't understand the key points of care. Back then, when I saw those succulents, I was ridiculously excited, and I wished I could water them once a day. At first, in Korea I kept five pots of succulents, and three pots drowned.

At that time, I didn't know whether it was because I truly loved succulents or because of that primal force inside me, but I went alone to a greenhouse to learn from the greenhouse owner. From them I learned: watering succulents must follow the principle of not watering until dry; especially after figuring out the dormancy period of succulents, you must pay even more attention to watering during dormancy. In regions with normal climate, giving water once a month while ensuring ventilation is enough.

(Beginners can take a look at this most complete watering method!!!)

Only then did this immature me suddenly realize that I had thought giving water was instilling love, which was completely wrong! Of course, at that time I also couldn't resist chopping off my own hand, so right after killing three pots, I bought 4 pots of Crassulaceae succulents. I can't even remember exactly which three pots they were. (It seems these pots were all done in.)

After buying them and taking them home this time, I raised them ever so carefully. I looked at them three times a day, but this time I finally controlled my claws and stopped watering them randomly!

At that time the novelty still hadn't worn off, and I spent all day reading materials and searching for information, just to grow these succulents well. I feel like the me back then was as green as a middle school student~

Later, because I returned to China, I entrusted my succulents to a friend. Unexpectedly, they were even less reliable than me. Of the 6 pots of succulents, only two made it through the first summer. In the end, only five empty pots were left. (Don't ask me why five, because one was smashed.)

After returning to China, I accidentally saw vendors at a flower and bird market also selling succulents, and I also picked up a few that looked pretty good. At that time, as a newbie, I thought the succulents bought from a small stall were exactly the same as those from a greenhouse. When I got home, I didn't repot them, didn't trim the roots, and just started growing them, growing them, growing them. Within two months, the roots had become messy and bred bacteria, and in the end they couldn't be saved. Thinking back, I really was a total newbie in the succulent world, a newbie with nothing at all.

(Those who don't understand root trimming can take a look at this root trimming! Root trimming! Root trimming! What exactly are you trimming?)

Thinking back again to later, the first time I encountered summer, because I had also read quite a lot of materials, I knew that for most Crassulaceae succulents it was like a nightmare, and of course for me at that time it was the same!

I knew to use less water. Hmm... how should I put it? The succulents that died that year maybe weren't because of water! After all, they were still grown exposed on the balcony for a season. At first they got sunburned, grew spots, and gradually the spots spread until there was no unblemished skin left. Just thinking about it scares me. At that time, as a grown man, when I went out I still knew to find some sunscreen and put it on, so why didn't it occur to me to block the light for the succulents? I was still too young.

In short, that summer there were countless deaths and injuries. I finally made it to autumn. After all, it's also the peak growing season for succulents! So my restless heart could not be restrained, and I got a lot of new succulents again. Earlier on I also knew to repot and trim roots, and I understood not to water until dry. Fortunately, autumn didn't require too much effort, and the succulents made it through safely. A few pots even had very nice colors. Maybe these occasional surprises have kept me going until now. The process of obtaining beautiful things must always be painful and happy at the same time.

That year I was very lucky not to encounter Brother Jack, otherwise I wouldn't even dare imagine the consequences. It would definitely have been very sexy.

But good times don't last long. In the deep winter, one still froze to death. I remember very clearly that I forgot it on the balcony, and I only discovered it after the snow melted. But it was useless! So later, growing succulents was all a process of testing my own carefulness and attentiveness. What should be paid attention to cannot be left out. It's not just growing succulents; doing anything is the same.

"When you first start out doing things, if you insist on picking only what you like to do, then you might as well not do anything. What matters is that you get on the road, and then keep walking forward. It's like you're a little snowball. There's a starting point on the vast snowy forest plain, and you can't be sure which way you should roll. But you might as well start rolling first. Anyway, there's snow everywhere, and wherever you roll, you can make yourself thicker and bigger. You may take a detour, or later discover you were wrong, but in the end you've still become stronger, and finally turned into a big snowball. Once you're bigger, then roll toward the place you want to go, and you'll always get there a bit faster."

This is a sentence Curator happened to see. It was probably meant for fresh graduates. I think it says a lot. Only through constant accumulation and constant practice will you become stronger and stronger. Growing succulents and life are both like this.

As long as you work hard, the result won't be bad. The key is that you worked hard!

Finally, let me show off Curator's succulents. After all, their current beauty is built on countless dead succulents!!

In your process of growing succulents, was it the same as Curator's,

countless deaths, and countless times ruining your finances,

until in the end you grew great succulents?

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