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.
How can I give my succulents more color?
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 make succulents variegate?
Any plant, including a succulent, may become entirely green for a variety of causes, including excessively high or low light, insufficient water, or extremely high or low temperatures. Therefore, remove any of your plant’s solid green growth in order to maintain the variegation of your plant. This is because if one branch or offset changes back to green, it will outperform the other leaves that are missing in pigment, causing the entire plant to finally turn a simple green tint.
Additionally, you should pay closer attention to how much light your plant receives each day, maintain the proper temperature, and manage your watering schedule.
What causes the color changes in succulents?
Stress often causes succulent plants to change their color. If you want that hue to pop, stress is entirely normal and encouraged. Water, sunlight, and temperature are the three factors that drive succulents to change their color.
Succulents change color with time; how long does that take?
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.
Can variation be forced?
I definitely collect variegated plants and am infatuated with them. Because of the pearl string’s variety, it is currently my favorite. Given that some kinds, like Variegated Monstera, cost astronomical sums of money, I had a few queries concerning plants with variegation. Here’s where my investigation led me:
A. The green pigment chlorophyll is absent from some plant cells, which causes variation in leaf color. Typically, a cell mutation causes it.
A. Plants can have genetic (inherited) or random variegation (chimeric). If the color change is hereditary, it is stable, which means that it will return to the new plant if you produce a green stem from a plant with colored leaves or plant its seed.
A variety of factors might cause variegated plants to revert or turn green. It could be a response to temperature extremes—hot or cold—or to low light levels. Some claim that since the plant grows stronger when it has more chlorophyll, it might have done so as a means of survival. When this occurs, it is preferable to remove the afflicted leaves because, if you don’t, the plain green foliage, which has more chlorophyll and vigor than the variegated foliage, may really take over the plant.
A. Variegation cannot be artificially created or done at home. To spread the variegated plant love, it is best to borrow a cutting from a friend or give your own away.
What chemical causes the variation in plants?
The Latin word variegatus, which implies consisting of various hues, is where the word “variegated” originates. The absence of chlorophyll in part of the plant’s cells is what results in this stunning spectrum of hues. Chlorophyll, a green pigment found in plants, works to transform light energy into a form the plant can utilize.
Some plants naturally display variegation. Many of these plants can be found on the forest floor, where hiding from herbivorous animals is more crucial than having chlorophyll. The colors of the variegated plants can make them look to have eggs already deposited on them, to have been eaten, to be sickly, or to be less noticeable. Compared to other totally green foliage, this gives them an edge.
Since this would make them more apparent and less able to photosynthesize, many of the plants we maintain in our homes don’t constantly seem variegated in nature; instead, these variations have been reproduced and/or nurtured by us.
What can I do to turn my succulent green?
Succulents may lose their bright hues in addition to stretching out due to inadequate light. Bright sunlight is necessary for succulents like Sedum nussbaumerianum to keep their vibrant hues throughout the day.
They gradually turn green when grown in the shadow or in places that don’t receive bright light all day, like indoors. But that does not imply that they are unwell. They will carry on expanding and multiplying, but until they receive more sunshine, they will remain green.
This is the same “Jade plant” as the one below, but one side of it is shaded by a tree while the other receives bright sunlight all day. The coloration is quite unique! On the side of the plant that receives direct sunlight, the red tips are considerably brighter and thicker.
The plant in full sun will also have more variegation and a dash of yellow. These colors can still be seen on the shaded side, but they are less pronounced.
Why is the green in my succulent light?
Too much sunlight has a bleaching effect on succulents, which frequently results in a loss of color. If a succulent was once brilliant pink, purple, or yellow, it can change to a lighter shade of green, or it might become white or pale green.
Fast Fix If your plant was in the afternoon sun, move it to a location that receives more reflected light or less direct morning sun. Also, if it was in a sunny corner, move it there.
Are you able to paint succulents?
Succulents that have been painted are becoming more and more popular, but some gardeners are concerned about the potential health risks.
According to knowledgeable growers, painting succulents could impair their ability to produce oxygen for photosynthesis. Yes, painting succulents will give them a wonderfully unique and lovely appearance, but the paint may be harmful to the health of the succulents.
Simply because the paint hinders them from engaging in photosynthesis, it is bad for the health of your succulents. If this continues, the paint will eventually cause the succulent to suffocate.
Additionally, the dye will stop your succulents from absorbing light and sunlight. Like many other plants, succulents grow and thrive in the presence of light and/or sunlight.
The leaves of your succulent simply cannot absorb any light or sunlight if there is paint on them. This is due to the fact that your succulent’s paint layer is merely preventing any light from penetrating it so it may absorb and utilise it for growth.
So sure, if you paint your succulents, they will probably die because they won’t get the light they require. Additionally, if photosynthesis is hindered, your succulent won’t be able to breathe on top of not receiving any light.
While it’s true that succulents are tough and tolerant plants, painting your succulents will ruin them. It’s not great that your succulent is dying a very slow death.
Although the majority of growers of painted succulents will assert that the dye they use doesn’t include any hazardous substances, dye really contains salt, benzoate, citric acid, and glycerine. These chemicals are bad for succulents and will undoubtedly do considerably more damage to them.
Yes, it will look pretty amazing to paint succulents or buy them already painted. To your lovely succulents, they are a death sentence, though! If you choose to paint your succulents or purchase painted succulents, don’t count on them to survive—they probably won’t.
Succulents already possess their stunning natural hues! Why paint them? They already appear fantastic!
However, we are aware that some gardeners choose to just paint their succulents to give them a cool or distinctive aesthetic, or even to use as holiday decorations. Even while we can understand, we don’t advise it because your succulents will probably perish and nobody wants that!
You may simply purchase artificial succulents and paint them any color you choose if you really want painted succulents.
We appreciate you reading our content and visiting our website. We sincerely hope that you found today’s material to be valuable. Helping fellow succulent lovers like you is our objective! Email us if you have any queries or would like more advice, or leave a comment below!