I have seen this question “What does it mean when a succulent is crested?” every and I myself wondered what this means. I had no idea what crested succulent meant and I found the answer after a few hours of research. here in this article, I am going to explain this phenomenon with all the information I got.
Crested Succulent is a mutation that happens in a succulent. This happens when a plant gets damaged to its single growing point. When this happens plants start to grow from multiple growing points and grow horizontally. it looks like a ridge and leaves start to appear from this ridge. The leaves are very tiny in size compared to normal plant leaves. Because of this instead of one rosset there will be multiple rossets.
What does it mean when a succulent is crested?
The Crested cactus is the mutation happening in the plant due to the injury to the apical meristem. when this happens stem begins to divide outwards. Usually, the cactus stem is produced in a circular pattern, however, in the crested cactus, the mutation makes the plant grow in an entirely new fan-shaped crest.
The Injury to the plant can happen for environmental reasons such as wind, weather changes, insects attack, birds and animals. In some regions where the water condition and nutritional factors are not easily available, nutritional deficiency or hormone imbalance make the plant crested.
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How do you propagate crested succulents?
You can follow the normal stem sitting method to propagate a crested succulent. But that does not mean you will get a crested plant after propagation. You might get a normal version of the crested plant after propergation. But do not worry, you can make your own crested succulent with your normal plant.
Growing the Crested succulents plant is very easy and doesn’t require much effort to turn them into the crested form. Most of the succulents as efficient, and they require less water and maintenance.
Once you plant the succulents in the soil, they keep growing as the regular plant. Succulents naturally grow in the outdoor soil where the temperature is mild, and the climate is mostly hot. Such condition is excellent for the plant to grow where the irrigation is minimal. You can even grow these plants easily indoors in pots with a proper draining system. The plant thrives naturally and spread in the pots as time passes.
A step-by-step guide to propagating crested succulents.
1) Take out some leaves:
Take out some of the leaves gently from the succulent plant. Twist them or remove the entire leaf without tearing them. If you are working with the plants like Christman Cactus, use scissors to avoid the sharp edges. Cut the individual leave and keep them aside. If you are beheading, gently cut the steam about an inch. Cut from the lower leaves of the plant head.
2) Growing callus:
Once you have removed the leaves, please keep them in the container or the bowl for free days. You do not have to manage them. No need to water them. In five days, the leaves will grow the callus on the cut end. The callus prevents the damage to the plant from the bacterial infection from penetrating the surface.
3) Grow Roots:
In the next few days, the growth of the roots would begin. The leaf slowly withers as they provide food to the new emerging plants through the roots.
4) Plant:
Once the roots are grown, plan than them in the container or pot. You can even plant the roots in the garden where the soil is suitable for planting. Succulents require direct sunlight with well-drained soil to thrive. When there is too much water in the soil, the Succulents will grow pale, and you will not have Succulents. Too much water around can rot the plant. It is recommended to plan the succulent in a sunny spot in the early morning.
5) Water and Feed:
The next day gently tamps the soil down and sprinkles the water. As your plant acclimates to its surroundings, the plant’s growth will accelerate, and in a few days, you will see a new leaf taking place. You can find succulent food in the plant store. It would help if you fed them nutritional food during the early stage to grow the roots quickly.
Once they become large enough to survive on their own, you do not have to feed them or maintain them. They find their way to survive and grow quickly.
Credits to Soul Sugar Succulent
