It is mid-November, and the beginning of winter solar term has arrived. The temperature is getting lower and lower day by day. There are snowfalls in many places in the north. Those succulent planted on the balcony and courtyard must be kept as soon as possible, otherwise it will easily freeze the meat to death. Today I will talk to you about how to maintain succulent in winter so that it can survive the winter safely.
Is succulent resistant to freezing?
There are many varieties of succulents, only some varieties have strong cold resistance, and most other varieties are not very cold-resistant. Most succulent varieties are succulent stems and leaves. When the leaves and stems are broken open, a lot of juice will flow out, because its succulent cells can absorb and store a lot of water. After the temperature drops, a large amount of water in the fleshy cells will also freeze, destroying the cells. After the temperature rises, frostbite will appear in the form of succulent leaves turning into water and the stems being soft and rotten. If the temperature is severe, the cells in the roots of succulents will also be frozen, causing the entire plant to freeze to death.
Generally speaking, the cold tolerance of succulent varieties is related to the degree of fleshyness of their leaves and stems. Variety with thick leaf meat has poor cold resistance and can withstand low temperatures of minus 2 to 3 degrees Celsius; varieties with thin leaf meat have strong cold resistance and can withstand low temperatures of about minus 5 degrees Celsius. To be on the safe side, the minimum temperature bottom line for usually for succulents to winter cannot be below 0 degrees. After cooling down in winter, it should be placed indoors or in a greenhouse in time to maintain it to avoid being frozen.
Winter maintenance method
Most succulents are not very cold-resistant, and maintenance in winter is particularly important. In addition to keeping heat in time after the weather cools down, three points should be paid attention to in daily maintenance:
. Control watering
When the temperature is below 5 degrees, most succulent varieties will enter a dormant state. Succulents that enter dormant state almost no longer grow, and the root system's absorption of water and nutrients will be much weaker. Therefore, after entering autumn, watering needs to be strictly controlled. Too much watering will cause the flower pot to be too moist and cause the root system to rot.
Succulents basically do not need to be watered in winter, usually only 1 to 2 times a month. Each time, you must wait until the soil is completely dry before watering. If the soil is not dry, it will not water. It is best to water the time at noon, the temperature is relatively high, and the plants can absorb water as soon as possible after watering.
. Stop fertilizing
Succulents are not fertilizer-loving plants themselves, and they do not need to fertilize after winter. If you still apply fertilizer as usual in winter, it will cause burden on the root system and cause fertilizer damage. The fertilizer damage in winter is often not visible when it is just fertilized. When the temperature slowly rises in late winter and early spring, the fertilizer damage will become more and more obvious, with problems such as wrinkling, carbonization, yellow leaves, and even plant death.
3. Scoop more
How important is sunlight to succulents? I believe there is no need to emphasize again. Most succulents are light-loving varieties. If there is no light for a long time, the succulent leaves will lose their luster and the branches will become slender and weak, seriously affecting the ornamental value. In winter, you should bask in the sun more often for succulents, and it is best to bask in direct sunlight for more than 5 hours. Adequate light can increase the cold resistance of succulents, which is more conducive to wintering, and will grow more vigorously in the spring of the following year.
