Being the queens of the plants' world, the demand for the succulents is boosting up day by day. Like most plants, succulents grow actively during growing seasons and grow less during dormancy. Recognizing their growing habit is #1 thing. That will help them maintain beautiful shapes and stunning colors.
Though succulents need little care even no care, they need a little more attention from you to help them survive in extreme weather, Summer and Winter. So, how to care for succulents in summer?
Sunlight
Succulent loves sunlight is true. However, even the hardiest, drought-tolerant succulents will benefit from shady sunlight during summer especially newly planted succulents.
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Succulent love sunlight is true but not all of them are desert plants which enjoy exposure to direct strong sunlight. That is no wonder that you can see the shade cloth always appear in succulent nursery or market.
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Overexposure will cause sunburn like brown or black dots appear on the leaves. If you plan on growing succulents in an area that exposed to summer sun, make sure to provide cover for them.
For indoor succulents, placing them by the window and let them enjoy the filtered sunlight through window glass. If you notice that your succulent is bending towards light or growing tall, you can gradually introduce more light comparatively. Click here to learn growing succulents indoors!
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Water
Actually ''soak and dry'' method applies to full year growth for succulents. The best time to water succulents during summer is in the early morning before the temperature rises or in the afternoon after sunset.
Using the long-neck watering can to water the soil till the water leak out from the drainage hole. And don’t water again until soil gets dry completely. Be sure to not have the water sit in the crown of your plant, which potentially causes sunburn when the temperature rises. Click here to check if you are overwatering or underwatering succulents.
Soil
The one thing that succulents seriously don’t like is sitting in the water especially during summer with heat around. It can cause root rot and ultimately kill your succulent. Usually well-drained cactus soil mix is preferred.
Buy cactus soil mix, or mix more sand, perlite or pumice into regular soil to increase its drainage ability. If you are growing succulents in-ground, again, it is advised to form the succulents friendly soil mixture to allow drainage.
Fertilizer
As succulents are less care demanding plants, they also don't need heavy or frequent doses of fertilizers. On a thumb rule, apply fertilizers in spring because most of succulents grow actively during spring, which is enough for succulents to absorb nutrients to support full year growth. Over-fertilizing can “burn” those succulent leaves.
Conclusion
Caring for succulents in summer is not a tough job if you just keep these tips in your mind. They grow equally well and healthy in summer if you just take a little bit more care of them. Expose to proper sunlight, apply proper water and fertilizers and choose the right soil. These are the 4 basics and most important tips to care for succulents in summer.
Click the video below to see full summer care guid for succulents!
