How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Blue Chalksticks : Blue Chalksticks, whose formal name is Curio repens, is a cute succulent with blue-gray stems that look like chalk sticks.
This plant doesn’t need much care and is great for adding color and texture to gardens inside and outside. This page has everything you need to know to plant, grow, and take care of Blue Chalksticks.
1. Planting
How to Pick the Right Pot
Pick a pot with good draining holes so that water doesn’t pool at the bottom. Curio repens can get root rot if it stays in dirt that is too wet, so it needs to have good drainage. Pick a pot that’s just a bit bigger than the root ball so that the plant has room to grow.
Mix for Plants
Use soil mix that drains well, like a blend for cacti or succulents. A regular potting soil mixed with perlite or loose sand can also be used to make your own mix. This keeps the soil from getting too wet and makes sure it dries out fast.
How Plants Grow
Don’t fill the pot all the way to the top; leave about an inch of space. Take the Blue Chalksticks carefully out of its nursery pot and put it in the middle of the new pot.
Spread the roots out and add more potting mix around them. Gently pat the mix down to get rid of any air spaces. To help the dirt settle after planting, water it lightly, but don’t soak it.
2. Needs for Light
Blue chalksticks do best in bright light that comes from the side. They can handle some direct sunlight, but to keep their leaves from getting burned, they might need to be shaded during the middle of the day.
If you have plants inside, put them near a south- or east-facing window so they can get lots of light. If the light from the sun isn’t enough, you might want to use a grow light to help.
3. Watering
Water Blue Chalksticks not too much. When you water, let the top one to two inches of soil dry out fully. This fruit doesn’t mind being dry and would rather be on the dry side than wet.
A common problem is giving plants too much water, so make sure the potting mix drains well. As the plant’s growth slows down in the winter, water it less often.
Also see : 11 Beautiful Flowering Succulents For Indoor Gardens
4. The temperature and the humidity
Curio repens likes it when it’s between 60°F and 80°F (15°C and 27°C). While it can handle short periods of cold weather, it should be kept away from frost and temperatures below 50°F (10°C).
This plant does well in places with low to middling humidity, which is most of the time inside. Make sure there is enough air flow around the plant to keep fungus from growing.
5. Planting seeds
Blue Chalksticks should be fed a balanced fertilizer that dissolves in water that has been dampened in half. During the growth season (spring and summer), use the fertilizer once a month. Since the plant isn’t growing in the winter, don’t fertilize it. This can cause salt to build up in the soil.
6. Tidying up and pruning
Just a little pruning of Blue Chalksticks is needed to keep its look. Getting rid of any damaged or dead roots will help the plant look neat. Check for pests like mealybugs and aphids every so often, and get rid of any infestations right away with neem oil or soap that kills insects.
7. Moving plants
Every two to three years or when the roots get too tight, repotted Blue Chalksticks. Pick a pot that is a little bigger and add new potting mix.
Take the plant out of its old pot carefully, shake off any extra soil, and then put it in the new pot with new soil. To help the plant get used to its new home, water it lightly after moving it.
Conclusion
The blue chalkstick succulent (Curio repens) is pretty and easy to take care of. It can add a unique touch to your yard or indoor plant collection. This tough plant has beautiful blue-gray leaves that will last for years if you give it lots of light, water it carefully, and do not do much else.
Because it can grow in a lot of different situations and is easy to take care of, it’s a great choice for succulent lovers of all levels.