How do you grow succulents so they become plump and beautiful? There is only one secret

First of all, how to grow succulents is too broad a question.

When it comes to growing succulents, there are four relatively important factors: ultraviolet light, temperature difference, water, and growing medium.

1. Ultraviolet light

Most succulents (such as Sedum, Dudleya, Lithops, etc.; the following content mainly focuses on Sedum) need plenty of sunlight, and this sunlight should not be sunlight filtered through glass or window screens, because glass and window screens both block a large portion of ultraviolet light.

But this does not mean blindly accepting unobstructed sunlight either. Rather, during the spring and autumn growing season, with surface temperatures of 3 to 30°C, give them as many hours of unobstructed sunlight as possible. Succulents grown where ultraviolet light is sufficient will have thicker, plumper leaves, while insufficient ultraviolet light will cause the stems to elongate and the leaves to become sparse.

2. Temperature difference

If you want succulents with a riot of color, then in addition to sufficient ultraviolet light, you also need a temperature difference. Without a temperature difference, even the strongest ultraviolet light cannot make the little succulents shed their gray-green coats. When the day-night temperature difference is greater than 15°C, succulents show even better color. This is also why succulents grown outdoors are more beautiful than those grown indoors, why spring and autumn succulents are more luscious than those in winter and summer, and why succulents cared for in Yunnan or Qingdao are more outstanding than those in other regions of our country.

In summer, when temperatures exceed 30°C, most succulents need to be moved to a cooler place at home. In winter, when temperatures fall below 3°C, it is best not to let them be exposed to cold wind; bring them to the brightest spot indoors.

3. Water

The secret to plump, beautiful succulents is just one thing: let them thirst for a short while, then give them a full drink all at once. When watering, you must water thoroughly; water again only after the potting soil has dried and the pot has become lighter. Only thorough watering allows the root system to absorb water. Sprinkling a few drops every couple of days not only fails to satisfy the roots, but the potting soil also easily breeds all kinds of fungi because it stays moist for a long time.

Succulents really, really dislike waterlogged environments. If the potting soil stays moist for a long time, the roots will also be unable to access oxygen, which at best causes the plant to grow leggy and at worst causes death. Therefore, please control those little hands that always want to water.

In spring and autumn, water at dusk (when the temperature is lower but not too low, which helps water evaporate while not putting the roots in a sauna-like environment) and water thoroughly when you do water; in summer and winter, about every three weeks, drizzle two circles along the edge of the pot to maintain only the minimum water needed for survival.

4. Growing medium

The basic requirement for succulent growing medium is good air permeability. Common ones include: peat (water retention, nutrients), coconut coir (fluffy, drains water), vermiculite (water retention), akadama soil (absorbs water, increases air permeability), coal cinders (increase air permeability), river sand (increase air permeability), organic manure (a small amount as base fertilizer when potting), rice hull charcoal (adjusts soil pH), slow-release fertilizer (long-lasting fertilization), etc.

My formula for mature plants is half peat (Fafard or Pindstrup red bag) and half granules (1/3 vermiculite, with the rest perlite, coal cinders, river sand, decomposed pine bark, rice hull charcoal, chicken manure, akadama soil), with a dozen or so slow-release fertilizer granules mixed into the top layer of potting soil. Personally, I like to mix light granules, heavy granules, large granules, and small granules together rather than using only one type such as 3-6 mm or 1-3 mm. Doing this may be overthinking it, but my idea is that only in this way can the light granules float up and the heavy granules sink after watering, with large and small granules filling in around each other, so that the granules are more evenly mixed into the peat, preventing compaction and helping with drainage and ventilation.

Chicken manure must be very fine, and the amount must be very, very small; just enough to play a slight role as base fertilizer. The results have been pretty good. In two years of growing succulents, I only had one plant develop black rot at the very beginning of the first year. In the first winter, because I opened the window for ventilation and forgot to close it at night, only one plant near the window froze and turned to mush.

For the sowing formula, use 60% peat and 40% granules (of which horticultural vermiculite accounts for half, and for the other half of the granules this year I used 1-3 mm perlite and 0.8 mm-2 mm river sand). This year's sowing formula increased the proportion of granules and further reduced the granule size to prevent stunted seedlings. The results have been good.

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