- Insufficient sunlight
Most succulents require bright direct sunlight. Highly-recommended places are, for instance, car porches and balconies where sunlight is sufficient. At the same time, these places allow plants to be shaded from the rain.
Signs that your plants aren’t getting the amount of sunlight they need:
- Succulents becoming leggy - Stems being elongated with layers of leaves unusually far from each other (a distance of above 0.5 mm is considered far). The reason behind this is that the plants are trying to gain sunlight and so will stretch towards the direction of sunlight. Sadly, signs of elongation are irreversible :((Thus, when you see your plants starting to stretch towards a direction, place them somewhere with higher exposure to sunlight!
- Colours of succulent leaves not as vibrant as before - For example, red edges turning pale or green. Besides that, new leaves that grow from the centre may appear yellowish.
- High humidity
- Wrong choice of soil
- Wrong choice of pot
Succulents prefer to be in pots that are fitting. Planting them in pots that are too large may lead to cases in which the roots may not be able to properly grasp the soil, causing poor growth in their root systems. Pots that are too large in size can also lead to overwatering and underwatering. (Overwatering: We are prone to water more when the pots are big; Underwatering: excess soil may steal the water away from the soil surrounding the roots)
It is also advisable to choose porous pots such as those made of clay, ceramic or concrete. Besides, we prefer planting them in pots with drainage holes (to allow water to flow out in cases of mild overwatering).
- Poor ventilation