Stress and Succulents
Too much sun, not enough? Too much water, too little!?!
(LEFT) This poor Mermaid’s tail began to rot after it was deprived of light and was too wet. (RIGHT) a healthy plant.
For us being stressed is no good for our health or well being.
These succulents were planted in a very shady spot and would benefit from de-heading and a replant into a more suitable position.
Imagine being a succulent and trying to cope with temperature fluctuations, lack of water, too much water, poor soil, overcrowding in small pots — the list goes on. On the flip side some succulents will go the most amazing colours when they are stressed. They are forgiving plants though, and usually learn to adapt to new climates and environments. Let’s cover some of the issues that may arise.
Too much sunlight or too little.
Too much hot sun will result in leaves changing colour and burning. Depending on the species, shift your plant to a more suitable position. A burnt Euphorbia Meloformis is not an easy one to correct as it is a single head plant, you would have to wait for new babies to emerge and it could take months or years. Most Echeveria or Graptoveria are much easier. Remove damaged leaves and let the plant regrow. I find that come the hot summer months I have to shift certain plants to prevent burning.
Too little sunlight results in the plants elongating as they are stretching out to find the sunshine they need. The plants end up looking abnormal and lose their colour. Shift your plant into more sun, do it slowly, a drastic change will cause the plant to burn. Remove some leaves and chop the plant back to bring on new growth.
(LEFT) This Fantastic Fountain received too much water in recent rainy months, it can be salvaged as one of the heads seems OK. (RIGHT) a healthy plant.
Root rot
The sneakiest succulent stress to me is root rot. This can happen without you noticing and sometimes it will be too late. Usually caused by over watering or poor drainage. Make sure your soil is well draining. Signs to look out for are leaves dropping off the stem, leaves may start to take on a translucent look. If you catch it quick enough you can cut the top of the plant off, let dry out then re-pot.
