How to raise succulents

When playing with meat, master these few tips and you will be a master!

Sumitomo @ccy804 has been raising succulents for seven years since 2012. From a novice at the beginning to a master now, he has actually paid a lot of tuition along the way. She is a frequent visitor to major plant forums and shares her experience accumulated over the past six years with everyone~ Let’s take a look!

The following content comes from @ccy80, a Haohaozhu APP user

1. Why has your condition changed so much after raising it for two months? I also raised it for two months, but there was no change at all. ? Some are even worse, and some become more and more wilted as time passes. Why is this? (About the problem of Rourou’s ability to accept the pot and slow down the roots)

Answer: In fact, this is the problem of the pot and the roots. When it comes to potting, many adult plants have root systems when they are purchased. If the root system of the received plant is very long and dense, I usually prune it, because too many old roots will hinder the growth of new roots, and these old roots cannot absorb nutrients, so it is better to prune them off.

If you carefully check that the plants are free of insects and insect eggs, there is no need to soak the roots with medicine. After pruning the roots, place them in a cool and ventilated place to dry. Generally, they can be potted after 24 hours. Why not just pot it up directly after pruning the roots? Because after root repair, there will be a wound at the root. If you put it in the pot casually before the wound is dry and healed, if the wound is infected with bacteria, there will be irreparable consequences, so to be on the safe side, let it dry. Place the pot in the pot after 24 hours. After potting, do not use a regular pot of water like planting grass and flowers. You only need to spray some water on the soil surface every two or three days to increase moisture and promote the growth of new roots. Remember to spray water. A layer of tidal water mist is sprayed on the soil surface. Do not spray it on the meat, and do not spray it so that the whole pot is soaked.

Generally, if the temperature when potting is between 15-25 degrees, the roots will grow faster. If it is lower than 10 degrees or higher than 30 degrees, the roots will grow very slowly, because at this temperature, the roots will grow very slowly. Most of the flesh is dormant. Since dormancy stops growing, roots will grow very slowly. This is easy to understand, right? I have observed that if the weather is around 20 degrees Celsius, with this kind of rhythm, the pots will usually be fully ready in about 2 weeks, and the plants can already see new growth points and are in good condition. The advantage of exposing the hair roots in this way is that they will not lose color and become leggy due to being left indoors for too long. The color will also become more beautiful when it is soaked in the pot. It really kills two birds with one stone!

For plants that are bought without roots, the maintenance is almost the same, except that the rooting period is longer than that of plants with roots. If a plant with a root system needs two weeks, it will take two weeks for a plant without roots. It takes at least a month for the plants to grow. Of course, individual plants still have differences, and you need to judge whether they have roots based on the actual situation.

Many friends (especially novices) will be deceived by the flower market boss and start watering the plants normally after about a week after they are potted, because the flower market boss will say that the plants will be ready in a week. In fact, It’s okay to think about it. After all, even if it’s watered to death, it’s not the flower market owner’s loss. Maybe you’ll buy a bunch of them from him again?

Actually, I think the potting period of this slow-rooting period is not fixed, but should be observed according to the specific situation. The rooting speed of various plants is different, and different plants grow in different environments. Under temperature and humidity, the speed of rooting is also very different. You cannot use a fixed time to measure whether it has roots or is in the pot. Everything depends on the state, such as checking whether the plant has new growth points, or using your fingers to gently remove the roots. Shake it to see if the plant has a grip.

I strongly disagree with some gardeners who pull out the whole plant every now and then during the rooting period to see if new roots have grown. This approach makes me feel speechless... I know you pull it out like this. , this fleshy plant's hard work has just begun to send out some roots. Even if it is in vain, the roots sent out by the plant will slowly cling to the soil. Over time, it takes time to grasp the soil. When it grasps the soil, it will be considered a well-established plant. However, it takes time for it to grow roots. It will not grow 3 centimeters overnight. It may grow at a rate of one millimeter per day. If it just grows some roots, you will pull them up every three days. Look, isn’t it that it will never be able to grasp the soil firmly? Some flower friends pulled it out and saw that there was already a big clump of roots underneath! Then insert it and start watering. This is a death-inducing rhythm...

Because if the roots you pulled out are still useful, then why should we slow down the roots of the plants we bought with roots? In the process of pulling it out, it is inevitable that some roots will be pulled out. If you water it directly, it will be tragic if bacteria are infected... Therefore, raising meat is really a matter of one's patience and carefulness. You need to calm down and wait, get rid of impetuousness and anxiety!

Example: The picture below is a two-headed phenobatis, which was just bought in January 2013 and has not yet been potted:

May 2013 In October 2014, I could already see the obvious growth status:

In October 2014, I repotted it and no longer shared it with other meats, but moved it out to live in a single room:

In April 2016, it was incredible to live in a single room and give birth to so many children:

In November 2017, it was already full~

Look at it now Isn't it beautiful?

2. Why can’t my flesh gain weight? Did I water it too? So how should you water it? How often should you water it and how much should you water it at one time?

A: In fact, whether Rourou can gain weight does not depend on how much water you pour, but whether it can absorb the water you pour in? Many florists start watering the succulents they bought before they are in the pots, so the plants have not yet grown new roots and have no channels to absorb water, so the water will be in the pots. In the soil, if it is not dried in time, there is a great risk that the flesh will be soaked. In this way, the plants will only become more and more wilted... some even turn into water... Therefore, the only way is to wait for the roots of the plants to grow. Once it is well raised and strong, the water you pour in can be absorbed by it, and it will gain weight. Flower lovers, calm down and give the plants some time!

As for the frequency and amount of watering, I think we should follow four words: dry thoroughly and water thoroughly. How to master these four words? Some flower friends have to ask again: How do I know if it is completely dry? Why don't you take Tubala out for a look? I remember someone said before that you can use the toothpick method to determine whether the soil at the bottom of a pot is dry. Actually, I don’t think it’s necessary. You only need to weigh the weight of the pot to determine whether it contains water. Really, pots The weight difference between wet and dry soil is still very large.

I usually water them once a month, because after a long time, I know that they are completely dry without weighing the pots, but what if I happen to be busy when the month is over? It's okay, you won't die of thirst even if you water them a week late. This is the advantage of succulents being easy to care for. Don't be stingy when watering, water thoroughly at one time. What is watering? If water seeps out from the bottom of the pot, it means that all the soil in the pot has absorbed moisture.

Let’s popularize knowledge again: Why do we need to dry it thoroughly before we can water it thoroughly? That's because succulent plants have a habit of growing roots when their roots cannot absorb water. They will dig their roots deep into the soil in order to absorb what they think the bottom of the pot may be. to the water. This is the reason why many newly potted succulents will grow a lot of aerial roots on the pole before their new roots have sprouted. This is because their new roots have not grown, but out of self-help, they will grow on the pole. They produce many aerial roots to absorb moisture from the air, which also helps them maintain life.

So if you water too frequently, or if there is too much peat in the pot and it is too moisturizing, the succulents can easily "drink" the water without extending their roots very far, and then they will not work hard to grow roots. , so generally if the plant is watered frequently, its plant will grow silly and big, but when you actually pull it out, you will find that its root system is very weak. On the contrary, for the flesh that has been thoroughly watered, the upper part of the plant is compact, plump and small in shape, but once you pull it out, you will find that its root system may have covered the entire pot. Once you master this, you should know how to water, right?

Example: The picture below is a blue minima planted in October 2012. You can see that it was ugly when it was first potted. The powder on the leaves was rubbed off during the express delivery...

In November 2012, it was potted and placed directly outside. Although it was still spread out, the powder on the leaves had recovered a lot due to the long hours of sunlight every day, and it looked much cleaner and more beautiful:

In April 2013, look at this state, are you stunned by its beauty?

In April 2015, it became a mother:

3. How to mix soil with succulents?

Answer: When it comes to mixing soil with Rourou, I actually think that Rourou does not have very high requirements for the medium. As long as particles with good air permeability can be added, I mainly use red jade, volcanic stone, and pearls. Rock, vermiculite, Kiryu sand, medical stone, Kanuma, etc., peat only accounts for about 5-10. In fact, many masters have their own methods of mixing soil, with different mixes of media.

In the early days of my career, I also liked to mix the soil by myself, and the effect was good. The only disadvantage is that if I mix the soil by myself, I would buy a big bag of various soils (about 10 kilograms) and then it would be everywhere in the house. It was a bag of soil. Later, I simply bought a ready-made granular soil from a store, and the effect was very good. The key is that there is a lot less miscellaneous soil in the house, haha, it is cleaner!

Why does Rourou need so little peat? In fact, it can be divided into two aspects: first, if there are too many particles, the water accumulation performance will be poor. Once too much water is applied, the water can flow away quickly and will not accumulate at the roots, making it difficult for the roots to suffocate. Moreover, there are gaps between the particles, so that the roots of the flesh have a loose breathing space, and the safety is much higher. Secondly, if the proportion of peat is high and the water retention of the soil is too good, then even if the flesh is not suffocated, it may absorb water for a long time and grow stupidly.

Isn’t the beauty of succulents just that they are small and cute? If you look stupid and big, you won't be loved by others, right? And everyone has discovered that soil with a high peat content will harden over time and become impermeable every time you water it. The water will float on the surface for a long time... I don’t like this feeling very much! Use granular soil, which absorbs it instantly every time you water it. You don't have to worry about watering too much, because the granular soil has good air permeability and the water will dry out quickly.

Example: In May 2016, a pot of white bear that had just been potted lost a lot of leaves during the delivery, so it looked miserable:

In June 2016, it was already It's ready. Guess how I know it's ready? I only need to move its leaves a little, and they are no longer as soft and floppy as when they were first planted. Instead, they are very tough and elastic. In fact, this is because the new roots they have sprouted have already grasped the soil:

The whole summer of 2016 was too hot. The white bear didn’t get much exposure to the sun and didn’t dare to let it outside. It could only be placed on the inner balcony with the air conditioner blowing all summer long. So it basically didn’t stop growing throughout the summer. You see, in September 2016 , its leaves grow so many!

In March 2017, it turned into a big pot:

Look at them now, are they so beautiful?

Each bear paw is painted with rose-red nail polish. Isn’t it so cute?

4. How can I make my succulents “color”? Why are the succulents you raise so red, tender and jelly in color? Why is mine green? Why are the succulents you raise wrapped up like steamed buns, but mine are spread out like big pancakes? Some even grow as tall as giraffes?

Answer: This question is also the most frequently asked one.

When it comes to the state of meat, it is nothing more than its shape and color. Let’s talk about form first: Compactness is the beauty of form. The so-called compactness refers to the distance between blades. The smaller the distance, the so-called compactness. If you look at it from the side and you can see an obvious gap between the plates and the leaves, it means your flesh is "elongated".

How come Rourou is so leggy? The main reason is insufficient light. Some people will say: "The sunshine on my balcony is very good, why is there a lack of light?" In fact, the "light" mentioned here refers to ultraviolet rays. However, if you raise succulents on an inner balcony or bay window, even if you are facing south and there is plenty of sunlight, most of the ultraviolet rays have been blocked by the glass window. Without ultraviolet rays of sunlight, it is as if there is no ultraviolet rays. Even if you eat nutritious meals, you won’t grow any meat... What’s even worse is that when there is a lack of light, you still water them as hard as you can. When there is more water, the plants grow wildly and without enough light, they try their best to push themselves up. The director hopes to gain exposure to the sun by winning high, which results in leggy growth.

The next thing to talk about is the color. The main reason why the meat turns red or becomes very tender and jelly is due to the temperature difference. During the day, the light is strong and the temperature is high, and at night it is low and cold. In this way, the temperature difference is large, and the color of the meat is revealed. In order to protect itself, the meat will wrap itself tightly, forming a bun shape, which is very cute. Therefore, the best way to create a temperature difference is to "raise in the open", that is, to raise directly outdoors. However, in order to avoid being directly exposed to the rain, it is also particularly important to do a good job in the awning bracket.

If you don’t build a canopy, being exposed to the rain for a long time is also very risky for the meat, because if there is too much rain, it will easily soak the meat. Furthermore, if there is too much water, the plants will secrete wildly. Chlorophyll will turn it very green, how can it turn red? After building the awning, do not use glass as a shield (because glass blocks ultraviolet rays). I prefer to use greenhouse film. Although the greenhouse film does not look as transparent as glass, its light transmittance (ultraviolet) is far better than that of glass. It can reach about 95. In this way, with the temperature difference between day and night, water control, and sufficient light, the meat will become colorful, plump and delicious.

Example: I didn’t know the name of the flower in the picture below when I bought it. It was probably a newly hybridized variety by the merchant at that time, and I hadn’t had time to name it yet. The picture was taken in April 2016 when it was first potted:

In May 2016, I could clearly feel the growth trend and accepted it:

In November 2016, I became a mother:

March 2017 , wrapped up, the meaty bun-like shapes are the cutest:

In January 2018, they have become a large group of animals. Isn’t it beautiful?

Note: It should be noted here that my coordinates are Shanghai, and the experience shared is only for reference by florists in Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai. Florists in the north or south, because our climates are quite different. , I have never lived in your city, so it is difficult to make accurate judgments and speculations, so please make it based on your own actual situation...

For those who have a garden or a rooftop terrace Growing succulents has unique advantages, but don’t be discouraged if you are a balcony fan. I am also a hard-working balcony fan. The picture below shows the succulent flower stand I made outside the balcony when I lived in an old house, and the awning frame I set up on it. , and then covered it with a greenhouse film to protect it from the rain but not the sun. The only disadvantage is that the film needs to be replaced every few months, otherwise it will break:

After moving to a new house, it is very important to grow flower stands in the open. This time I did it Okay? After the flower stand, I made the awning bracket directly above it. The high-rise building is very windy, so the hand-built one is not strong enough and not safe enough. I have to weld it directly to feel at ease:

Finally, let me share a bit about my home. Beautiful photos of: