The Complete Guide to Succulent Care in Early Autumn: Neglecting Care Can Cause More Casualties Than in Summer

Farewell

 Farewell

Pu Shu 

00:00/02:52

BGM: Farewell - Pu Shu

- Tasha's Foreword -

In just a few days it will be White Dew, and having made it through the dog days and End of Heat, the weather in many cities has gradually turned cool.

Li Bai wrote:White dew forms on the jade steps,Soaking her silk stockings as the night wears on.She lets down the crystal blind,Gazing through its delicate weave at the autumn moon.

The last faintly warm breeze of summer blows away, and autumn arrives without our noticing.

There is also the verse "thick grow the reeds, white dew turns to frost," which we have long heard of. Looking at the weather bureau's forecast: the cold air over the next few days will let us experience the coolness that belongs uniquely to early autumn.

Some succulents have already quietly started to color up.

But we still can't let our guard down now. Keep managing your succulents with care; one careless move in September and October will still leave you collecting empty pots.

Today let's talk about preparing for autumn:How to water, mix soil, repot, and the effects of sunlight,and so on.

- About the Author -

/Article begins/

- Watering -

Watering is the most important thing. At this time the succulents have slowly begun to recover, and we need to give them strong support!

Watering falls into two categories of succulents: dormant and non-dormant. The two watering methods are very different.

/Dormant Succulents/

For exampleAeonium, along with other Aeonium genus plants likeMountain Rose、Dudleya genusplants such as Dudleya greenei and Dudleya farinosa, may not have had a drink for two or three months, staying in a dormant state the whole time.

So at this point you need to give water little by little, and be careful not to give a big soak all at once!

Mountain Rose - Emerald Ball

What problems does giving a big soak all at once cause?

1. A big soak wakes up the succulent, and also wakes up the black rot pathogens, which will sing their way up along the roots, speeding up black rot - in short, the plant will die faster.

2. Even if there's no black rot, a big soak all at once will make the succulent grow leggy. If it eats too much in one go, of course it'll get fat.

/Dormant Succulents/

For other Crassulaceae succulents, if you didn't cut off water in summer, they recover quite quickly in autumn - good constitution, after all. At this point water normally, and you can water a bit more than in summer, in small amounts but more often, and look forward to them turning into the ones below in winter~

- Can They Be Left Out in the Rain? -

When the temperature is low (around 25°C, 26°C), let them get rained on, but not too much, or they'll grow leggy - eat too much in one go and they'll get so chubby they turn into little fat pigs.

If the temperature is high (above 30°C, lasting more than two days), forget it. Once the rain stops, black rot comes easily, because rainwater is rich in oxygen, letting the roots breathe, so oddly enough continuous rain won't cause black rot.

A friend's place is only 25°C right now, so they decisively let their succulents enjoy a comfortable bath.

- Repotting and Soil -

Repotting is a path every succulent must walk. Summer isn't suitable for repotting, so having finally made it to September, is this a good time to repot?

If the temperature has already dropped below 25°C, you can absolutely repot.

Which succulents need repotting?

1. You think it needs repotting - no reason needed.

2. The soil has become compacted and won't let water through. This is the type most in need of repotting, because it already can't grow well.

3. The pot is too large or too small. Neither too big nor too small is good.

Classic repotting steps:

1. Remove from soil, 2. Trim roots, 3. Dry the roots (2-3 days), 4. Repot.

A few extra notes:

1. If the pot and soil are both old, try to disinfect once to prevent pathogen infection, then mix in some new soil.

2. For succulents with very good root systems, when you take them out of the pot the bottom will be all roots. You just need to shake the soil clump at the bottom loose and repot - no root trimming needed. That way they settle in in a flash, super fast.

Southern succulent growers, while the weather hasn't cooled yet, hurry up and stockpile pots and soil - there's still time for us to pick and choose.

That way, when the time comes and you've finally removed the soil and trimmed the roots, you won't be stuck with nowhere to put them, which would be such a shame. Isn't our advantage just this: free shipping across Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai.

Devil's Claw

- Soil Mixing -

For healthy Crassulaceae succulents, when repotting use a high proportion of gritty mix (grit : peat = 8:2), to make it easy for them to color up in autumn and winter.

Unhealthy succulents may have been unable to grow because of soil problems, so giving them a new environment is also good. The grit proportion shouldn't be too high; peat : grit = 3:7 is about right.

But soil mixing is actually very personal, and specifically depends on your home environment. An expert's mix has some reference value, but the specific ratio also needs to match your watering frequency to grow good-looking succulents~

Grit used for Crassulaceae succulents: maifan stone, green zeolite, volcanic rock all work; for old specimens use larger grit, and for peat I recommend Dahan Peat 422, peat in a size specially for succulents.

Summer's White Moon Shadow

- Sunlight -

As the angle of direct sunlight changes, from summer to autumn and winter the sunlight becomes gentler and gentler, and the daylight hours get shorter too.

The sunlight we thought was too fierce in summer, we'll be longing for by then.

The summer sky - scenery like this will only become rarer in the days ahead.

So, when can the shade net you put up in summer be taken down?

Still the same standard: when the average high temperature drops below 25°C, you can remove the net and let the succulents enjoy the nourishment of sunlight~

Succulents moved to a north balcony can also be moved to a south balcony, step by step, letting the succulents slowly get used to that sunlight.

The same goes for indoor succulents - otherwise, moving them out all at once will kill more, and more violently, than in summer.

Blue Stone Lotus under the shade net

If the temperature is still high - last weekend Hangzhou hit 33°C, and going out to the balcony at ten o'clock, the sun could practically melt you! Remove the net and the succulents sunburn easily.

Quite a few friends' succulents survived summer only to die at this time.

The reason may be this: the net was removed too quickly, and the succulents couldn't accept the environmental change all at once - fortunately, once dead they no longer have to adapt.

Then I'll just choose to croak, no need to go through that devil's training anymore.

Chihuahua Variegated

But as long as we take care of every aspect, is there any fear they won't live to winter?

Growing succulents means changing with the seasons. In autumn and winter, when all things wither, it's exactly their time to shine!

Looking forward to growing prettier, cuter succulents together with you~

- END -

The editor of this article, Lily of the Valley, is the chief editor of Tasha's WeChat public account [Succulent Obsession].

Succulent Obsession is a lovely member of the Tasha's Garden family, regularly sharing the freshest succulent knowledge and stories every week~

If you also love succulents, hurry and long-press the QR code below to follow the public account [Succulent Obsession]