What to Do with Succulent Blooms? A Care Guide
You check your favorite plant and see a strange long stalk shooting out from the leaves. This is a very common experience for new plant parents. You might feel excited at first.
But then you read online that flowers can actually kill your plant. This scary detail ruins the fun of seeing a beautiful bloom. Now you are stuck wondering if you should chop it off or let it grow.
We can clear up the panic around flowering plants today. You will learn how to identify exactly where the flower is growing. Readers will learn the clear difference between a normal bloom and a final death bloom.
You will get a simple rulebook for making the right choice. The strange succulent flower stalks do not have to be a mystery. Read on to learn What to Do with Succulent Blooms.
Why Do Succulents Grow Flowers?
Seeing a flower on your indoor plant is actually a great thing. You should congratulate yourself. Flowering is a clear sign of a happy and mature plant. It means you gave the plant enough light and proper care.
Plants use environmental clues to know when it is spring. They notice the longer daylight hours. They feel the slightly warmer temperatures in your house. These natural clues trigger the plant to start reproducing.
But pushing out a beautiful flower takes a massive amount of energy from the mother plant. The plant stops focusing on growing new roots. It stops making new fleshy leaves. It pumps all its water and nutrients directly into that tall stalk.
This process makes sense in the wild. Bugs and birds visit the open flowers to pollinate them. The plant creates tiny seeds and spreads new babies across the desert.
However, indoor plants rarely get pollinated. There are no bees buzzing around your living room. The plant spends all its stored energy making a flower that will never produce seeds.
This massive energy drain is a choice the owner must carefully manage. You have the power to decide if you want to keep the flower or protect the plant. Knowing when to cut succulent flowers helps your plant stay strong and healthy for years.
The Death Bloom: What Are Monocarpic Succulents?
You might have heard the scary term death bloom online. This sounds terrifying but the science behind it is very natural. Some plants only flower one single time in their entire life.
These unique plants are called monocarpic succulents. The word literally means single fruit. These plants push one hundred percent of their remaining energy into their final beautiful bloom.
You can identify this event very easily. Look closely at where the tall stalk comes from. The flower stalk grows directly out of the dead center of the plant.
The main rosette stops growing leaves. The center actually stretches upward and turns into the flower stalk. This looks completely different from a normal flower sneaking out from the side of the stem.
The mother plant will completely die after the flowers fade. Her leaves will turn yellow and get very crispy. You cannot stop this dying process by cutting the stalk.
The plant has already flipped a biological switch. But you do not need to feel sad. The dying mother plant usually leaves behind dozens of baby plants around her base before she goes.
Here is a simple list to help you identify the safe plants from the dying plants.
- Sempervivum plants will always die after they bloom from the center.
- Aeonium plants will also die after their final center flower opens.
- Agave plants are famous for massive center stalks that end their life.
- Echeveria plants are safe bloomers that shoot flowers from the side.
- Haworthia plants are safe and will live for many years after flowering.
3 Reasons You Should Cut Succulent Flowers
It feels a little bit sad to chop off a pretty flower. You waited a long time to see it bloom. But cutting the stalk is often the best choice for the overall health of your plant.
This simple action stops the massive energy drain immediately. Your plant can go back to growing thick and beautiful leaves. Here are three very practical reasons you should remove the stalks.
1. The Flowers Are Massive Pest Magnets
Bugs absolutely love sweet flower sap. Aphids will completely swarm the sweet flower buds before they even open. These tiny green bugs multiply rapidly and cover the entire stalk in a sticky mess.
Once the aphids attack the flower, they will eventually move down to eat the main leaves. Chopping the stalk off removes the sweet treat entirely. This keeps your indoor garden safe from a nasty pest invasion.
2. They Drain The Plant Energy
The mother plant will completely stop growing new leaves while the flower is blooming. The plant is pushing all its stored water up into the tall stalk. This leaves the bottom of the plant looking very tired.
You might notice the main plant leaves getting very wrinkly or soft. The plant looks sad because it is starving itself for the flower. When you cut the stalk, the plant immediately redirects that energy back to its own roots and leaves.
3. The Stalks Create A Messy Look
Succulent flower stalks get incredibly long and heavy. Some stalks grow two feet tall and bend completely over. This wild growth completely ruins the compact look of a nice decorative arrangement.
The heavy stalks can even tip small pots over. Nursery growers almost always chop the flowers off. This keeps the rosette shapes tight and round for faster retail sales.
How to Safely Remove the Stalk in 3 Steps
You decided to protect your plant and remove the flower. You need to do this carefully so you do not hurt the main stem. Grabbing the stalk and pulling it causes severe damage.
Tearing the stalk leaves an open jagged wound. Bacteria can enter this wound and rot the entire plant. You must use clean tools and a careful technique.
Follow these three steps exactly to remove the stalk safely.
- Always use clean and sterile pruning shears to prevent bacterial infections. Wipe the metal blades with rubbing alcohol before you make a single cut.
- Cut the stalk as close to the base of the plant as possible without damaging the main leaves. Slip the scissors gently between the fleshy leaves to get a clean angle.
- Let the leftover stump dry completely in the open air. It will eventually turn brown and fall off on its own in a few weeks.
You do not have to throw the pretty flowers in the trash. You can enjoy the best of both choices. Put the freshly cut stems in a small glass vase of tap water.
Place the tiny vase on your kitchen table or a sunny windowsill. The buds will continue to open over the next few days. They will bloom in the water for up to two full weeks.
Knowing exactly how to cut succulent flowers gives you total control. Your main plant stays perfectly healthy and compact. You also get a beautiful free bouquet for your dining room.
Conclusion
Seeing a flower on your favorite plant is a wonderful moment. You now know exactly how to read the visual clues. You know that side blooms are completely safe and normal.
You also know that center blooms mean the plant is finishing its natural life cycle. You understand that cutting the stalk is the best way to save the plant energy and stop nasty bugs. You can confidently pick up your clean scissors and make the right choice.
Go check exactly where your flower stalk is growing from right now. Look closely at the center leaves. You no longer need to panic when spring arrives. You know exactly What to Do with Succulent Blooms.
