Why has my succulent gone leggy?
While plants kept indoors don’t face the risk of frost, the shorter days in the winter months and reduction in the quality and strength of that light have a significant impact on the growth of our sun loving succulents.
Have you noticed that the sun never appears directly above you during with winter? Due to the tilt of the earth, we experience sun-rise and sun-set quality light most of the day.
The once tight and compact leaves and rosettes may start to elongate as a way to search for more light. (This is scientifically known as ‘etiolation’). As a survival strategy, succulents prioritise height growth over thickness in an attempt to reach a better source of light. Plants growing in this way often appear ‘leggy’ and can grow unstable and weak.
Succulents stretch when they don’t get enough light. In the UK, this is a common issue in the winter months, but there are a few other reasons that can be at play all year around:
Weak Sun Intensity – Even in summer, UK sunlight isn’t as strong as in hotter climates. Indoors, many succulents don’t get enough light to maintain their shape. Specific UV blocking window films can also affect this.
Indoor Placement – Windows in UK homes often don’t provide sufficient direct sunlight. Even a bright spot may not be enough for sun-loving succulents.
Warm Indoor Temperatures – If a succulent is warm but not getting enough light, it grows faster in search of light, leading to stretching.
Some ways to reduce/avoid etiolation
- Moving them to a brighter spot – A south-facing windowsill is most idea
- Keep them cool and reduce watering to slow growth during this period
- Use of full-spectrum grow lights to produce an artificial environment
- Rotating your plants – whilst this won’t stop stretching, it can help to even out the growth
How can I fix a leggy succuent?
Whilst stretching won’t kill your succulents, they don’t often look their best in this state.
You can’t un-do ‘leggy’ growth.
The only way to get the plant back to it’s former glory is to prune the winter growth and start a-fresh in the spring. We find this a great opportunity to propagate plants.
GROWER TIP! – Sandra often puts succulents into lower light spaces to encourage etoliation. This makes taking stem and leaf cuttings much more easy. It is sometimes difficult to get inbetween the leaves of compact succulents to take the cuttings.
The leggy plant growth can be utilised as leaf, stem and full rosette cuttings to produce new plants for the season ahead.
The remaining ‘stump’ of the succulent will also offshoot new babies and can often produce a more healthy and ‘bushy’ looking plant in the long run.
Colour changes in succulents
Another trick that succulents use to cope with lower light levels is to change the colour of their foliage. Temperature and watering changes also impact the colour of succulent foliage.
It is encouraging to know that colour change is a continual process. If your once deep purple or red succulents are currently looking completely green, be encouraged to know the colour will return when the stronger summer light comes back soon!
Take a look at some of these amazing colour changes we have been recording over the past few years!
Aeonium ‘Mardi Gras’
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