Stretched Succulent: Why It Happens and How to Avoid It
Succulents are easy-care plants that require less water and adapt to any corner of the home.
There are a variety of shapes, colors and sizes. Therefore, when it comes to decorating the home, they are the most sought after and the ones that look the best in any space.
We know that every plant, including succulents, requires sufficient sunlight at some point, otherwise it will grow inadequately stretching to seek this light that feeds it.
Etiolation is the process that plants undergo, in this case succulents, which determines that your plant does not have enough natural light.
Probably seeing your succulents so tall you thought they were growing strong and fast, but the plant is just telling you that it lacks light.
Of course it can happen that the succulent is fine and grows stretching and not necessarily because it lacks light, so I will show you how you can tell if your plant is suffering or if it is in perfect condition.
Points to keep in mind to know if the plant is in poor condition :
- The leaves get smaller and smaller.
- The leaves are becoming fewer and they are spaced far apart from each other.
- They may also lose their natural color and turn pale.
- The stem begins to lean to one side or the other.
- The stem grows but the plant is weaker every day.
If you notice that your plant is going through any of the processes listed, it is probably stretching due to lack of light.
To reverse this we will show you what you should do:
- In the first step , remove your succulent from the pot and proceed to remove all the leaves that you see ugly. Leave the ones that are higher up, and separate the ones that you see are good to generate new shoots.
- Proceed to cut the stem as close to the top of your plant as possible.
- Once cut, you must support the plant in a cool place for 3 to 5 days so that the stem carries out the healing process that is essential for transplanting.
- After this time you can place and bury your succulent in a new pot and with a new substrate.
- You can also place the good leaves that you had extracted from the mother plant and support them on the ground in any pot so that a new plant is born. Do not worry that in this process the supported leaf will dry out and you will only notice the new shoot at one end.
As you will see, the process is slower, but it is the right one to save your succulent from the etiolation process, and for the new plant to grow under the clarity that it really deserves and needs.
