Can't keep succulents thriving in autumn? Just master these few points
Autumn is widely recognized as the golden season for succulent growth, but recently quite a few friends have complained to me that their succulents not only failed to grow vigorously but actually died! After asking carefully, I learned that these people started giving their succulents heavy fertilizing and watering right after the Beginning of Autumn, so of course they died. Although it is autumn by the calendar, the "autumn tiger" heat means temperatures are still fairly high, and combined with autumn's unique dry air and the gradually widening temperature difference between day and night, this is truly a critical time for succulent care. So what exactly should you do? Let's read on.
Growing succulents in autumn: keep these points in mind!
1. There's more to sunlight than meets the eye
Whether succulents should get lots of sunlight in autumn has always been a hot topic of discussion online. After asking experienced succulent growers, we summed up a conclusion: it depends on the specific species and the condition of the succulent.
First, if you're growing plants like Haworthia cooperi and Haworthia truncata, then more sun is unnecessary, and may even cause wilting or discoloration, making the succulent lose its usual beauty and vitality. But if it's a Crassulaceae plant, such as the succulents Echeveria chihuahuensis, Echeveria runyonii 'Topsy Turvy' and Echeveria 'Perle von Nurnberg', then they need more sunbathing. Without sunlight these plants grow very slowly and won't develop their full colors throughout autumn, which affects the display of their natural beauty.
Of course, if you have newly purchased succulent seedlings that just arrived by mail, we don't recommend putting them directly in the sun, because mail-order varieties need a process of re-rooting. If exposed to direct blazing sun, at best the leaves will stay somewhat wrinkled for a long time; when nutrients can't keep up and they're baking in the sun, the plant can only become dehydrated. At worst, they may turn to mush and rot (that is, wound infection).
2. Watering is a big issue
Did your succulents die in autumn? Then a large part of the reason actually lies in watering. Autumn really is the time to appropriately increase your succulents' water intake. And watering must follow the principle of "water when dry, stop when wet." But when to water and what to watch out for when watering are things we need to understand.
When watering succulents in autumn, it's best to choose the evening, and besides the potted succulent itself, it's best to also sprinkle water around it. The reason is that temperatures are lower at this time, and while ensuring air humidity, black rot is less likely to occur. Some friends think the day after watering you should avoid strong sun, but actually that relationship isn't very significant; you just need to make sure there's no water on the leaves. Because if water remains on the leaves, sunburn may occur the next day, affecting their appearance.
3. Disease and pest prevention requires attention
After the Beginning of Autumn, there are more days with temperatures in the twenties, and the comfortable temperature and humidity also provide a suitable living environment for all kinds of pests and pathogens, which even begin to multiply in large numbers. What you need to do at this point is prevent problems before they happen. The easiest method is to place the potted succulents at a window at home with excellent ventilation, or simply point an exhaust fan or electric fan at them. Circulating air can carry away some of the pathogens, preventing disasters like black rot from befalling your succulents.
Of course, if your succulents have unfortunately already been affected, then quickly use sterilized scissors to cut off the diseased leaves, and spray with medicine where spraying is needed and drench the roots where root drenching is needed. Just take the corresponding measures according to different varieties and different diseases.
4. Wait a bit longer before removing leaves or beheading
If some friends want to remove leaves or behead their succulents right now, then my advice is to wait a bit longer, and it's better to do it after temperatures have dropped and stabilized!