Sunday, March 1, 2015

Stringy, Leggy Succulents

Something I have been struggling with lately is getting my succulents to grow as thick and full as were when I first got them.  My echeveria originally started out growing larger leaves (maybe this was during summer?), but since then I haven't been able to get any of the propagates to grow leaves much larger than an inch or two.

Check out the echeveria curving up the left side - it's more stem than leaf!
I have to think this has something to do with the lighting conditions I have.  Maybe it's time to start thinking about artificial lighting as a supplement.

Checking in on my Moses in the cradle, I was at first pleased to see how much it had grown.  Upon closer inspection, I realized that the growth was again mostly vertical and not much foliage.

Look at the height this bad boy has achieved!

...and yet when you look closer, the spacing between leaves is over an inch...

...as compared to the original growth, which was quite dense leaf shoots.
I'm not sure what to do about this Moses.  I read online that outdoors you can cut them back, basically in half, to encourage denser growth in the spring.  I might try cutting it back and then setting it outside in a somewhat shady spot to see what kind of growth I can get.

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