Do succulents need sunlight? This is how to care for them so they grow well
The petite and adorable succulents are the first choice for many lazy gardeners, because they are drought-tolerant, tolerate poor soil, and also tolerate sunlight. In other words, they are not afraid of being tormented, they are only afraid of you being too good to them. So in recent years they have been very popular among young people, and everyone is willing to buy one or two pots to put in front of the office, or beside their own desk, to enjoy as ornamentation in their spare time. So today let us talk about how to grow succulents? How to choose them?
If you want the succulents to grow vigorously, then when choosing them you must select ones with fuller, thicker and beautifully colored leaves, and the best ones are those where the little fleshy parts are packed tightly together. Succulents are generally divided into two types, one is very small succulent seedlings and the other is relatively large old-stem succulents. Generally speaking, online purchases are mostly small bare-root succulent seedlings. At this time, gardening friends must not just pull them out and plant them directly into a pot, because such rough and simple handling easily leads to them failing to settle into the pot. The steps below should be followed.
Step 1, after taking it out, remove and clean all the soil from the original pot. First use small tweezers to pluck off the dead leaves at the base of the succulent. Of course, if you do not mind mud dirtying your hands, you can also directly pull off the dead leaves at the base of the succulent with your hands.
Step 2, after cleaning, there will still be some roots of varying lengths mixed in at the base of the succulent seedling. We also trim them all flat, roughly at a position 3 cun below the succulent roots, keeping the thicker and more vigorous roots, and then rinse them with water.
Step 3, after rinsing, directly place it in a cool and ventilated place to dry for about two days. After its wounds have scabbed over, find a pot with holes, put a pad at the bottom inside the pot, and then add loose, breathable granular soil suitable for succulents. This soil looks similar to small stones. Here it is recommended that beginners choose granular soil with a granular medium content between 30% and 50%.
Step 4, fill the soil roughly to the rim of the pot, then top it off with moist soil. After that, spray a little water so the soil always stays moist, but be sure not to let the soil be very wet. Then dig a small hole in the center of the soil and put the succulent in. In addition, note that a newly planted succulent must absolutely not be watered. Just place it in a cool and ventilated place.
Step 5, wait for about a week. After the potting soil has completely dried, press the leaves on the inner and outer three layers of the succulent with your hand. When you feel that they are somewhat wrinkled, water again. When watering, be careful not to water directly onto the top of the succulent, because doing so easily causes water to collect in the gaps between the leaves, and the leaves are easily scorched. If the leaves accidentally get wet while watering, wipe them dry with a paper towel. For daily watering, you can choose a narrow-spout pot to water the succulent around its four sides, trying to let the water seep down from the side. Finally, it is recommended that in winter you choose to water when there is sunlight, while in summer you choose to water in the cool evening. Spring and autumn are not so particular, and watering about once a week on schedule is enough.
Recommendation: succulents are the least afraid of lacking water, and instead are afraid of water accumulation and root rot caused by too much water. At the same time, they are a strongly sun-loving flower. If there is no sunlight, they will severely fade in color. So it is recommended to place them best on a large south-facing balcony, and give them plenty of sunlight. When the summer temperature is higher than 35 degrees, they need to be shaded to prevent sunburn spots. When the temperature is higher than 35 degrees, and in winter lower than 5 degrees, succulents will go dormant or semi-dormant. During dormancy, absolutely do not fuss over them.