Why do succulent leaves keep getting fewer and fewer as you grow them?

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Text and images: Curator

A few days ago, the Curator received a letter from a succulent friend saying: the beautiful succulent I just bought home originally looked like this

But after growing it for a while, the style suddenly changed and it turned into this

Don't you almost suspect that what you are growing is not the same pot of succulents

So what exactly is the reason that causes succulents that were originally blooming in profusion and as beautiful as a bouquet to turn into this old-stem state, as if withered wood has met spring again

Don't worry, the Curator will now analyze it carefully with everyone

In our previous articles, we once talked about the problem of succulents having fewer and fewer leaves the longer they are grown, and also specifically introduced the situation regarding old stems, so today we will mainly understand the reasons why succulent leaves become smaller from the perspective of leaf lifespan

One very different thing between plants and animals is that the various organs on an animal's body are an organic whole, but plants are different. Even if half of a plant's leaf is broken off, it is still repairing the wound on one side while still striving to carry out photosynthesis. If you let a side shoot of a succulent touch soil, the side shoot will often decisively take root independently, and over time, the side shoot will become independent from the mother plant and become a new plant.

Therefore, as a leaf, it also has its own lifespan. When a leaf is newly born, although it can immediately carry out photosynthesis, the nutrients needed for its own growth far exceed the nutrients it synthesizes through photosynthesis, so it needs support from other leaves to grow up. But as the leaf grows, the nutrients it can export gradually exceed its needs, and at the same time it can export organic substances to the outside, and at this point it is an adult leaf. If an adult leaf still produces more organic substances than the demand for export to the outside, the leaf itself will continue to grow larger.

However, this process is not infinite. As the leaf gradually grows, the leaf's own expenses also increase. In addition, the cells on the leaf are also gradually aging, and the efficiency of photosynthesis is also gradually decreasing. Under these circumstances, a leaf gradually enters old age. Leaves can transmit nutrients through the vascular bundle system, and capable prime-of-life leaves will continuously export nutrients to support those newborn baby leaves and those old leaves that cannot make ends meet.

If the environment in which the succulent grows has sufficient sunlight and water, new leaves will grow rapidly, and old leaves that cannot make ends meet will also survive. However, after entering a home environment, the degree of sufficient sunlight is often greatly reduced. Sometimes, in order to reduce the possibility of black rot occurring, the amount of water we give the succulent is even lower than the sunlight, which will cause the growth rate of the succulent to slow down further. Therefore, when the last bit of savings of an old leaf is squeezed dry, it becomes a completely useless dry leaf, and eventually falls off from the succulent.

In addition, it needs to be emphasized that the process of all leaf consumption is irreversible. Sometimes, succulents will grow side shoots from the place where a leaf fell off. But no matter what, new leaves will never grow from there again.

So, if you want to make old leaves fall off by controlling water or exposing them to strong sun, you must be careful. Because once they fall off, there is no possibility of them returning to their original appearance.

So, for me, a succulent changing from a bouquet into an old stem is an irreversible process, just like the childhood we can never return to. If you have the ability to let the succulent keep that blooming and romantic profusion for a few more days, then try your best to keep it. After all, on some day in the future, as long as these succulents are alive, they will all become strong and powerful old stems.

After all, youth is always gone and never returns.

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