How to survive winter in Croatian succulents

It is mid-November now, the beginning of winter, the temperature is getting lower day by day, and snowfall occurs in many places in the north. Those succulent plants planted on balconies and courtyards must be insulated as soon as possible, otherwise the flesh will easily freeze to death. Today I will talk to you about how to care for succulents in winter so that they can survive the winter safely.

Are succulents resistant to freezing?

There are many varieties of succulents, but only a few varieties are relatively cold-tolerant, while most other varieties are not very cold-tolerant. Most succulent varieties have fleshy stems and leaves. When you open the leaves and stems, a lot of juice will flow out. This is because its fleshy cells can absorb and store a large amount of water. When the temperature drops, a large amount of water in the succulent cells also freezes, destroying the cells. When the temperature rises, the succulent leaves will turn to water and the stems will become soft and rotten. If the low temperature is severe, the cells in the succulent roots will also be frozen, causing the entire plant to freeze to death.

Generally speaking, the cold tolerance of succulent varieties is related to the fleshy thickness of their leaves and stems. Varieties with fleshy leaves have poor cold tolerance and can withstand low temperatures of minus 2 to 3 degrees; varieties with thin leaves have strong cold tolerance and can withstand low temperatures of about minus 5 degrees. To be on the safe side, usually the minimum temperature for succulents to spend the winter cannot be lower than 0 degrees. After cooling down in winter, it should be kept indoors or in a greenhouse in time to avoid freezing.

Winter maintenance methods

Most succulents are not very cold-tolerant, so winter maintenance is particularly important. In addition to timely insulation after the weather cools down, you should also pay attention to three points in daily maintenance:

1. Control watering

When the temperature is below 5 degrees, most Succulent varieties will enter a dormant state. Succulents that enter a dormant state almost no longer grow, and the root system's absorption of water and nutrients will be much weakened. Therefore, watering needs to be strictly controlled after entering autumn. Excessive watering will make the flowerpot too wet and cause root rot.

Succulent plants basically do not need much watering in winter, usually only 1 to 2 times a month. You must wait until the soil is completely dry before watering. Do not water until the soil is dry. The best time to water is noon, as the temperature at noon is relatively high and the plants can absorb water as quickly as possible after watering.

2. Stop fertilizing

Succulents themselves are not fertilizer-loving plants. After entering winter, there is no need to fertilize at all. If you continue to fertilize as usual in winter, it will put a burden on the root system and cause fertilizer damage. Fertilizer damage in winter is often not visible when fertilizer is first applied. When the temperature slowly rises in late winter and early spring, fertilizer damage will become more and more obvious, causing leaf wrinkles, carbonization, yellow leaves, and even plant death.

3. Get more sun

I don’t think I need to emphasize how important sunlight is to succulents. The vast majority of succulents are light-loving species. If there is a lack of light for a long time, the fleshy leaves will lose their luster and the branches will become slender and weak, seriously affecting the ornamental value. In winter, succulents should be exposed to more sun, preferably direct sunlight for more than 5 hours. Adequate light can increase the cold resistance of succulents, which is more conducive to surviving the winter, and the growth will be more vigorous the next spring.