Why Do Succulents Stretch And What Can You Do To Keep Them In Shape?

Succulents are one of the most valuable succulent plants that exist due to their wide variety of colors and shapes. However, many of us make the mistake of having them in our house to decorate the rooms and when we realize it, this little plant grew “stretched”, but why do succulents stretch and what to do so they don’t lose their beautiful appearance? shape?

Why do succulents stretch?

If your succulent is stretching, at first you may think it is growing very fast, when in fact it is its way of asking for “help” in the process of etiolation. According to a study published by the Universidad de Agronomía de Chile, this is a phenomenon that occurs in plants when they grow in spaces that lack sunlight.

All plants, even indoors, need a certain amount of sunlight to carry out their photosynthesis process, produce enough chlorophyll to maintain their precious color and develop properly. In the absence of light, succulents are forced to grow rapidly in search of a light source.

If a plant is suffering from etiolation, you can tell by the fact that its leaf tissue is becoming paler than green due to the lack of chlorophyll, as well as by the following warning signs:

• Its leaves look smaller
• The stem is very long and weak
• There is a large space between the leaves of the plant
• Its stem leans more to one side

If your succulent shows any of these signs, it is most likely suffering from etiolation, and it is best not to expose it to direct light for many hours, as you run the risk of burning it.

How to rescue a succulent plant with an etiolated stem so that it does not lose its beautiful shape.

Rosette-shaped succulents, such as Echeveria, tend to grow proportionally in width and length, usually slowly enough when healthy not to lose their beautiful shape. Once the succulents sprout, there is only one way to bring them back to their compact shape:

Step 1. Remove any leaves that have a lot of space, they can look unhealthy and thin. Select the healthiest leaves and save them for new growth.

Step 2. Once we have the freest stem, cut the upper part of your succulent with a very sharp and disinfected cutter, do it in a single movement to have the cleanest cut possible.

Step 3. Let the cut succulent heal for 5 days in a cool place without direct sunlight so you can transplant it.

Step 4. Place the leaves that you have removed from the stem in a tray with substrate for succulents, it is not necessary to bury them in the ground, you can place them on top and spray them with a spray bottle, once you notice that roots are coming out you can start watering every third day, but without flooding the soil.

Step 5. Once the cut of your succulent is dry, it is time to transplant it into a pot with a new substrate, place a thick layer of gravel, two layers of soil and cover the stem of your succulent with soil so that the flowers begin to emerge. roots and water a little.

And done! So you can save your succulent with etiolation. Remember to water every time the soil is dry and keep it in a place with good lighting to prevent it from stretching again.