Succulents are plants that have a reputation of not needing much care; however, this universal myth does not hold much truth. One common mistake is not to trim succulents regularly, which leads to their damage. You must be wondering how to prune succulents? It is not difficult and does not require a lot of skills and time investment.
Once you learn to master this technique, you can expand your garden in any way you wish to without any inconvenience. I know that you must feel growing succulents is quite simple and does not require a lot of attention. But there are plenty of gardeners who are trying to make their succulent arrangement look neat and tidy.
Why it is essential to trim succulents?
Pruning succulents regularly helps prevent root rot and encourages new growth to help your plants live a long and healthy life. In this article, you will learn to trim succulents in some easy ways like a professional.
Succulents are slow growers and require time and eventually overgrow from their pots. When this happens, your succulents need pruning and maintenance to better their growth.
Trimming and maintaining these plants is an easy task. But with some tips, you can make this entire process even better. At the end of the article, some keys will give you secret tips to trim succulents in the best ways, so, ensure you stick around till then.
When you can trim succulents in a year?
The best seasons to re-evaluate your succulent arrangements are Spring and Fall. Pruning them at this time gives them a fresh new look. It is highly preferable to trim succulents in spring as it gives the best results.
And in the fall, it is best to leave your succulents as in place as possible. You can always clean up and remove the dead leaves. But replanting, beheading, and propagation are work best when done in spring.
If you do not know much about these terms, do not worry. This article comprises all of them and will give you a better understanding by reading the entire article.
Why is it best to trim succulents in spring?
Usually it is best to trim succulents at the start of their growing season, yet, you can trim them anytime. If you prune them at the finishing of their growing season, you might not notice new growth soon. It does not happen as quickly as that of the start, but it will gradually occur and become faster as they start to growing entirely.
Most of the common succulents are summer growers, but there are also a few that grow well in winters.
Gardeners generally prune their succulents in the spring after they have been indoors for the winter season. They usually stretch out due to lack of sunlight and don’t look good and beautiful as they did at first.
Trim succulents for a fresh new arrangement, it might eradicate the need to purchase new plants. It’s the best way to expand your garden in a budget-friendly way!
Timely maintenance
After a while, the lower leaves of your plant dry and fall into the soil. There is nothing to worry about; it is a natural part of their life cycle.
However, you need to remove these leaves from time to time for the best growth. If these leaves stay on the stems for long, it can become difficult for the soil to dry out, and your succulent may begin to rot.
You can remove these leaves with your fingers or a tweezer. You might also notice new growth in the stem area. If yes, then it means your succulent is healthy. Getting rid of these leaves will also boost new rosettes on the stem.
Also, ensure you remove the debris from between the plants. Precisely if your succulents are growing outdoors, and you notice leaves and sticks in your beautiful arrangements. It is better pruning outdoor succulents, it can help get rid of mealybugs and insects from infecting the succulents.
Getting rid of dry leaves and debris can be done daily. However, take special care to do it in both spring and fall.
Popular methods to trim succulents
Every individual needs tools and instruments to prune your succulents well. It is preferable to use bonsai scissors because they are sharp and light in weight. It makes them convenient for use. Just ensure your scissors or clippers are clean before you trim succulents. It will help prevent your plants from getting an infection.
Apart from scissors, you can also use these tools to prune your succulent well
- Tweezers with long handles to remove dead leaves
- A cloth to clean your succulent
- Chopsticks help in making holes and loosening the soil
- A tray to collect all leaves
How to behead succulents successfully
The first and foremost thing to do is decide which plants you want to leave in place and the succulents that need a trim. So, figure out the plants with rot, overgrowth, or unhealthy signs and divide the two accordingly.
After you figure out these plants, trim them with the help of bonsai scissors, also learn how to trim succulents and replant. Ensure you do not cut it off completely, but leave the healthy part for new growth. Also, you will have to leave your cuttings to dry for at least a day before replanting them. This process is vital as it is when the cut callouses. And this determines the growth of your succulent. To make your work easy, make all cutting in a day so that you plant all of them together the next day.
The base plants eventually grow, so there is no need to remove them from the arrangement. Also, ensure to preserve all the healthy leaves that fall off your plants. Most of them are usable for propagation to grow new plants! And when you have it all in your garden, then why purchase plants to regrow or expand.
Eradicate the dead leaves and succulents
If you have leggy and plants stretching out in your garden, this is not a healthy sign. Ensure you pull out these plants before they make your garden look dull and ill.
By removing the dead plants, you will make some room to plant new plants in that space. Dying succulents or dead ones can be a severe issue for your garden arrangement. They fall off and might also spread diseases or root rot to the other healthy plants. So, take them off immediately.
Replanting your succulent cuttings
After your succulents are dry and have undergone the process of callousing, you can report them in the garden. Fill the gaps left behind by the dead plants. Arranging your succulents tightly together looks the best and slows down their growth. Also, your garden will look tidy and attractive in this way.
Try to work with straight stems while you are using cuttings. If there are curvy ends, then you may want to cut them off. Ensure that you have straight ends to place in the soil superficially. Ensure that it is dry for at least a day before replanting as it is an essential process.
To get more insights on how to trim succulents, you can take a look at this video:
It will be an aid in better trimming and give you visual aids for the same.
Useful tips to trim succulents
- After planting the cuttings, you might still have some gaps in between the arrangements. You can fill in these spaces with cuttings from other succulents. However, there is no universal rule to use only cuttings in this case. Now the next step is to finish your arrangement by giving them a finishing. To know about the finishing read on.
- Many of us use decorative rocks to cover the soil in the arrangements in our gardens. If you have a garden that is not looking very great after you finish, add a magic touch to make it look professional and tidy.
- After you trim succulents, look if all the things are proper and there are no dead leaves in the soil. Your arrangement will now look great again! Do not water your succulents for at least a day, as this will allow the roots to form and heal.
- When you feel there is a need to water your succulents, ensure to use the soak then dry method to keep your garden arrangement as healthy as possible. To begin by giving it bright indirect sunlight and gradually move it to direct light. It will thrive for a few months or years before trimming them again.
- If you keep observing your succulents, you will know when your plants require maintenance. And to do so, you need to study them well enough.
Prompt words
With the help of this knowledge, you can now trim succulents successfully. Now you can confidently expand your garden in a cost-free manner. To know more about succulents, you can check the other blogs for a deeper understanding. A healthy garden adds stars to your space, so ensure you have one.