Your succulent is unquestionably growing in what is known as a “cristate or crested form.” When the original plant experiences harm to the single, typical growing point, it produces many growing points. These all collide and create the wavy, fan-like shape. We are unable to identify the plant with certainty; we can only speculate that it is probably a type of echeveria because it is unable to develop in its typical shape, which is a single rosette. It appears that might be the case off the right side of the picture, but we can’t see it, that it will occasionally throw out a plant that has returned to normal. This will assist in locating the plant. In order to be safe, I would carefully unpot it and fill the pot with soil so you could repot it at a higher level. This will improve airflow around the base, where rot problems can frequently develop, and remove all the old, dead leaves from the soil, which can lead to a fungus problem. Other than that, you seem to be handling everything fairly well. You don’t want the soil to be moist for very long, which is what it appears to be a little bit. Water well when you do, but wait to do so until the soil has begun to dry up to approximately your first knuckle on your finger before doing so again. Keep it as bright as you can, even with a little sun.
Why are rocks placed on top of succulent plants?
Have you ever wondered why there is a layer of beautiful pebbles on top of so many succulent arrangements? Have you ever overheard someone discussing top dressing for succulents and wondered what it was or what it was used for? Pebbles are used as a layer for succulents for more reasons than just aesthetics. Learn more about top dressing and the benefits of using it on your succulents by reading on.
What Is Top Dressing?
In agriculture and gardening, top dressing is utilized. A top dressing is typically a thin, even layer of rich soil, compost, manure, or worm castings that is added to a garden bed, lawn, or field soon before planting. After that, it is tilled into the ground so that the seeds or plants can grow there. After the plants are set up, a top dressing for succulents is a uniform coating of inorganic material, such as pebbles, gravel, crushed rock, or broken seashells, that is spread over the top of the soil. The top dressing of a succulent is applied and kept in place, completely covering the soil to a depth of about a third of an inch. For plants growing in the ground or in containers, this offers a number of advantages.
Benefits of Top Dressing for Succulents
Succulents can benefit from inorganic top dressing in numerous ways:
- Succulent top dressing aids in soil temperature regulation, protecting the roots from extreme temperature swings.
- Light colored gravel or pebbles reflect heat, which is good in warmer climes, while dark colors absorb heat more readily, warming the soil and encouraging root growth.
- Pebbles reduce the powerful force of water from rain or irrigation, which stops soil erosion. This prevents soil from dripping onto your plants’ leaves.
- An inorganic top dressing that is at least 1/3 inch thick inhibits insects from laying their eggs in the moist organic soil. This is the most effective approach to get rid of bothersome gnats in your house.
- Weed barriers are created by top treatments.
- To prevent plastic pots and containers from blowing away, it gives them weight.
- Before newly planted succulents fully root into the surrounding soil matrix, top dressing can assist keep them upright.
And let’s face it, uncovered earth looks less appealing than a coating of ornamental stones. I suggest putting top dressing in my advice on how to cultivate succulents because of all these benefits.
Top Dressing for Succulents
Succulent top dressings are available in a variety of hues, textures, and sizes. We typically think of ornamental pebbles, but there are other materials you can use, including sand, gravel, crushed granite, glass, fire glass, seashells, crushed coral, small stones, and pieces of semi-precious stones like amethyst, tiger eye, and quartz.
Consider your top dressing choices carefully. Make sure the sand is clean or rinsed before using it. Your plants will suffer because of the high salt content of beach sand. And be sure the “colored pebbles you use are colorfast and are not just powder-coated. Some landscape rocks offered for sale in home improvement stores have a color coating that peels off, coloring the plants and creating a mess. Use any designated as “Despite the fact that you can also find excellent items in aquarium stores or even fire glass for decorative fire features, top dressing. For inspiration, browse the selection of delicious top dressings in my Amazon store. Use of either is secure for succulent plants.
Succulent top dressings and pebbles come in a wide range of hues, from muted earth tones to neon-bright hues of green, blue, yellow succulent, and purple that are rarely seen in nature. What should you use then? The solution that appeals to you the most is the best one. Seriously. Who is to say that you’ll appreciate my taste if I show you and explain the factors I take into account while selecting the best dressings? I want a natural appearance that highlights the plant and harmonizes the hues and textures of the succulent and its container. But if you prefer the aesthetic of silvery-green succulents paired with pink DayGlo pebbles, rock on!
Choosing Top Dressing for Succulents
I compare succulent top dressing to jewels for clothing. It shouldn’t overpower the aesthetic or offer unnecessary intrigue. Debra Lee Baldwin may have said it best. She compares the mat for a painting to ornamental pebbles for succulent plants. The container serves as the frame, the top dressing as the mat, and the succulents as the artwork in her opinion.
To demonstrate the difference, I photographed an Echeveria Perle von Nurnberg in a ceramic succulent pot with three different top dressings. I chose black sand with a hint of glitter because the pot has a shiny, black rim. The lower portion of the pot is a shiny tan tint. I decided on caramel-colored sand and tan pebbles with a matte texture. Isn’t the distinction each creates amazing? Consider the Echeveria PVN with a top dressing that is plum-toned.
Always keep the effect you hope to achieve in mind when you choose your top dressing. Your choice of pebbles, sand, and rocks may differ from if you want to showcase the plant if the pot is particularly cool and you want to draw attention to it.
A Matter of Scale
Almost always, when people refer to top dressing for succulents, they are referring to pea gravel or decorative pebbles that are around 1/51/4 inch in size. That is the size of the tan stones I used, which are displayed with the Echeveria PVN in the middle of the trio above. But you have to admit, I find the sand to be very attractive. Although it is more challenging to reuse than pebbles for different plants, I think it looks fantastic for a single planting.
Although most people wouldn’t think to wear something this bulky, doesn’t it look magnificent? Susan Aach produced this ceramic pot by hand. She combined a Ferocactus with it and added a top dressing with a thick, rough texture to really tie the two together. I like how it looks.
Another coupling of a Susan Aach pot with a sizable top dressing is seen here. Together, they perfectly accentuate this stunning, variegated Echeveria Compton Carousel. When matching her pots, plants, and top dressings, she really displays her artistic eye. She strikes a balance between the pots’ and the plants’ aesthetic appeal to create a real synergy. Visit Susan Aach’s website to learn more about her handcrafted ceramics and look at my encounter with her. Susan, thank you for allowing us to use your lovely photos!
Are There Problems Using Top Dressing for Succulents?
If you’ve never added stones for succulents to your pots, you can have the following inquiries:
Does the soil retain moisture because of the pebbles? Regular readers are aware that choosing a fast-draining succulent soil is crucial to the wellbeing of your plants. This cannot be negotiated. How about including the pebbles now? It is true that top dressings for succulents stop the soil from evaporating and losing moisture to the air. However, you want the water to get beyond the plant’s roots and through the soil, where it can be absorbed. The value of the to dressing and a good soil more than makes up for the small quantity of evaporation wasted.
Does the top dressing restrict the soil’s and the roots’ ability to breathe? For a succulent plant to survive, its roots require oxygen. The roots may acquire oxygen thanks to tiny air pockets in the arid soil. Even a top layer of sand, pebbles, or gravel allows air to enter the soil and nourish the roots of plants. Insufficient drainage causes too much water to saturate the soil, removing air pockets and “Top dressing does not restrict your plant’s access to oxygen in any way.
Even better is to water when your succulents indicate they need water, and not before. If you truly need to judge the water content of your soil, a chopstick is my preferred method “moisture gauge Place the chopstick in the ground. Do not water if it emerges feeling or looking moist or with earth clinging to it. It’s time to water when it comes out clean and dry!
Where to Buy Pebbles for Succulents?
Where can I acquire succulent top dressings now that I’ve explained why and how to apply them? I can suggest a few excellent sources. First, there is a part of my Amazon store dedicated to top dressing for succulents. Sand to gravel are represented by a variety of hues, styles, and sizes. Additionally, Mountain Crest Gardens provides a great selection of rocks and sand for succulents. With the aforementioned cautions in mind, think about home supply stores, pet stores, and aquarium supply stores. Make inventive decisions!
Will you use top dressing to finish your succulent planters now that you are aware of all the advantages? I’m curious to know! Let me know what you think or if you have any questions by leaving a comment below.
P.P.S. Would you consider joining my Facebook group for cactus lovers? We discuss design, identification, propagation, and care of succulents. They’re a friendly bunch who would love to meet you!
Can a cactus be forced to crest?
Is it possible to make a healthy plant become ceested or monstrous? Cacti Prevail! Damage to the growth point may result in a crest, but it usually leads to additional branches or heads.
Are crested succulents a rare species?
The occurrence of cresting succulents is unusual, hence they are rare or special. Online prices show that they are more expensive than a typical succulent. However, because there are many of them available for purchase, perhaps we should just refer to them as odd. Aeonium “Sunburst” is frequently seen on websites that offer crested plants.
Even less water and fertilizer than is required for your typical succulents must be used when caring for crested or monstrous succulent plants. The best outcome for this unique development is to let nature take its course. Monstrous curiosities with crests are more prone to get rot and perhaps revert to regular growth, ruining the effect of the crest.
Naturally, you’ll want to give your odd plant special attention. It should be planted high in the container with the right soil mixture. If you’ve purchased or been given the opportunity to raise a crested succulent, learn about it and give it the care it needs.
Do crested succulents develop more slowly?
Similar processes result in the formation of crowned and monstrous plants. Due to the apical meristem being divided, crested succulents have a tendency to be flatter and wider and are symmetrical. Their development is still mostly planned.
On the other hand, monstrose growth happens when the meristem tissue has mutations everywhere along it, resulting in the points developing at random. As a result, the growth is uneven, asymmetrical, and stunted. Because the damage was not as exact as it was for crested succulents, monstrous mutations have odd morphologies.
Due to their odd and peculiar growth, monster plants are also known as monstrous plants. In general, monstrous plants seem very different from their regular counterparts and occasionally lack any recognized characteristics. They typically grow more slowly than typical succulents.
While crests can occur at any stage of a plant’s life, monstrous shapes only appear in young plants.
Light
You might assume that a plant with multiple colors would require more sunlight to compensate for its lack of chlorophyll. Actually, exposing a variegated succulent to intense sunlight will burn it since its leaves are smaller and more delicate. They can also conclude from this that greater chlorophyll production is required to develop greener leaves.
Due to their low levels of chlorophyll, which may cause slower development, a shaded or semi-shady region is not also advised for your variegated succulents.
Find a location where they can receive bright, indirect light during the warmest portion of the day to provide them with just the correct amount of light they require. And don’t forget to rotate it so that each side receives an equal amount of sunlight.
Temperature
In comparison to their green-colored relatives, variegated succulents are also more susceptible to damage from high temperatures. Additionally, they don’t thrive in cold temperatures, so it’s best to maintain the area around your variegated plant between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit.
Water
Variegated succulents, like certain other succulents, require their soil to be adequately moistened until the water drips out of the pot’s drainage hole, allowing the soil to completely dry out in between waterings. In the summer, do this once per week, and in the winter, every three to four weeks.
Pot & Soil
Choose a pot made of terracotta or another material with good drainage pores, and use well-draining cactus and succulent soil that contains 50–70% mineral grit in the form of coarse sand, pumice, or perlite to reduce the danger of rot.
Should succulents be top dressed?
If you want to improve your succulent designs, think about incorporating crushed-rock top dressing. Your succulent compositions, whether planted in the ground or in pots, will appear and function better if no bare soil is visible. Top dressing gives a polished appearance and helps plants by evenly distributing water.
In an open garden, soil that receives direct sunshine is more likely to encourage weed development. Those few weeds that do sprout will be simpler to remove if a thick covering of crushed rock is used. Instead of shredded bark, I like to use an inorganic top dressing, such as crushed gravel or pebbles.
Bark mulch may harbor molds, insects, and snails if it is extremely water-retentive. Although it could appear attractive at first, as it deteriorates it turns silver, appears uneven, and leaves bare areas. See Mistakes Beginners Make for examples.
Gravel also lessens the effects of rain, which helps to stop erosion. Additionally, rock encourages root growth by retaining soil moisture, which boosts plant vitality—especially crucial during dry conditions. The amount of heat that gravel absorbs from the sun’s rays increases with its color. Kelly Griffin, an expert on aloe and agave, top-dresses his coastal garden, which is shown in my book Designing with Succulents (2nd ed. ), with black crushed rock because warm soil encourages quick root growth, which is what he intended and as seen by his garden. However, a desert garden wouldn’t be a good place for such chocolate-brown gravel.
In terms of aesthetics, top dressing is to a potted succulent what a mat is to a painting, as I recently reminded my audience at the Succulent Extravaganza. The plant serves as the artwork, the pot serves as the frame, and the mat fills in the gaps and improves the overall presentation. I also spoke about ostentatious garnishes like crushed glass.
The Cactus and Succulent Society of America views top dressings as supporting cast members rather than the main attraction. They improve their collectible, container-grown succulents by coordinating the pot, the plant, and the top dressing. They may occasionally add a few carefully chosen rocks to mimic how the plant may seem in its natural habitat. This strategy is known as “staging,” which is a distinct art form. Judges in competitive events hold plants’ staging to a high standard.