For those who are new to succulents, one may wonder just how important sun exposure is when getting that new haul. Although succulents are resilient and can grow both indoors and out, there will be a difference in the color, shape, size and growth as they are able to take in more sunlight. I have been growing Echeveria imbricata in three separate locations at the nursery over the past three months (February-April) with different sun exposures and the results were staggering. Here’s what I found.
Greenhouse
The imbricata on the top left was grown inside our greenhouse which gets bright, indirect sunlight for most of the day. This particular location is the brightest spot inside and I wanted to grow some in the greenhouse in preparation for the brutal summer we expect to have in the desert every year. One can argue that this imbricata looks the best out of the bunch, as the rosettes are tight with a hint of pink along the edges of the leaves. A few bottom leaves are stressed and have a yellow tinge to them, but these will eventually need to be cleaned up and pulled off anyway. A majority of its color is a beautiful bluish-green and the pups look equally as healthy.
I realize that not everyone will have a greenhouse, so if you need to protect your succulents during the summer, finding a shady location would be your next best thing.
Light Shade
I have a spot in the nursery behind the office where I’ve been growing most of my succulents which gets filtered sunlight during the day with about 30% shade. I placed some imbricatas there wanting to protect them from the bright afternoon sun, and as you can see in the photo, the wide leaves and stretched stems indicate that it is starving for more light. The pups have even started to grow away from the mother, reaching for more sun. Whenever you notice this, and if your climate allows it, you should definitely find more sun exposure for your succulents. In May in the desert, this is usually the last month that many of the lighter succulents like imbricatas can be in full sun until it needs the extra protection from the heat. Even during the summer, 30% shade is not enough to protect some varieties of succulents and I usually double up on the shade cloth. At that point though, most of my delicate succulents are already inside the greenhouse.
Full Sun
Depending on where you live, especially in coastal climates, full sun is the best thing for succulents. In the desert, we can enjoy full sun for about seven to eight months out of the year and then we have to move them inside or find shade. The imbricata that I placed in full sun definitely shows stress in its leaves, as they are especially tight and more compact. The bottom leaves are yellow in color with a few brown spots from sunburn, but one thing I noticed is that the leaves were also softer than usual. Although I watered these the same amount, the one in full sun was definitely drying out faster than the others.
Acclimation
One thing to take into consideration before placing your succulents directly in full sun is if they are already acclimated to that environment. If they were growing inside and you place them in full sun outside on a hot day, they will surely burn and the leaves will become damaged with brown spots. I made the mistake to place a graptosedum in full sun after being in shade for months and the damage appeared almost overnight.
Sun damage is not the end of the world and your succulent will most likely survive, but it won’t be the prettiest sight for a while. The graptosedum above has already acclimated and new growth on the top has recovered quite well. In conclusion, as we’ve seen with the imbricatas, succulents will take full sun and will adapt to their environment (in most cases). More sun exposure for succulents will bring out stunning colors, grow more uniformly and even give pups! If you want tighter rosettes for your imbricatas, just remember to give them as much sun as possible (if your weather allows it). Bright, indirect sunlight may be harder to find, but succulents will appreciate it especially when full sun is too much.