TheNaturePlanet

When the succulents at home suddenly bloom, are you both surprised and worried? Don't worry. In fact, the blooming of succulents is a natural phenomenon in the growth process. Here are some tips for you, so that you can calmly deal with the blooming of succulents next time.

Keep the Flowers for Appreciation

When you encounter succulent flowers with plump petals and bright colors, you can keep them and enjoy them carefully! During the viewing period, spray with a potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution diluted 1000 times once every two weeks. Remember to turn the flower pot towards the sun to make the flowers color evenly. The delicate pink flowers matched with the chubby leaves will directly reach a new height of beauty.

Cut off the Flowers to Protect the Plant

When you encounter the situation where the flower shape is loose, the color is dull, or the leaves start to shrivel, decisively cut off the flowers! Use a sharp pair of scissors disinfected with alcohol to cut obliquely close to the base of the flower stalk, and apply carbendazim powder to the wound. After cutting, stop watering for 3 days to reduce the risk of root rot, and you will soon get the side buds that burst out of the pot.

Propagate with Flower Stalk Cuttings

Don't throw away the flower stalks! After letting the wound dry for 2 days, insert them obliquely into a mixed soil of vermiculite and perlite in a ratio of 1:1. After watering thoroughly to fix the roots, place them in a place with scattered light. Spray a small amount of water mist on the soil surface every day, and you can see the tender white roots in 15-20 days! Varieties such as Graptopetalum paraguyense and Echeveria 'Titubans' are recommended, and the success rate of cutting propagation is as high as 90%.

Pollination and Hybridization

Prepare a soft brush or cotton swab. When the stamens have the most pollen from 9 to 11 a.m., first brush the pollen of variety A, and then apply it to the stigma of the pistil of variety B. After pollination, put on a transparent plastic bag to maintain humidity, and you can collect the seeds when the seed pods crack after 45 days!

Pitfall Avoidance Guide

1. The tools for cutting flowers must be disinfected! Bacterial infection will cause the whole plant to rot black. You can prepare special gardening scissors and wipe them with alcohol cotton pads before and after each use.

2. Don't let the plants get rained on after pollination! Moisture will cause the seed pods to rot in advance. If it rains, move the pollinated succulents indoors in time.

3. Don't be tempted to pull out the cuttings to check them! Frequent movement will lead to broken roots. You can judge whether the roots have formed by observing the state of the leaves at the top of the flower stalk. If the leaves become plump and shiny, it means that the rooting is successful.

4. The blooming of some succulents will consume a large amount of nutrients. Even if the flowers are kept, it may cause the plant to become weak or even die. For such succulents, such as Aeonium aureum and Orostachys fimbriatus, even if the flowers are beautiful, it is recommended to cut off the flower stalks from the perspective of the plant's health.