Succulents that receive the ideal amount of water will nearly always lose their color and turn a dull green. Consider reducing the frequency of watering if you want more color. Try watering it every two weeks if you water once a week and the leaves and foliage are green. A succulent that you know has the potential to be colorful will typically develop a brilliant margin, tip, or foliage if you don’t water it.
How come my succulents are getting paler?
If the leaves on your succulent plant appear pale and washed out, your plant isn’t getting enough sunshine. Lack of light can also cause succulents to start growing abnormally tall and leggy or sideways in the direction of the closest light source.
How can I restore the color to my succulents?
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 are succulents kept vibrant?
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.  
What does a succulent look like when it is overwatered?
How can you tell if your succulent is getting too much water? You can usually determine if a succulent is being overwatered or underwatered by looking for telltale indications. A plant that has received too much water will have soft, mushy leaves.
The leaves would either turn translucent in color or appear lighter than they would on a healthy plant. A succulent that had received too much water would frequently lose leaves readily, even when only lightly handled. Usually, the lowest leaves are the ones to suffer first.
The plant will look to be unhealthy overall. When this occurs, the plant is either being overwatered, sitting in the incorrect soil that does not dry out quickly enough, or both.
Your plants are being overwatered if you have been giving them regular waterings or if you have been following a watering schedule regardless of how the plant appears.
On the other hand, a succulent that has been submerged will have withered, wrinkled, and deflated-looking leaves. The leaves will appear thin and flat. The entire plant will appear withered and dry.
The leaves of a good succulent plant should be thick and solid, not mushy or desiccated.
To learn more about this subject, visit my post titled “How To Tell If Your Succulent is Over or Under Watered,” in which I go into great length about how you may determine whether your succulent plant is being over or under watered.
This String of Pearls ‘Senecio Rowleyanus’ plant leaf is one that has been overwatered. If a succulent’s water storage capacity has been exceeded, it may physically burst from overwatering.
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.
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.
Do all succulents need full sun?
Contrary to popular perception, most succulents do not flourish when exposed to the warmest temperatures and most sunlight. Most succulents require sun protection, especially if the temperature exceeds 90 degrees or if they are little, even if they prefer a lot of light (and very few can thrive in full shade). The most vulnerable varieties to sunburn are those that are completely green, pale, or variegated. A word of advice: Choose plants that are red, gray, blue, or heavily spined (which serve to reflect the sun’s rays) if you intend to slam your succulents with the brightest sun possible.
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.
The ideal light color for succulents is what?
It’s time to set up your grow lights after choosing the best ones for your succulents. Find a location in your home where you can install the lighting and the plants.  
It’s crucial to leave enough of space between your succulents and the light. If you’re too close, the heat from the bulbs could damage your succulent. If it is too distant, there won’t be enough light for the succulent to develop healthily. In general, it should be at least 6 inches long and no longer than 40 inches. Of course, additional factors affect the precise distance.
A 10-inch spacing is adequate if you use LED or fluorescent lamps without any tricks. However, you can narrow the gap to 6 inches when using larger succulents.
The plant’s tolerance for heat and light also influences the distance. Maintaining the ideal light and temperature for your plants while not wasting any electricity is a tricky balance.
Water inside the cells of the leaves, trunks, and stems may heat up if they are 5 inches or closer from the light. Your plant will eventually become scorched or suffer from dehydration. The following are some fundamental guidelines for using grow lights:
- It is advised to keep fluorescent tube lights and bulbs 6 to 12 inches away from your succulents. The suggested distance for LED lighting is between 18 and 24 inches.
- The ideal color temperature for promoting succulent growth is 6500k. A 3000k light is preferable if you want your plant to bloom. Just be cautious if your plant is a monocarpic succulent because it can bloom if you give it too much light.
- The lights won’t need to be on all the time. Giving your plants a break from the light so they can breathe is good. Generally speaking, expose your plants to light for 12 to 14 hours each day.  
Don’t let the plants stand with the light source at just one angle. Instead, turn the plants over once a week so that all of their sides receive the same amount of light.
Keep a watch on your succulents when you move them indoors to observe how they respond and make any necessary adjustments. Your indoor succulent plants will be strong and content with the optimum grow light and routine hydration.
With our selection of the best indoor succulents, enjoy your gardening. They are fantastic for any house, workplace, or garden to create the ultimate green area because they are simple to cultivate, very versatile, largely pest-free, and low care.
Do cactuses require darkness?
Like other plants, succulents go between growing and dormant seasons. Although most succulents become dormant in the winter and consequently require less light, they still normally need as much light as they can obtain indoors.
When grown indoors, succulents won’t experience genuine dormancy until you force it with variations in temperature and light.
For a healthy growing cycle, all succulents require darkness every day, but they also require at least six hours of sunlight each day to be flourishing. I leave grow lights on for roughly 12 to 14 hours to simulate natural sunshine plus a few hours when caring for my indoor succulent plants.
Based on the season, you may use this post to determine which of your plants will require more or less water.
How do succulents react to stress?
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).
How does a succulent look as it ages?
The leaves on your succulent may appear yellow, translucent, or wet. Your succulent is starting to die as a result of overwatering. A more serious condition is indicated by leaves that are brown or black and appear to be rotting. Therefore, you must begin saving your withering succulents!