Succulent Etiolation: Everything you need to know and how to fix it
- Green Growth
- Aug 25, 2021
- 2 min read
Succulent Etiolation: Everything you need to know and how to fix it
Why is my plant growing taller?
You might notice that your succulents are not as green and healthy as before. Instead, they look stretched, thin, pale, leggy, and weak. That could be a sign of etiolation. Your succulent is suffering from etiolation, which is commonly referred to as stretching. Etiolation is a natural process that is very common for indoor plants. It is the plant’s response to a complete or partial lack of sunlight. The plant responds to these unfavourable conditions by rapidly growing outwards to there is more light. In most cases, this direction is upwards, towards the sun. However, if you keep succulents on a windowsill, you might find them stretching towards the window if they are lacking light. The plant invests more energy into growing outwards than it does normally in a desperate bid to find energy.
How do I fix my etiolated plant?
Unfortunately, you are unable to reverse etiolation, the elongated growth is now a permanent feature. What you can do is to prevent etiolation of future growth, by providing more sunlight. Etiolated succulents can be converted into succulent bonsai like the one shown in the picture! You can do that by plucking the bottom leaves and leaving the bare stems.
What are the different types of sun conditions?
· Direct Sun – the plant is outdoors in the direct path of the sun
· Full Sun – the plant needs the direct sun for at least 6 hours daily
· Partial Sun – the plant is outdoors, in direct sun for 3-6 hours per day
· Filtered Light – indoors or out, the sun’s rays must pass through clouds, trees or curtains before reaching the plant
· Indirect Sunlight – indoors or out, the sun’s rays first reflect off another object before reaching the plant
· Bright Indoor Light – the plant is indoors, receiving abundant natural light through glass windows or from artificial fixtures
What can I do with the etiolated growth?
If you have an echeveria, consider trimming off the rosette at the end and replanting it! For other succulents, it might be appropriate to pull the healthy leaves from the etiolated stem and propagate those. In most plants, trimming the stem at the beginning of the etiolation will allow it to resume normal growth. You can choose to keep a few leaves at the base to aid the growth of new offsets from the stem. Beheaded succulents have a chance of becoming multi-headed or crested due to damage of the growth point!
What if I do not have enough sunlight at my place?
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