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Posted 1M ago by @Ray18ray

Why is it going up?

When I got my #Echeveria it was wide a full then the middle started growing up tall. I cut it and planted it… thinking it would go wider, but I was wrong, haha. You can see the mother created a separate stem and it’s growing tall — again! And the cut that I planted is going tall-ER! (Yes I added a chopstick). And I put all the leaves that fell on some soil, so they grew roots and became independent ones that are growing tall. The question is… how to let it grow horizontally instead? 😬
@Charli3Plant
Charlie
12467 XP
1M ago
@Charli3Plant
It's stretching for light. You're going to want to invest in good grow lights, otherwise it'll keep stretching.
@Ray18ray
Noon
1352 XP
1M ago
@Ray18ray
@Charli3Plant so should I make sure it has plenty of light on its own? Because there’s plenty of natural light here 🥰
@Charli3Plant
Charlie
12467 XP
1M ago
@Charli3Plant
@Ray18ray that doesn't mean it gets enough light, which is evidenced by the etiolation. Our homes are actually really dark: windows filter out a lot of the usable UV radiation from the sun, so a bright window to us might not have enough active radiation to support photosynthesis.
@DreamMachine
Nadia
6989 XP
1M ago
@DreamMachine
@Ray18ray @Charli3Plant is right. When a succulent gets “leggy” like that, it’s called etiolation and it’s very common for succulents like yours, cacti, and seedlings when they are grown in too little light. They stretch like that because they are hoping to reach an adequate light source soon. They make food out of light, so it’s sort of like stepping up on your tippie toes to reach a snack on a high shelf. (Sort of 😆) This little one’s hungry!

Your “plenty of light” is not enough for this one in particular . I’d recommend getting a basic light meter and then looking up what kinds of Light levels your plants need to thrive, and not just survive! Because I don’t know about you, but “bright indirect light” means nothing to me. I need to see numbers! This is a basic light meter I have https://a.co/d/hY4UDcy
@Ray18ray
Noon
1352 XP
1M ago
@Ray18ray
@Charli3Plant @DreamMachine thank you so much! A lot to learn as a new plant parent. I appreciate both of you!
@Charli3Plant
Charlie
12467 XP
1M ago
@Charli3Plant
@Ray18ray of course, that's why we're here! I would recommend investing in a Barrina T5 or T8 grow light for your succulents. They're a little pricy, but so worth it. I have my succulents under some and it keeps them compact with beautiful stress colors.
@DreamMachine
Nadia
6989 XP
1M ago
@DreamMachine
@Ray18ray From my experience plant people love to help other plant people 😁🌿 And I just got this set of Barrina T5 lights for $41 (right now it’s $45) for 8 one foot full spectrum strip lights that you can link together, which is still a little over $5 a light…not TOO bad! But I would save this one and see if it goes on a killer sale sometime soon 🫶🏼 https://a.co/d/eKDiaSm