Leggy Succulents: How to Fix and Prevent Them
When succulents stretch, it's a sign they need an adjustment. Learn to manage their growth and restore a compact, healthy form for a thriving collection.
Succulent owners often notice their plants changing shape over time, developing long, bare stems with leaves that are few and far between. This stretching gives the plant a “leggy” appearance, a departure from the compact, dense rosette. The once-tightly-packed leaves become sparse as the stem elongates, creating an unbalanced look.
What Causes Leggy Succulents
This stretching is a plant’s survival mechanism known as etiolation, which is the direct result of not receiving enough light. In response to low-light conditions, the plant redirects its energy from developing robust leaves to rapidly growing a longer, thinner stem. This is an attempt to reach a more adequate light source.
The process of etiolation results in noticeable changes beyond just height. The stem becomes weaker, and the leaves are often smaller and paler in color due to a lack of chlorophyll. The spaces between the leaves lengthen considerably, creating the stretched look. This process can be accelerated when plants are moved indoors or during seasonal shifts when natural light diminishes.
How to Fix a Leggy Succulent
Correcting a leggy succulent involves a method often called “beheading.” To begin, you will need a clean, sharp knife or pruning shears sterilized with rubbing alcohol. This helps prevent the introduction of pathogens into the plant tissue.
The goal is to separate the compact rosette at the top from the elongated stem below. Make a clean cut through the stem about one to two inches below the lowest healthy leaf of the top rosette. This leaves you with a top cutting that has a short stem attached. The remaining base with the rooted stem and any leftover leaves should be kept.
Do not discard the original base of the plant after cutting. Continue to care for this rooted portion, placing it in a location where it receives adequate sunlight. With continued care, the remaining stem will often sprout new, small rosettes, or “pups,” from the dormant leaf nodes along the stem. In a few weeks, you may see multiple new plants beginning to form on the old stem.
Propagating from Cuttings
The top cutting, or rosette, that you removed can be replanted to grow into a new, healthy plant. Before planting, you must allow the cut end of the stem to dry and form a callus. Place the cutting on a dry, clean surface away from direct sunlight for several days to a week, or until the wound is no longer moist.
Once the cutting has calloused, it is ready for planting. Prepare a pot with well-draining succulent or cactus soil and simply place the calloused stem into the soil. You can also just set the cutting on top of the soil. Wait to water it for a week or two, which encourages the cutting to send out new roots in search of moisture.
Any healthy leaves that were removed from the lower portions of the stem can also be propagated. Lay the leaves on top of dry succulent soil, ensuring the end that was attached to the stem is not buried. Over several weeks, tiny new roots and a small rosette will begin to sprout from the base of the leaf. The original “mother leaf” will slowly wither as the new plantlet grows.
Preventing Future Legginess
Preventing etiolation from recurring depends on providing sufficient light, which encourages compact growth and more vibrant stress colors. A south-facing window is an ideal indoor location, but the intensity of natural light varies greatly by geography and season.
If you cannot provide enough natural light, especially during winter months or in a darker home, consider supplementing with a grow light. A full-spectrum grow light placed several inches above the plant for 12 to 14 hours a day can effectively mimic the sun and stop a succulent from stretching.
Proper watering habits also support compact, strong growth. While light is the primary factor in etiolation, overwatering can contribute to weak, soft growth that is more susceptible to stretching. Allowing the soil to dry out completely between waterings helps the plant develop a robust root system and a sturdier structure.