Succulents benefit most from pruning at the start of their growing season, although you can prune them at any time. If you prune around the end of the growing season, new growth might not appear as rapidly, but it will develop gradually and accelerate once they begin to grow vigorously again.
There are numerous succulents that grow best in the summer, but there are also quite a few that grow best in the winter. To determine when your succulents are actively developing, check at this dormancy table.
My succulents are often pruned in the spring, after spending the winter indoors. Typically, they become quite stretched out and lose some of their initial beauty.
I can freshen the arrangement by pruning them without needing to buy new plants. It’s a fantastic approach to grow your garden!
Where are succulents cut?
What kind of cuttings you can take from your succulent will depend on its genus and species. For instance, cuttings or leaves can be used to reproduce the majority of delicate Sedums and some Echeverias. Nevertheless, I utilize leaves for each.
Simply twist a leaf off the stem gently to remove it for propagation. Make certain that the draw is clean and leaves nothing on the stem. In fact, it’s okay to remove a small portion of the stem as well.
Make sure you get all the way down to the stem because every time I’ve broken off a leaf before the stem, it has always died. As you take the leaf off, it helps to have a clear view of the leaf’s base.
It’s a really cheap method to begin a collection of new plants, plus it’s a lot of fun to grow succulents from seed to baby plant to plant!
How to take a cutting for propagation
On the other side, you’ll need sharp scissors or pruning shears to make a cut (I use these and adore them!). Just above a leaf on the stalk, cut off a bit of the succulent.
The succulent’s top can be removed, or you can remove a fresh branch. Both will function!
How can leggy succulents be prevented?
As we all know, not all succulents get lanky due to inadequate sunshine. Because of the way some succulents develop, they can become lanky. Here’s how to keep your succulents from growing lanky as a result of inadequate light:
- Whether inside or outside, make sure they are getting enough sunlight. The ideal amount of daylight is between four and six hours every day.
- Succulents grown indoors are more likely to become lanky. Put them close to the house’s brightest window. If required, relocate the plant to a more light-filled area. If at all possible, provide the plant access to the outdoors. To augment the plant’s illumination requirements, think about utilizing a grow lamp.
- Ensure that no taller plants in a planter are blocking them. The planter was outdoors and receiving full sun, just like what occurred to my plant up top, however the plant was being obstructed by taller plants. When potting your plants, it’s ideal to think ahead to determine which ones will work best with which ones. But even if you don’t, the problem is easy enough to rectify. Simply remove the plant—whether it is tall, stretched, or both—from the planter and repotted it in a separate planter. Check out this post, “Revamping an Overgrown Succulent Fairy Garden,” to see how I did it.
- To ensure that every plant in the planter receives enough sunshine, turn the pot. You might need to rotate the pot occasionally to ensure that all of the plants are receiving enough sunlight, depending on where it is positioned and how the sun strikes the plants. My planter gets a lot of early sun, but because it is at an angle, the plants behind it don’t get as much light and are beginning to sag. To ensure that all the plants receive sunlight, simply rotate the pot periodically.
- Avoid overfeeding and overfertilizing your succulents. Because succulents are light feeders, overfertilizing will cause the plant to spread out and result in inferior growth. This is a result of the plant’s inability to support its own pace of growth due to its excessive rate of growth. It is advisable to use 1/4 to 1/2 strength of the fertilizer’s suggested dosage. For the majority of succulents, the active growing season is from early spring to late fall. Fertilize at this time. Avoid fertilizing in the late fall and winter when growth typically slows.
Leggy succulents can occasionally be very attractive, especially if they begin to cascade down the pot. Many succulents naturally grow in this manner, which adds to their appeal. However, there is usually a fast treatment for it and the plant will recover quickly once the issue has been resolved if your succulents are growing leggy from lack of light.
What happens if you cut a succulent’s top off?
A succulent cannot return to its original compact height and shape once it has been stretched out. But don’t worry!
Start by using good-quality scissors to trim off the succulent’s top (I adore this pair so much! Definitely worth every cent! Leave 2-3 leaves on the base for at least an inch or two. If you leave a few leaves on the base to absorb sunlight, the base will thrive.
I’ve seen bare stems produce new offshoots, but it takes a lot longer than when I leave a few leaves on the stem. You can trim some of the stem to shorten the cutting if the cutting (the top portion you cut off) is too long for your taste.
Allow the base and the cutting to dry for a few days. You can plant the cutting in soil and start watering it once the cut end has calloused over (totally dried out and appears “scabbed”).
Cuttings do, in my experience, require a little bit more frequent watering than a fully rooted plant. To prevent the stem from becoming too soggy and rotting, use a soil that has a really good drainage system. Here is more information on how to grow succulents from cuttings.
Within a few days, maybe, but most probably within two to three weeks, the cutting should begin to give off roots. You should reduce watering as the roots take hold in order to put the plant on the same “schedule” as fully rooted plants.
Within a few weeks, the base, or original plant, will begin to produce additional offshoots. This plant can still be taken care of in the same manner as before the cut.
The leaves you initially left on the base plant can eventually wilt or drop off. Although highly common, this won’t always occur.
But if they do come off, don’t panic! Without the “parent leaves,” the young rosettes will still be able to develop.
Should you clip succulent leaves that are dead?
There isn’t a set schedule for trimming succulent leaf edges. Every other season, you could trim your succulent’s leaves to allow it a chance to flourish, but it’s not necessary. The exact time will vary depending on the species of your plant, but it’s generally ideal to trim succulent leaves in the fall and spring, or during their active growing season.
Trimming and removing dead leaves is another smart notion from time to time. In most cases, a few dead leaves are not a symptom of a sick plant. This is due to the fact that succulent leaves naturally wither, but you can always remove or trim them if you don’t like the way they look.
How Do Dying Succulent Leaves Look?
How would you know which succulent leaves to remove if you don’t know what a dying succulent leaf looks like? The most typical symptom is discolouration brought by by excessive or insufficient watering. However, any of the signs listed below can indicate a dead or decaying leaf:
- Yellow
- Transparent
- Soggy
- leaves that are tan in spots due to sunlight
Overwatering or a plant disease may be indicated by opaque, brown, or black leaves.
The leaves may be discolored as well as mushy and soft to the touch. You can now remove the leaves and start your plants on a fresh watering schedule. Reduce your watering frequency and assess the situation.
On the other side, wilting and wrinkled succulent leaves are a sign of underwatering. After a good, thorough watering, the plant typically recovers within a few days. Even after a good watering, wilted or dried-out leaves can not recover. The leaves in this situation can be trimmed, removed, or they will ultimately fall off on their own.
How To Trim Your Succulent Leaves Correctly
Simply remove the leaves by pulling them out or cutting them off. Here is a safe method to trim and prune your succulents without harming your plant, if you’re seeking for a step-by-step approach. The following is required:
- Tweezers
- clean, well-cut scissors or knives
To correctly remove the leaves, use the techniques described below:
Step 2: Remove the leaf from the plant’s base using the knife or scissors. Any branches covered with dead leaves can be cut off.
3. After use, clean the scissors or knife. If necessary, you can clean the knife or scissors with with simple water or an alcohol wipe.
Are succulent blooms intended to be chopped off?
The length of time that the flowers remain in bloom until they begin to close and dry up varies depending on the type of succulent plant. The flower stalks can be left alone, but as they continue to dry out, they truly start to look unsightly. Once the plant has finished blooming, it is advisable to remove the bloom stalks.
Cut the flower stalks off as near to the plant as you can without harming its leaves using sharp pruning shears or scissors. You can take care of your plant as usual after cutting the bloom stalks off. A succulent plant will often continue to bloom at roughly the same time each year after its initial bloom.
How do I get a bushier cactus?
Any plant’s other buds will be able to grow, sometimes with astonishing vigor, if the top is pruned removed. As a result, the plant becomes bushier as each lower bud develops into a new, smaller shoot. By making a cut slightly above a bud that is oriented in the desired direction, you can control the growth.
How frequently do succulents need to be watered?
During the months that are not winter, when the temperature is above 40 degrees, you should water your succulents every other week. You should only water your succulent once a month in the winter (when the temperature falls below 40 degrees), as it goes dormant at this period.
A few situations constitute an exception to this rule. Because their tiny leaves can’t hold as much water as other varieties with larger leaves, some varieties of succulents need to be watered more frequently. In the non-winter months, feel free to give these small leaf succulents a water if they appear to be thirsty. When they are thirsty, succulents generally exhibit a wrinkled appearance. But always keep in mind that being underwater is preferable to being overwater.
What causes succulents to sag?
Almost all succulents will expand “if not given enough light, they become lanky. But more light-sensitive than other succulents are those that change color in response to stress. Their response can be swift, releasing etiolated “growth in just a couple of days. Additionally, stretching out succulents with rosette shapes like Echeveria, Graptoveria, and Graptosedum would make them appear worse from an aesthetic standpoint.
Your Succulent Isn’t Getting Enough Light
All plants require light, but succulents particularly crave it. Your pal may be leggy if you don’t provide a sunny area where they can soak up the light.
Insufficient sunshine causes succulents to develop lengthy stems. They begin to turn and spread out in search of light during a process known as etiolation, which gives them a “leggy appearance with a long stem and smaller, spaced-out leaves.
It can be challenging to determine how much light your plant needs right immediately because every plant is unique. Try transferring the succulent to an area where it will receive more light if you find it starting to grow a long stem without adding more leaves. You might want to think about buying a tiny tabletop grow light if your house doesn’t have a place where the sun shines.
Get To Know Your Succulents
Because some succulents, like Echeveria Vincent Catto, Sinocrassula Yunnannensis, or Echeveria Derenbergii, are inherently small and slow-growing, it is best to know what kind of succulents you are trying to grow bigger.
Search Google for the maximum size and growing advice for your succulent if you know its name. If you post a photo to one of the succulent-lovers’ facebook groups, they can identify your succulent if you don’t know its name.
To find a group on Facebook or Google and choose the one that looks appealing. There are some groups that can be excessively vast, and you might not always get a response because your message might get lost in the sea of thousands of other individuals trying to submit their queries. Sometimes working in smaller groups may be preferable.
If you don’t know the name of your succulent and don’t want to bother with Facebook, try searching Google for information about your plant’s qualities (blue succulent with pink edges or red spreading succulent etc.) Then, you can try to locate your plant by going to the image portion of the search.
Plant succulents in the garden
Succulent cuttings are one of our best-selling items at our online store. We have huge succulent gardens and beds since here is where succulents grow the best, quickest, and biggest. This allows us to grow enough to meet demand.
The majority of succulents are not frost hardy and would perish if planted in the ground in various regions of the world where winters are cold with frequent frosts. But don’t worry—we also have a remedy for you unfortunate residents of chilly climates.
However, in temperate conditions, succulents will make the most of the room they have when planted in the ground and will develop into magnificent, large plants.
Succulents can rot if planted in the area of the garden where water collects after heavy rains, therefore water needs to drain away successfully for them to grow in the ground.
Succulents that prefer the sun should be planted there, while those that prefer the shade should be planted behind trees or in the shade.
Although we do advise adding high-quality potting mix for additional drainage and nutrients, the majority of succulents will grow big and healthy even in poorer soil when planted in the ground.
Upgrade the pot regularly
Larger succulents will grow if there is more room for their roots. Although, as was already noted, certain species of succulents are naturally small and slow-growing, there isn’t much that can be done to encourage them to grow larger.
Most of our succulent plants are propagated through cuttings that are placed in little pots or propagation trays. We transplant the plant to a pot that is twice or three times the size of the root ball once the pot is full with roots.
They will do better in nice, fresh potting mix every time they are repotted, and we also get to observe how the roots are doing and check for pests on roots (mealy bugs, grubs, etc.) every time we repotted a plant, which is why we don’t place them in the biggest pot available at the beginning.
Since potting soil can degrade over time and harbor pests and fungus, it is recommended to gradually transition succulents to larger pots if you want them to grow big and healthy.
Succulents will technically continue to grow in a small pot after they have hit their limit and become root-bound, but they will do so extremely slowly.
On the bright side, if you choose the proper succulent for the job, you may achieve better color and a plumper form because many succulents may become “bonsai” if kept in small pots for an extended period of time; however, this is a subject for a completely separate post.