Why Do Succulent Leaves Look Wrinkled and Not Plump Up Even With Fertilizer?

A flower lover asked: the leaves of the succulents I grow are always shriveled, and even fertilizing doesn't make them plump up. What exactly is going on? No matter how you fuss over them, trying to make succulents plump, some flower lovers go hard on withholding water, while others choose to fertilize. The premise for all of this is only one thing: the root system must be good. The quality of the root system should be taken seriously even before potting. Trim the succulent's roots a bit, and later they will plump up into big fat balls.

It should be noted that succulent roots are inherently very fragile, so they cannot be trimmed carelessly. What needs to be trimmed are the dead roots and old, dried-up root hairs; the main root must not be touched. That's because if these dead roots are not trimmed away, new roots will have a hard time growing out. When we start watering, these dead roots, which no longer have the ability to absorb water, will remain in a damp state for a long time after contacting moisture, and will slowly rot. Once rot occurs, it will lead to the breeding of pathogens and pests, and the entire plant will suffer as a result.

The first factor affecting how thick and sturdy a succulent's root system is is, of course, time. The thick, sturdy root system that an old specimen takes many years to grow is certainly not comparable to that of a succulent that has just rooted. So, if your succulent is only a few months old, there is no need to think about any thick, sturdy root system; it definitely won't have one. What you should look forward to is a more developed root system. A root system that looks like a messy clump of whiskers is the best state.

Next is the problem of dead leaves. Dead leaves that accumulate over a long time can easily become infected with pests and diseases, especially in summer, when they can easily create a closed, stuffy, and hot environment, so they must be cleaned up. As for those dry leaves that are not easy to remove, leave them alone; forcibly pulling them off will harm the succulent itself. Most cases of transparent, watery leaves are because the succulent was just bought and brought home and has not been planted for long, so the discomfort is caused by a sudden change in growing environment.

As for the problem of succulents growing leggy, it shows up as the stem endlessly stretching upward, leaves becoming thin and long, the spacing between leaves being too large, and the plant having no compactness at all. Why did a perfectly good succulent become leggy? The root cause is a lack of light combined with too much watering. Beginners in particular find it hard to control their watering hands. When these two factors exist at the same time, the succulent will become leggy within a week.

There are two ways to save a leggy succulent. One is to behead it directly, and the other is to remove the leaves. Beheading is essentially reshaping the succulent; the original plant will sprout side shoots and continue growing. Removing leaves means pulling off the few layers of leaves near the bottom (they can be kept for leaf propagation), exposing the stem, and letting it gradually grow in the direction of an old specimen.

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