Why do the leaves of succulents turn downward? What is the reason for the leaves of succulents to become soft?

Succulents have plump and thick leaves, so they are called succulents. There are many kinds of succulents, with various shapes and colors. If a plant can grow upright, it means it is healthy. So what is the reason if the leaves of a succulent turn down?

Why do succulent leaves point downward?

Moisture conditions

Although succulents are drought-resistant, it is common for the upper leaves to curl inward and the lower leaves to curl up, which is called turning down, under long-term extremely dry conditions. This situation is relatively easy to save, and temporary wilting will be improved by re-watering.

Pests

The leaf turning down caused by insect pests is also very common. Among them, scale insects are the most likely to infect succulents. They reproduce quickly, are more harmful than aphids, and are difficult to kill completely. They are definitely one of the most common pests in succulents. This may be the reason.

After scale insects damage succulents, the most obvious manifestation is that the plant shape begins to loosen, that is, for most rosette-type plants, they are no longer compact, nutrient loss accelerates, and the bottom leaves turn yellow or even curl up.

What is the reason for the soft leaves of succulents?

The first situation: lack of water

Although some succulents are more drought-resistant, if they are not watered for a long time, the soil in the pot will become dry, and the leaves will become soft and wrinkled after lack of water. So we need to water them thoroughly in time.

The second situation: overwatering

Excessive watering can also cause the leaves to become soft, because excessive watering will cause the roots of the plant to rot. At this time, we need to pull the succulent out of the pot, cut off the rotten roots, disinfect them, and then repot them.

The third type: frost damage

If the succulents grown outdoors are not moved indoors in time after the weather suddenly drops, the leaves and even the stems of the succulents will hydrate, shrink, and become transparent. If the leaves of the succulents are only partially hydrated, break off the frostbitten leaves and move them to a suitable temperature environment, and the succulents can still survive. If the stems are also frostbitten, cut the frostbitten stems clean and re-cut them.

The fourth type: normal situation

Plants have a growth period, and during the growth, the old leaves will naturally be eliminated. In this way, we don't need to deal with it. The follow-up will naturally be good.

How to completely eliminate scale insects in succulent plants

After scale insects damage succulents, the most obvious manifestation is that the plant shape begins to loosen, that is, for most rosette-type plants, they are no longer compact, nutrient loss accelerates, and the bottom leaves turn yellow or even curl up.

At this time, even if you cannot see the scale insects directly at a glance, you need to gently move the succulents apart to see if there are scale insects hiding in the axils where the base of the leaves connects to the stem and are eating away at them.

If you are sure that there are scale insects, you can first use tweezers to manually remove the adult scale insects hiding in the crevices of the leaves, and then spray them with 1000 times diluted 40% oxydemeton-methyl, or 1500 times diluted 50% malathion, or 1000 times diluted 255 phosmet, or 3000 times diluted 2.5% cypermethrin. Spray once every 7-10 days for 2-3 times in a row.