I read through the FAQ on coloring and grow lights, did some googling and I’m still stumped.
I got a box of succulent cuttings in October and they are all growing okay. I have them all in an aquarium (no water) with a light on top that goes with the aquarium. They are all growing okay, but some of them have completely changed colors. My aeonium kiwi went from light green and white with pink on the edges to DARK green and it’s even pointing down now… my crassula lost its white stripes and my red sedums are now green.
I have attached photos to show the color changes. Thanks in advance! I have some others that seem to be loving it in there. Some echeveria, a Vicks plant, and a ruby necklace and they all seem very happy! I know some succulents don’t like direct light, so maybe my grow light is too bright? Again, I looked at the FAQ and I’m just so unfamiliar with the terms for the grow lights that it was very confusing. My husband got me the tank and grow light got Christmas and I didn’t realize at the time that it wasn’t necessarily made for plants.
by Ok-Astronaut7273
22 Comments
Red and pink are stress colours. Stress colours are a byproduct of processes in the plant when it is trying to protect itself, usually from intense light. Watering even less may also encourage stress colours.
Your plants are greening, so they are probably happy and growing with the amount of light and water they have. If you want them to go red, give them intense light. They will most likely grow slower if they are stressed though.
My succulents also turn green and happy after I bring them home. It’s fine. They still look pretty. 😎
My sedum (Palmerii?) change colour through the seasons, autumn is red, spring is covered in yellow flowers, the rest of the year is green. I love it
The reason that they are turning green and the leaves are facing down is because your lights probably need to be closer to your plants. Echeveria’s need a lot of light in order for them to grow compact.
No, your grow light could be brighter if anything. I recommend for any plants that are getting more elongated or have their leaves pointing down, put their cup on top of something to bring them higher up and closer to the grow light as they are receiving insufficient light. You can do the same for anything that you want to regain red colouration on. Different succulent species have different ideal light intensities.
Hot, intense sun turns them darker colours.
The light looks like it miles too far away from the plants.
And why are they in a tank?
They need more light. Succulents ideally grow outside in 6 hours of direct sunlight
Its all about light! I douse my indoor succulents with good grow lights, and they’re gorgeous.
Light and exposure, even if indoor setups work its never going to get the same results as direct sun, cold and rain.
They aren’t stressed anymore, whether that’s not enough sun, too much water, being fertilised… The list goes on.
OP where do you live? It might be possible to put your plants outdoors. They will grow faster and develop nicer colors outside.
They aren’t getting enough light. The aeonium kiwi is the best indicator. See the down curled leaves? All of them are taller than they were from the initial pictures, and now more green instead of red. You need to move the lights closer or get more intense lighting in the setup.
With the lights I have, they’re about 8 inches away from the plants at most.maybe not the best image but here’s my kiwi forest. You can see I even have two sets of light colors. I went on the weed growing subs and looked at the differences between which spectrum promoted green growrh and which does flowering. I have one set of each lights on each shelf and I get frequent flowers out of my plants. It’s taken 5 years and many plant deaths to get here though. Sorry for the novel lol maybe not what you asked but I got going lol
https://preview.redd.it/km2792ysmx0f1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2d7cb26a744e557093ad3dde95b256d5690a0f1d
Light
Put them in bright hot sun and they’ll turn colors, indoors usually just green
More light
It’s hard to mimic natural lights for succulents, or what we are used to seeing in succulents. They do best in warm, sunny , outdoor conditions, left completely alone- nearly. I realize you don’t have this – hence the grow lights. In other words, you are doing pretty good, but it is what it is. Personally, to make things easier, I’d put them in nursery pots, no glass. You need drainage, with infrequent heavy watering. Maybe a sandier succulent mix too. If you move them outside in the summer, move to sun gradually.
I have Barrina grow lights 5-6 inches from mine for 14 hours a day, that’s how much light they need for their stress colors to come in and to not etiolate. (Don’t worry about the “stress” aspect, the colors don’t harm them and are a good indicator that they’re getting enough light to be healthy and strong!) Also, they need to be in pots, preferably terracotta with a drainage hole. An aquarium is not a proper place for succulents as it’s basically a terrarium (a bot will comment about why they’re back below 👇)
Like everyone else said here being stressed gives them more color. I’ve seen people mention intensely or intense heat, but I think it’s also worth mentioning that
#intense Cold can also increase the colors.
I bought a lovely little plant that the lady I bought it from called caviar and in spring and summer it turned green, which of course I didn’t want. It was all pink and purple before. Over winter it got its lovely colors back, the intense cold brought back the color for it. I have one growing inside in a plant cabinet and it’s completely green. No pretty colors, The cabinet is hot.
More light or closer light
Definitely need more light. I actually bring all my succulents outside for the summer.
Tips on the red sedum? I got some from home depot and they were bright red there and now at home they’re fading