How to protect succulents from freezing in autumn and winter? Greenhouse care experience shared
Recently, temperatures in Wuhan have been consistently low, which at one point made the editor feel like winter had arrived! With the low temperatures, caring for succulents has also become "challenging"~ So how do you protect succulents from freezing in autumn and winter? Perhaps greenhouses have the most say!
How do you protect succulents from freezing?
How do you protect succulents from freezing? Succulents need careful pampering. Based on the degree of frost damage, succulents can be divided into three categories: mild frost damage, severe frost damage, and frozen to death...
Mild frost damage
Traces of frost damage appear on the leaves of the succulent. The obvious sign is that the leaves show signs of water-soaked shriveling, becoming transparent or even ashen, with only some leaves showing frost damage.
In this case, as long as the subsequent care environment does not continue to hover around 0°C (10°C+ is best), the succulent will have no problem surviving. The frost-damaged leaves cannot recover and will sooner or later shrivel, turn water-soaked and fall off. When repotting in spring, cut off the frost-damaged leaves, but this is on the premise that your succulent can survive the winter safely.
Severe frost damage
Most of the leaves of the entire succulent, or even the stem, show traces of frost damage, with obvious water-soaked shriveling, becoming transparent or even ashen or blackened. This kind of situation is more complicated.
If only the leaves show traces of frost damage while the stem has not become transparent or blackened, then place the succulent in a 10°C+ environment with bright and slightly ventilated conditions for about a week. Do not water during this period. Remove the obviously frost-damaged leaves and observe briefly. If there is no trend of becoming water-soaked, it can generally continue to survive tenaciously.
If the stem shows signs of becoming transparent and softening, cut off the frost-damaged stem sections completely (it must be cut clean; if not cut clean, it will keep spreading upward), apply carbendazim to the wound, then leave it to observe, and take stem cuttings after a period of time. If part of the stem already showed traces of frost damage from the start, then simply cut off the frost-damaged part directly, and then repeat the above steps.
How do you tell whether a succulent has frozen to death?
If all the leaves of the entire succulent are severely frost-damaged and even the stem has become water-soaked, then it can only rest in peace.
To repeat once more, the best solution to avoid frost damage in succulents is to pay attention to the lowest temperatures in the local historical weather, do not expose succulents to outdoor environments below 0°C, check the weather forecast more often, and prevent sudden temperature drops. Many succulents die from sudden temperature drops.
How to protect succulents from freezing in autumn and winter? Greenhouses have the most say
Some people say that whether potted succulents are easy to grow depends on whether you provide them with a good growing environment. There is a saying: "All things grow by sunlight."
The "sunlight" mentioned here is a collective term; its meaning is not just sunlight, but also includes environmental factors such as soil, air, and water. If a plant grows well, it must be growing in the environment it finds most comfortable.
Why do plants in greenhouses grow well? Because the environment in a greenhouse is good: long sunlight hours, high humidity, air circulation, and specially formulated soil. I once went with a friend to a greenhouse to pick succulents, and she chose an exceptionally plump Angel's Tears. I said this one looks great, but if you take it home, it will become ugly in at most two weeks.
The environment in a greenhouse is very difficult to simulate on an ordinary home balcony. So when we grow succulents, it is nothing more than trying to provide a comfortable environment for the plants: sunlight and air circulation, watering when it is time to water, and keeping them warm when it is time to keep them warm.
Growing is the plant's own business. As long as you provide it with a suitable growing environment, the plant will naturally reward you by showing its best condition.