The trouble is, occasionally those colors are not natural, and sometimes they may even be painted onto the succulent’s leaves. You might frequently notice vibrantly colored succulents in stores or plant nurseries and wonder how you can get yours to appear like that too.
Because they obstruct the pores of the succulent and prevent photosynthesis, which is vital for a plant’s existence, this paint is frequently harmful to succulents and can cause them to pass away very rapidly.
Nevertheless, applying food coloring is one approach to artificially change the color of a succulent. As long as you perform it correctly, it won’t hurt the plant and will guarantee that your succulent retains its vibrant color for a considerable amount of time.
To make sure that the process is successful, there are a few things you need do before you accomplish this.
What you’ll require is:
- Succulent
- Water
- Cup for Measuring
- Blending Cup
- Coloring Agents
- Knife
- Pot
- Soil
Dehydrate Your Succulent
Succulents are excellent at filtering out any potential toxins from the water they are consuming. The water in their roots, stems, and leaves must therefore be sufficiently dehydrated for them to have done so. This will make them more willing to drink the colorful water than they otherwise would be.
Prepare Your Dye
Pour half a cup of water into your mixing glass after measuring it out. Mix the water with a few drops of the food coloring of your choice. The color of the succulent will get more vibrant as you apply more food coloring.
Prepare Your Succulent
You must dig your succulent out of the ground and cut off its roots in order for it to absorb the colored water without filtering it. You will only be left with the succulent’s stem and leaves if you do it this manner. Cut the roots from the stem using a knife, being careful not to harm the stem.
Dye Your Succulents
Since the succulent’s roots have been removed, it will no longer be able to filter the water’s food coloring. If the colored water has been sitting for a while, add the succulent stem and give it a little swirl to make sure everything is well combined. Let it soak up all the water in the glass by letting it sit in the water for about a half-day.
Repot Your Succulent
It’s important to repot your succulent once it has soaked up all of the colored water. Your neighborhood plant nursery or gardening store may sell you some potting soil made specifically for succulents. Fill a pot with potting dirt. Then insert the succulent’s stem into the ground.
Once there is enough dirt to sustain the succulent, fill the pot the rest of the way. After placing the soil in the container, avoid compacting it. Water must be able to drain out quickly from succulents.
Do Not Water Your Succulent for a Few More Days
After repotting it into the soil, it is advised that you wait a few more days before watering it again to make sure the succulent gets the colored water into its leaves. This will guarantee that the dye is absorbed completely by the plant’s leaves, changing the color of the leaves.
When you begin to water it once more, you’ll see that the color gradually starts to disappear as the dye in the leaves is increasingly diluted. As the succulent begins to root into the soil once more and begins to photosynthesize once more, you may also start to observe some new leaves sprouting.
Rich colors like red, blue, and purple work best when coloring succulents using food coloring because they are more likely to produce the greatest results. The natural method of coloring succulents takes a little longer to take effect, but this process won’t destroy your plant the way painting would. Your succulent may even retain its color for a while if you take good care of it.
How are colored succulents grown?
Some succulents may undergo changes or lose the vivid hues they had when they were first purchased. Some plants may gradually turn green in a few months, especially if they are planted in the shade or in locations with poor natural lighting. For succulents to “stress” and show off their vibrant hues, they require intense sunlight all day long or at least six hours every day. To ensure that your succulent plants receive adequate sunlight, thrive indoors, and keep their brilliant red/pink hue, you must have windows that face south. Make sure there are no obstructions to natural sunlight for your succulents, such as trees or structures.  
How do you find succulents with vibrant colors?
Color can be influenced by temperature, water, and other elements, but sunlight exposure is one of the most important ones. A succulent grown outside of its preferred light conditions for an extended length of time can appear sickly and finally die, yet moderate light stress can bring out lovely hues in plants. Early detection is key to resolving most light issues, yet early indications of both too much and too little light can be difficult to spot.
We conducted an experiment and placed a variety of succulents in two extreme light conditions: full daylight and complete darkness, to help you identify them. We do
Trying this with your own succulents is not advised. The findings reveal some plants that have been gravely mistreated, but they can also show you which succulents are in the wrong lighting conditions.
What does light stress look like?
In order to replicate shipment in a dark box, we initially placed two sets of various succulents under a dark cover for four days. One pair was still under the cover with water and ventilation but no light after four days of darkness. The other set was relocated to a spot with all-day sun after being taken out of its package. Although light conditions were more akin to 70 percent sun than genuine “full sun” due to the dense smoke from California’s major wildfires, you can still see dramatic reactions in the spectrum of results below.
You can see how drastically the plants kept in the dark altered over the course of two weeks on the left side of the diagram. Each plant’s core began to fade and turn green, and the leaves on each plant’s rosettes expanded wide and flat in search of sunshine.
The plants that were moved from a dark box into direct sunlight are seen to the right. The hues became more vibrant and changed from green to crimson tones. Rosettes that had before opened widely started to constrict once more to defend themselves. As time passed, some areas displayed the usual scaly, crispy sunburns of
Even if some of these succulents appear to be injured, everything is not lost! Moving your succulents can solve light-related issues quickly.
How can I make my succulents more colorful?
Time is the secret to a good adjustment in lighting conditions. The succulents in the experiment above were severely harmed by switching abruptly between two extremes of light. Regardless of whether they exhibit indicators of insufficient or excessive light,
Give succulents 1-2 weeks to gradually adjust to the correct quantity of light, and they can restore their vibrant hues. A succulent needs more time to convert the more abrupt the change in light levels is. Check out how we revivified some drab succulents.
The aforementioned illustration displays the whole color transition for two types that underwent the four-day shipping experiment. It’s also an excellent example of how to take care of newly delivered succulents that you own. The plants in our experiment recovered in a total of eight days, but recovery times will vary by region and season. It will be simple to adjust as necessary as long as you’re making small changes and keeping an eye out for indicators of both too much and too little light. The general steps are as follows:
- Plants should be started outside where they will have bright shade all day for 4–7 days.
- Adaptation should take an extra 4–7 days after moving to a region with partial sun (approximately 4 hours of sun in the morning and bright shadow the rest of the day).
- Examine the change in color and gradually move the plants to a spot that receives more or less sun as necessary.
Bonus advice: Are you not seeing as much color in your succulent as you anticipated from additional sunlight? Try using less water or placing the plant outside during the winter (keep soft succulents above freezing). Water and temperature stress can also cause a flush of pigments, just like light stress. Always keep an eye on your succulent to ensure that a prolonged period of drought or being below its minimum cold hardiness doesn’t push it to the point of death due to stress.
How much light do succulents need?
Despite the fact that our tests in complete darkness and full daylight were fairly harsh, the results do indicate that some kinds can withstand low light or bright sun remarkably well. For more than 650 varieties of succulents, there are detailed recommended lighting requirements specified at
Full-Sun Succulents
The succulents that tolerate full light the best are sedum. Sun-loving succulents typically have pink, crimson, or purple coloring, and as can be seen in the variety shown below, their pigments get more vivid when they are exposed to more sunlight.
How are succulents naturally dyed?
Succulents have attracted a lot of attention recently due to their resilience, seeming immortality, and ability to make almost any garden look more attractive. However, there is a way to vary the color of your succulents, so why limit yourself to having only green ones?
You must alter the environment that succulents are growing in and “stress” them in order to color them. They can alter their color in response to factors including fewer or more water, less or more sunlight, and hotter or colder temperatures. But you may also use food coloring if you want to create some wilder hues.
What can I do to turn my succulent purple?
Succulents are typically green, but as they mature, they may also show shades of purple, crimson, or even blue. The entire leaf may turn purple or scarlet in some succulent species, but only the tips or inner corners in others.
For instance, it happens frequently to Sedum, Crassula, some Kalanchoe species, and other succulents for them to turn purple or scarlet. Be sure to seek for images of your particular species of succulent to determine whether it is normal.
Reason 2: Too much heat or light
Succulents enjoy direct sunlight, yet they are susceptible to sunburn just like any other plant. Discoloration, bleaching, or yellowing, as well as corking, are some of the primary symptoms of scorching in succulents.
If your succulent is placed in an area that receives excessive direct light, the plant’s cells will be harmed and it will no longer be able to grow. If your succulent is showing signs of discoloration on its sun-facing side, it has most likely been scorched.
However, a succulent that changes color may be a warning of too much light. It may begin to take on a purple, crimson, or bluish hue. Be cautious while placing plants because heat and light stress can be fatal to a plant.
Although different succulent species have different lighting needs, most of them favor a lot of bright indirect light. Some will require placing of partial shade.
During the growing season, a general requirement is 6 hours of light every day. You can utilize LED or fluorescent illumination (60 watts, for 10–14 hours a day) like this if you don’t get a lot of light, especially if you’re growing succulents indoors.
Reason 3: Sudden changes in temperature or lighting
Never make an abrupt alteration to the surroundings of your succulents because doing so could harm or even kill them. Sudden variations in temperature or light stress succulents.
Your succulents may begin to change color if there are abrupt changes in temperature or illumination. Because they are not acclimated to the new conditions, succulents might become suddenly red, purple, or bluish.
Always remember to gradually acclimate your succulents to more sunshine exposure following the winter. Right after winter, you should try to cover your succulents, including cacti, with a shade cloth like this. Once your succulents are accustomed to the light once more, gradually begin taking the shade away over the course of a few weeks.
But it can also occur in the winter. The majority of succulents cannot survive temperatures below 40 degrees Fahrenheit (4 Celsius). Keep your succulents indoors in a cool location if the temperature falls below those levels where you live. A succulent with discolored rings has suffered cold damage.
In the winter, keep them away from radiators, and water them less. Avoid planting succulents close to powerful air conditioners throughout the summer. Any abrupt change is undesirable.
Increase watering gradually as we emerge from winter. Similarly, when winter is on the horizon, gradually cut back on watering.
Succulents may, however, naturally change color and turn purple as the seasons change. After the winter, you should be cautious when exposing your succulents to more sunshine.
Reason 4: Underwatering
When succulents are submerged in water, they might turn red or purple. Your succulent may begin to slightly change color as a result of lack of water. You might start to detect the emergence of a purple, red, or even bluish coloring.
Curling leaves and dry, shriveled soil are some further signs that a succulent is underwater. The leaves will begin to lose their heft.
Even though you should let your plants go dormant in the winter and avoid giving them regular watering, some water is still necessary. Succulents are typically kept indoors, where it is warm, during the winter.
This implies that if kept indoors throughout the winter, you must water your succulents at least once a month. Otherwise, the soil in your succulent plants may dry out, harming the roots and the entire plant.
You should give your succulent plants regular watering from early spring to late October. Several variables, including the pots the plants are in, the temperature, the sunlight, and more, will affect how frequently to water. Make sure to wait a while before watering the soil.
Reason 5: Poor soil
It’s crucial to repot your succulents because the soil they are now growing in will soon become depleted of nutrients. Additionally, your plants will develop and may outgrow their existing containers. It’s time to repot your succulent if you see circular and tightly packed roots.
Your succulents won’t be content and live very long in bad soil. And that is despite fertilizing the soil during the growing season. Your succulents may begin to change color and possibly become purple or red due to bad soil.
Every year or so, give your budding succulents a new pot and larger pot. You can repot succulents that are more established and mature every 3 to 4 years on average.
Reason 6: Lack of nutrition
Even though they are more resilient to adverse environments than other plants, succulents still require nutrients. Your succulents may start changing color and turning purple if the soil lacks nutrients. Succulents that are severely malnourished can also become yellow.
Use this or a comparable succulent fertilizer to feed your succulents solely during the growing season (often mid March-mid October). When succulents remain dormant in the winter, never fertilize them. The ideal feed contains less nitrogen and has balanced potassium and phosphorus ratios (such as 2-8-8).
Reason 7: Protection
Strong sunshine can cause cacti and succulents to turn purple. This further shields them from damaging UV radiation exposure, which in extreme circumstances can kill the plant.
However, it could also indicate that your succulent is stressed or unaccustomed to the current environment. Most succulents lose their purple color when sunlight is restricted or naturally diminishes (seasons).
Reason 8: Issues with the root system and root rot
Your succulents may become purple if there are problems with their root systems. As a succulent keeper, you should get in the habit of removing your plants from their pots every few weeks or so to check on their roots.
You need to take care of your succulent’s root system if you find any white clumps (root mealybugs), little flies (fungus gnats), or generally black roots when inspecting the roots.
Additionally, avoid repotting or moving your succulents around too frequently. Stress can result from repotting succulents too frequently, especially mature ones. Make sure your succulents are firmly rooted in the ground; otherwise, they won’t be able to absorb the soil’s nutrients and water.
Reason 9: Rot rot
Your succulent is experiencing root rot if it is turning dark purple or even black. You must immediately trim any soft black leaves and black roots using sanitized shears or scissors. After pruning, repotted your plant into a clean pot with new soil.
Overwatering and prolonged exposure of roots to standing water are common causes of root rot. Ensure that the pots you use for succulents have drainage holes, and always discard any water that accumulates in a saucer.
Any leaves that are still green can be removed if your plant as a whole has been harmed. Once you notice roots, you can then keep them apart and grow them. By using leaf cuttings, you can develop new succulent plants.
Sun stressing succulents?
Some succulent growers think that subjecting succulents to solar stress is a good way to help them “realize their full potential.” Succulents’ attractive coloring can be stimulated by positive sun stress.
Succulents will turn red, purple, or even yellow under any type of stress, not just sun stress. Underwatering or subjecting succulents to excessive cold or heat are two more types of stress that can cause succulents to become purple.
For novices, it’s not a good idea to overstress succulents because you risk killing the plant. Succulents, however, are accustomed to severe settings and can be saved if you spot symptoms of suffering at an early stage.
Succulents experience both positive and bad stress, therefore you should take care not to add to the harmful stress. You can determine whether stress is positive (or neutral) or negative by studying your succulents and searching for cues.
Your sun-damaged succulent is probably not in pain if it has maintained its original shape but changed colors. However, if you notice any bugs or reddish scarring, your plant may have pests.
Additionally, if your plant’s leaves become floppy, crispy, or brown, something is wrong. The presence of any white patches, raised lumps, or corking indicates excessive light.
Succulent turning purple and falling off
Your succulent is under extreme stress if its leaves are turning purple and dropping off. Stress of any kind, such as intense heat, light, cold, or a lack of water, can cause succulents to become purple.
Your succulents may start falling off the main plant and die if you keep them in very harsh circumstances, especially if changes are quick.
Conclusionsucculents turning purple
In conclusion, when a succulent is stressed, it may start to become purple. Succulent stress isn’t always negative, as more light exposure may cause purple and red colors. Low temperatures and inadequate hydration are two additional sources of stress.
If your cactus is becoming purple, it either receives excessive sunlight or is under stress from poor soil, flow temperatures, a lack of water, or both. Green coloring will return once conditions are normal.
Your plant should be alright until it starts to get mushy and squishy (possible rot), dry and crispy (underwatering), white, or yellow (scorching). Most succulents regain their green color after stressors are removed.
Succulents can tolerate extreme conditions, but you should constantly adjust the environment gradually to prevent your plants from dying.
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