Signs a succulent is over- or under-fertilized

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kwie2011 Cottage Grove, OR Oct 11, 2014

I recognize the signs of nitrogen deficiency and nitrogen burn in most tropicals, but how do you know when a succulent is getting too much or too little fertilizer? I'm betting you don't get the familiar burst of growth with wide gaps between leaves, then brown leaf tips, or conversely, the recognizable yellowing pattern of nitrogen deficiency. Is fertilizer burn one of those issues that isn't apparent in succulents until it's too late?

For that matter, I'd like to know the signs of other mineral deficiencies in tropicals and succulents. Someone has almost certainly created a nice chart somewhere on the internet. Anyone know of one?

Thanks!

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Baja_Costero Baja California, Mexico(Zone 11) Oct 11, 2014

Succulents tend to be pretty tough plants and not real demanding about nutrients. They can do fine for years in the same pot without any fertilizer. You aren't likely to see any great differences except slower growth and less flowering when they go without nutrients.

When they get too much fertilizer they can get stemmy and stretched, though this is more often due to lower light. That particular combination can lead to some ugly etiolation in any case. It's a lot harder to over fertilize a succulent in the sun.

My own strategy growing succulents is to feed regularly with very dilute nutrients, so as to provide stable conditions and remove roadblocks to growth. Obviously there are many other ways to get good results. One thing I have found to be critical for getting good results from fertilizer is to acidity the water I use, as our tap water is quite alkaline (pH 9) and the nutrients work best around neutral (pH 6-7).

This message was edited Oct 11, 2014 7:44 PM

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