Sunday, October 25, 2020

 


No, I am not Marie Antoinette, but I do behead my succulent plants.  Before you call the authorities, please let me explain.  As you probably know, I love succulents.  And as you also probably know, succulents can become leggy.  So, here’s the solution along with a perk!

If you have non-cold hardy (soft) succulents, they may grow beautiful rosettes during the summer.  But when the cold weather approaches and it’s time to bring them inside, you face a dilemma—"what to do with the beautiful rosettes on a long stem?”.




You have two options.  You can leave the leggy stem and rosette intact, or you can take out the tools for the decapitation.  That sounds so cruel, but it really isn’t.  Think about your summer perennials.  They always look better after you deadhead the spent flowers, and basically that is what you are doing with your succulents.  Additionally, you will be gaining a new plant from this surgical procedure.


The newly-cut rosette will become a new plant.  You will have two, or you can share one with a friend.  After beheading your succulent, simply lay it in a brightly-lighted area for at least 4-5 days to allow the newly cut area to callous.  Then you can plant it directly into a pot of well-draining succulent mix.

Alternately, you can place it in a decorative bowl or pot filled with pebbles and use it as a decorative plant in your home.  I used one in this way for about six weeks.  At the conclusion, the cutting had begun to root, and I then placed it in a pot of succulent soil.


Succulents like to be dry.  When friends tell me they cannot grow succulents, I usually respond that “they love them to death.”  In their zeal to help the succulents live, they overwater and/or don't give them enough light.

So, give beheading (your succulents) a try.  I think you will be pleased.


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