Are Your Succulents Stretching? A Simple Solution
Are your succulents stretching taller and taller? Learn a simple solution to get them back to normal and how to prevent them from stretching again.
Succulents are a popular choice for houseplants. The fact that they are so hardy, and don’t need much care make them an excellent choice. One problem happens more often than it should. Some succulents stretch tall which distorts their look. Why do succulents stretch? Learn why it happens and how to fix it.
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What Causes Succulents to Stretch?
Succulents stretch for one main reason. Lack of light. It seems simple really. The first thing that happens is your succulents will gradually bend toward the light. This is the first sign that stretching is inevitable. Then as it grows, it will get taller with more space between the leaves.
The lack of light can cause other problems too. If your succulent is lighter in color, or less vibrant than usual or your leaves are smaller these can all be caused by just needing a little more sunlight.
Succulents Stretching Solution
The obvious succulents stretching solution is to move your succulents closer to the window or even place it outdoors for a couple of hours a day, so it gets plenty of sunshine. You can also purchase special lights for your indoor plants to help them grow properly. While you may not be able to reshape your succulents, you don’t have to start from scratch. You can start new succulents from a cutting and even doctor your old succulents too.
Want to make sure you have the right succulents for your environment? Check out 6 Types of Succulents you should grow now!
Start New Succulents
Grab a pair of sharp scissors and start by cutting off the top of the succulent. When you cut your succulent leave at least an inch or two on the base with 2-3 leaves. Be sure to leave enough stem on the cutting to plant in soil later. The base will do best if you leave a few leaves to absorb sunlight. You can place your base in a new sunny spot to continue to grow.
Let both the cutting and the base dry out for a few days. Once the end of the cutting has dried out completely and looks “scabbed” you can plant it in soil and begin watering it. You can learn more about regrowing succulents.
The cutting should start to put off roots, possibly within a couple of days, but certainly within 2-3 weeks. As the roots of the succulent become more established cut back on watering your new succulents.
The base, or original plant, will start to put off new offshoots within a few weeks. You can continue to care for this plant the same as you were before cutting. The leaves you left on the base plant initially may fall off or die at some point. This process is very normal, but won’t necessarily happen. Don’t worry if they do fall off though! The new rosettes will still be able to grow without the “parent” leaves.
Keep Your Succulents Healthy
If you are worried about your green thumb, check out these 7 reasons your succulents are dying so you can stay on top of the correct succulent care for your plants.
