How to Grow the Succulent Firecracker Plant? A Detailed Care Guide

The succulent Firecracker Plant's bright red fleshy leaves are like burning flames, giving people a vibrant impression and making them feel greatly delighted when looking at it. So do you know how to grow the succulent Firecracker Plant?

How to Grow the Succulent Firecracker Plant

The Firecracker Plant is a horticultural variety that likes a warm, dry environment with plenty of sunlight. In partial shade or shaded places, the plant can still grow, but the leaf color will not turn red. Usually, do not give too much water or fertilizer, especially not too much nitrogen fertilizer, otherwise the plant will become leggy and the leaf color will not turn red. Wait until the potting soil is completely dry before watering, and apply a dilute fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus and potassium once a month.

Watering: During the growing period, the plant is red-green; when watering is stopped or during the dormant period, the color is red or pink. Normally, water only after the soil is dry, and water thoroughly. Spring and autumn are the growing seasons; water only after the soil is dry, and water thoroughly. The plant is not afraid of being rained on.

Light: The Firecracker Plant needs full-sun cultivation. If there is too little light, the spacing between leaves will stretch out, which means the plant has become leggy, and the leaves will also turn emerald green and elongate.

Soil: You can use cinder mixed with a small amount of peat, without laying stones, because the Firecracker Plant's stems tend to creep and easily grow roots. So do not lay river sand either.

Cultivation: When the plant grows too tall, prune it promptly to control the plant height, encourage new branches and leaves to sprout from the base, and maintain a beautiful plant shape.

In winter, place it indoors in a sunny spot, keep the potting soil dry, and it can overwinter safely above 5°C. Repot once every 1 to 2 years in spring, and the potting soil should preferably be sandy soil with good drainage and aeration.

In summer, be sure to control humidity, otherwise it is very easy to rot. There will be a brief dormancy in summer, requiring ventilation and shade. Generally, once the high temperature continues to 32°C, shade it. Gradually reduce water, giving only 2 to 3 waterings a month to keep the roots from drying out. When the weather turns cool, gradually resume watering. As long as the temperature is not below zero, you can basically water normally. The Firecracker Plant can tolerate a low temperature of minus 5°C when the potting soil is dry.

Propagation: In spring and autumn, cut tender branches, dry them in the shade for two to three days, then bury them shallowly in soil. After 10 days, water thoroughly once, and they will take root in about 20 days. The Firecracker Plant can be propagated in the growing season by cutting fleshy stems with the top shoot for cuttings.

When Does the Firecracker Plant Bloom?

The Firecracker Plant usually blooms in summer or autumn, with cymes and small white flowers.

The flowers of the Firecracker Plant are very special; the flowers are set among the leaves, dotted here and there and very beautiful. Growing the Firecracker Plant is very simple, but getting it to bloom probably takes a lot of effort.

When the Firecracker Plant blooms, it needs to accumulate a lot of nutrients. When nutrients are insufficient, it will also consume the succulent's own nutrients to force flowering, so if you do not understand how succulents are pollinated and how seeds are collected, or if you think the blooming flowers do not look good, you can directly cut off the flower stems with scissors. Many times, people will find that on the flower stems grown by the Firecracker Plant or other succulents, the flowers wither before they even open. This indicates that the succulent lacks nutrients.

Why Does the Firecracker Plant Not Turn Red?

In autumn, when the temperature difference between day and night is too small, the Firecracker Plant will not turn red. The Firecracker Plant likes a cool, dry environment with plenty of sunlight, is tolerant of drought, afraid of waterlogging, and has a certain cold resistance. So if too much water is given and there is not enough light, the Firecracker Plant will not turn red either.

How to Grow the Firecracker Plant So It Turns Red

1. Only under the combined effect of dry + cold + strong sun in winter will the Firecracker Plant become very red.

2. In the growing season, it will turn green and grow wildly. You can cut branches and keep taking cuttings, and within half a year it will become a big cluster. If you do not want to take cuttings, you can cut some off. After pruning, the plant shape will be full and beautiful.

3. After the root system is well established, the Firecracker Plant will be robust, and it will already have stored a large amount of water in its body. Then slowly stop watering, giving a little less each time, until finally stopping watering altogether, and then expose it to strong sun, and the Firecracker Plant will turn red.

4. The Firecracker Plant is a horticultural variety that likes a warm, dry environment with plenty of sunlight. In partial shade or shaded places, the plant can still grow, but the leaf color will not turn red. Usually, do not give too much water or fertilizer, especially not too much nitrogen fertilizer, otherwise the plant will become leggy and the leaf color will not turn red. Wait until the potting soil is completely dry before watering, and apply a dilute fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus and potassium once a month.