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 can a plant get sun stressed?
You must strike a delicate balance between intense light conditions and just enough stress to stimulate your plants to become more colorful if you want to make your succulents more colorful.
To find this equilibrium, look at the amounts of sunlight needed for your particular plant variety. Given that different plant types, species, and cultivars require different amounts of sunlight, make sure to check the ideal lighting conditions for any cultivar you intend to grow.
The best method to learn is by a little bit of trial and error, aside from reviewing the planting requirements for the appropriate quantity of sunshine (both for regular growth and for producing sun stress). How? Read on.
Place your succulent outside in a spot where it will have some shade and some dappled light (“brilliant shade”) throughout the day. For four to seven days, leave the plant there. Then, relocate it to a spot with partial sun, where it will receive four hours of morning sunlight and receive shade the remainder of the day. Continue doing this for a further four to seven days.
Keep a close eye on your plant throughout this period. Watch for changes in color and move the plants to areas with more or less sun as necessary. If using more sunshine in this way doesn’t produce the color you want, try stressing your plant in another way, such as by depriving it of water or exposing it to extreme cold.
How can light be used to stress a succulent plant?
Placing your succulents in the dark is one of the simplest ways to stress them out. For four or five days, cover your succulents in darkness to replicate the conditions they would encounter when being transported in a dark box (one of the reasons why store-bought succulents are so colorful at first).
For the colors to truly stand out, you can continue doing this for up to fourteen days. Low-light indoor succulents including jade plants, air plants, gasteria, and haworthia work well for this.
Stressing Succulents With Grow Lights
On the other hand, by giving your succulents more sunlight, you might be able to encourage them to exhibit vibrant hues. Consider beginning the plants outside, where they can receive up to a week’s worth of bright shade (note – only do this if you live in a warm enough climate to grow succulents outdoors, or you may kill them with too much cold),
Give the plants another week or so to adjust before moving them to an area with partial sunlight. Bring the plants inside, where you should place them in a full-sun area or beneath grow lights.
When exposed to more sunshine, certain sun-loving succulents, such as cacti and sedum, will reveal more lovely colours of red, pink, and purple because their pigments will grow more bright.
Pay close attention to your succulents if you plan to light stress them. You’ll be able to recognize sunburn symptoms early. Succulents can typically bounce back from the majority of light-related issues in just a week or two if you gradually introduce them to the proper circumstances.
How to Cold Stress Succulents
Start with a robust collection of plants. You should pick succulent kinds like aloes, kalanchoes, euphorbias, sedums, sempervivums, aeoniums, and echeveria because not all succulents will change color when stressed. Normally, agave doesn’t change color under stress.
Cold stress has the same positive effects on succulents’ color as light stress does. While keeping temperatures above freezing, you could leave the plant outside in the cold. Similar to mild stress, this shock may cause pigments to flush.
But this procedure is a little more delicate. To ensure that your succulent plants aren’t stressed to the point of death by spending an excessive amount of time below their cold hardiness thresholds, you’ll want to keep a close check on them.
How to Stress Your Succulents With Moisture
You may stress your succulent plants with water just like you can with light and cold stress. Succulents are known for their capacity to tolerate extended droughts, therefore doing this can be challenging.
However, you can frequently stress your plant out enough to flush pigments by cutting out water (the precise amount you should cut out will vary depending on what kind of succulent you’re growing and how much water you are giving it now; consult your planting instructions for more information on this).
Do succulents need to be in the sun directly?
1. Ensure that your succulents receive adequate light. Depending on the type, succulents need six hours of sunlight each day because they are light-loving plants. You might need to gradually expose newly planted succulents to full sun exposure or give shade with a translucent screen because they can burn in direct sunshine.
What stresses out succulent plants?
Succulents can experience stress much like people do. When temperatures or water conditions are not suitable for the plant, stress results. Succulents can exhibit stress in a variety of ways, such as the tips of their leaves turning red (as in the picture above) or the entire leaf changing color. When done properly, purposely stressing succulents can have stunning results. Some gardeners do this to make their plants look more attractive.
If your succulent exhibits indications of stress, it doesn’t necessarily mean that it will pass away soon; instead, it merely could require some more attention or relocation. Most frequently, it indicates that the plant is being overlit or underwatered. While some succulents can be briefly stressed for aesthetic purposes, this should not be done over the long term since the plant may rot or die if kept this way. Another thing to keep in mind is that if you purchase a gorgeous succulent that is delicately colored at the store, it may be showing signs of stress when you get it home and may change colors.
What occurs if succulents don’t receive enough sunlight?
Succulents are the ideal indoor plant. They come in a range of shapes and sizes, from fuzzy to spiky to leafy. They only seldom require nutrients, water, and sunlight, making them relatively low-maintenance. Things can still go wrong in some way.
What is the most obvious indication that your succulent isn’t developing as it should? It appears stretched. Your succulents may appear to be growing, but they are actually reaching out for additional light.
Lack of sunlight causes succulents to stretch, which actually speeds up the growth of the plant. The plant will first slant toward the light it is receiving, and as it grows taller, you’ll see more gap between the leaves.
Your succulents won’t return to their original state if you stretch them. Move them to a location where they will receive more indirect light, and you can keep growing them exactly as you are. Additionally, you can begin propagating new succulents. The new cuttings of plants will eventually swell up as well if they are not put where they would receive enough light.
- Succubus enjoys the sun. These arid-area plants prosper in warm, sunny settings. Simply said, a dimly lit flat or gloomy area of your house won’t do. Succulents should be placed close to windows that receive a lot of natural light during the day.
- Succulents should be kept near windows. If you offer them indirect light, they’ll soak up the sun for hours. Succulents should not be placed directly up against a window as this could result in sunburn.
- Including a grow light Consider purchasing a grow light if you can’t rely on natural light to keep plants healthy. Your plants will remain content as a result, and you’ll have the option of relocating them to rooms with lower lighting.
- Try out many succulent varieties. They aren’t all the same. Some people will thrive in indoor settings while others may not.
Start some fresh succulents and try again with better lighting the next time you see your plants sagging or stretching.
Learn how to grow succulents successfully now that you know how to give them the greatest light.
What kind of lighting is ideal for succulents?
The majority of succulents favor direct, strong light. Even in less than perfect indoor lighting conditions, certain succulents can still grow. The succulent species that can thrive in low illumination conditions are listed below.
The huge genus of miniature succulents known as Haworthias is indigenous to South Africa. Some haworthia species have a look that is very similar to aloe vera and can be mistaken for it. Depending on the species, these plants produce rosettes of various sizes and shapes.
Some are solitary, while others form clusters. Most have substantial roots. Some species have softer, plumper leaves with translucent, glassy surfaces that let sunlight to pass through for photosynthesis, while others have thick, stiff, fleshy leaves that are often dark green in color.
Although most haworthia species can grow in low light, bright, warm settings are preferred for their appearance. Be extremely careful not to overwater the plant when it is cultivated in low light. Under low light circumstances, overwatering the plant might be harmful.
Rainforests in South America, the Caribbean, and Central America are home to the cacti genus Rhipsalis. Rhipsalis species do not flourish in direct sunlight and extremely dry soil, contrary to popular belief that cactus require strong sunlight and dry circumstances. Usually, these plants are grown indoors.
They thrive in the morning light and afternoon full shade. The surrounding, heavily overhanging tree branches provide the rhipsalis with plenty of shade in its natural habitat. In comparison to most cactus, they are also more adaptable to increased humidity. Rhipsalis requires routine watering because it is not drought-resistant.
Overwatering should be avoided, though, as it can lead to root rot. The Rhipsalis Baccifera, sometimes known as the mistletoe cactus, is one of the most well-known rhipsalis species. These plants thrive indoors and need shade or partial shade.
The bloom that this genus produces, which has the appearance of a stomach, gave rise to its name.
The Latin word for stomach is gastro. They are indigenous to South Africa and require a lot of rain and light shade to grow.
These are now able to tolerate low light levels and have developed good indoor growing habits. Additionally, they thrive in warm, direct light. They have curving, stomach-shaped blooms and long, thick, grooved leaves. They prefer sandy soils with good drainage.
Schlumbergera is a member of a tiny cacti genus. They are native to the Brazilian tropical rainforests and require some humidity. They cannot stand extreme heat or cold. The look and behaviour of Schlumbergera species are distinctive from those of other cacti.
They grow on trees in moist, humid environments as epiphytes or as lithophytes on rocky terrain. Schlumbergera stems develop joints that might be flat, shaped like leaves, or shaped like bottles. All seasons see green growth on the stems.
The Christmas Cactus or Thanksgiving Cactus is one of the most popular types and has gained popularity as a houseplant due to its stunning, spectacular blossoms. This tropical cactus does not thrive in afternoon or full sun.
Why do plants experience sun stress?
It’s been said that under pressure, people reveal their genuine selves. And certain plants can experience this as well. Let’s discuss sun stress in detail and how to get that wonderful radiance. Have you ever seen pictures of succulents with vivid reds, purples, pinks, and yellows and assumed they were photoshopped? That is frequently the plant’s true color, which has emerged as a result of sun stress.
Anthocyanin, a pigment, is present inside the cells of plants. While the plant is developing optimally, it is dormant. But under adverse circumstances, it activates. Anthocyanins function to shield the leaf tissue from UV deterioration, just like melanin does in the skin cells of humans. The plant also displays those amazing red colors, exactly like your skin does after you’ve spent a day at the beach without using sunscreen.
You would be right if you assumed that exposure to the sun is the simplest way to get solar stress. Succulents, euphorbias, cacti, hoyas, carnivorous plants, and even some orchids respond well to sun stressing. These are often plants that have developed to endure intense sunlight. The plants you cultivate outside in the summer will yield the best results, while anthocyanin can also be activated by powerful grow lights.
Keep in mind that you must start your seedlings in bright shade for four to seven days before moving them outside. The amount of light outdoors is often still higher than the amount of light inside our dwellings. After the first week in brilliant shadow, you can start moving them into full morning sun for about four hours each day for a few more days, and then you can finally take them into full sun. After a week or so, your plant’s colors should start to show. The areas of fresh development and the margins and tips of the leaves should exhibit the most color.
Because water can evaporate more quickly outside than indoors due to the light, heat, and wind, plants need to be watered more frequently. But keep in mind that most succulents and cacti are experts at withstanding drought. And the additional strain of drying out can even encourage more coloration.
Expect bright colors to emerge as summer gives way to October and the nighttime temperature drops. Another significant stressor that can make you blush is temperature. Just keep in mind to bring your plants inside when the temperature at night falls below 7 to 10C.
Sun stressing is a form of adaptation for enduring harsh environments. Sun-stressed plants have developed the capacity to resist constant direct sunlight, temperature variations, and drought. Your plant won’t be harmed by it. When given ideal conditions, plants won’t experience solar stress because the stressors won’t be present if you’d rather maintain your plants green. Having said that, it’s critical to understand the distinction between sun stressing and a sun burn.
- Color: Pigments will appear faded and washed out.
- Burns: Over time, leaves develop blotchy burns that are either white, yellow, or brown.
- Texture: Leaves that have been overexposed frequently have wrinkled, scaly, or crispy surfaces.
Keep in mind that plants that have evolved to endure direct sunlight are the greatest candidates for sun stressing. Your delicate ferns and philodendrons will burn in direct sunlight. It won’t endure forever, like all forms of stress. That gorgeous summer tan will eventually fade, much like our own skin. When you bring your plant back inside for the winter, you’ll notice that it gradually turns green again, counting down the days until it can return to the outside.