If your succulent plant is turning purple, there might be a few reasons for this. In this post, you will find a list of reasons why your succulent might be turning purple or red, turning purple and falling off, what turning purple in succulents means and what you need to do in this situation.
Succulents turning purple or changing colors can be natural or due to stress. If your succulents turn purple or red due to stress, then it can be due to sudden temperature changes, too much heat or light, lack of feed and water.
Succulents turn purple or red due to pigments called anthocyanin and carotenoids. This pigment mainly protects succulents from over-photosynthesizing and burning when they are receiving lots of sunlight.
Some succulent growers expose their succulents to more sun on purpose to see their full potential coloration. Once sunlight exposure is decreased again, blushing or red/purple coloration goes away.
Reason 1: Your succulent is naturally changing its color
Succulents are generally green in color, but they might also have hints of purple, red and even blue that they develop as they grow. In some succulent species, whole leaves might turn purple or red, but in some – just tips or inner corners.
For example, it’s common for succulents of Sedum, Crassula some Kalanchoe species and more to turn purple or reddish. Make sure to look for pictures of your specific succulent species to see if it’s normal.
Reason 2: Too much heat or light
While succulents love good exposure to sunlight, they can also get burnt like any other plants. One of the main signs of scorching in succulents is discoloration, whitening or yellowing and corking.
If your succulent is in a spot with too much direct light, its cells will get damaged and the plant won’t be able to function anymore. You can definitely tell that your succulent has suffered from scorching if it’s developing discoloration on its sun-facing side.
However, a sign of too much light can be a succulent changing color. It can start developing purple, red or bluish coloration. Heat and light stress is serious, and can lead to a plant’s death, so be careful with plant placement.
Various succulent species have different lighting requirements, but most generally prefer lots of bright indirect light. Some will need partial shade placement.
6 hours of light a day during the growth season if a general requirement. If you don’t receive much light, especially if growing succulents indoors, you can use LED or fluorescent lighting (60 watts, for 10-14 hours a day) like this.
Reason 3: Sudden changes in temperature or lighting
You should never change your succulents’ environment too suddenly, as it might damage or even kill them. Succulents don’t like sudden changes in temperature or light.
If your succulents experience sudden changes in temperature or lighting, they might start changing color. Succulents can turn red, purple or bluish due to sudden change in conditions, and due to not being used to them.
Always make sure to introduce your succulents to increased sunlight exposure after winter gradually. You should try to cover your succulents, including cacti, with a shade cloth like this, right after winter. Gradually, over a few weeks, start removing the shade once your succulents are acclimated again.
However, this can also happen in winter. Most succulents cannot withstand freezing temperatures of under around 40 Fahrenheit (4 Celsius). If temperatures where you live drop below those temperatures, you should keep your succulents indoors in a cool place. Discolored bands on a succulent means cold damage.
Avoid placing them by radiators in winter and reduce watering. In summer, avoid placing succulents near strong air conditioners. Any sudden change is not favorable.
When coming out of winter, increase watering gradually as well. And same when winter is approaching – reduce watering gradually.
However, succulents changing color and turning purple might also happen naturally when seasons change. You should be careful with introducing your succulents to more sunlight after winter.
Reason 4: Underwatering
Succulents can turn red or purple due to being underwatered. Due to lack of water, your succulent might start changing its coloration slightly. You might start noticing purple, red, or even bluish coloration starting to develop.
Other symptoms of succulents being underwatered are curling leaves, shriveling, dry soil. Leaves will start losing their plumpness.
While you should not water your plants regularly in winter and allow them to stay dormant, some water is still required. Most people keep their succulents indoors in winter, where temperatures are warm.
This means that you have to water your succulents at least once a month when kept indoors, in winter. Otherwise, your succulents’ soil will dry up and damage roots, and the whole plant.
From early spring to late autumn, you should water your succulents regularly. How regularly to water will depend on various factors, such as plants’ pots, temperatures, lighting and more. Make sure that soil dries up between waterings.
Reason 5: Poor soil
Repotting your succulents is important, because soil that it’s growing in will eventually be drained of nutrients. Plus, your plants will grow, and might outgrow their current pots. If you notice circled and packed roots, it’s time to repot your succulent.
In poor soil, your succulents can’t be happy and last too long. That’s even if you fertilize the soil during growth season. Due to poor soil, your succulents might start changing color and even turning purple or red.
Repot your young succulents every year or so and increase their pot size. With more mature and established succulents, you can repot them every 3-4 years on average.
Reason 6: Lack of nutrition
Succulents need nutrition like other plants, even though they are more resistant to harsh conditions. If there’s lack of nutrients in soil, your succulents can start changing color and turning purple. Succulents seriously lacking nutrients can also turn yellow.
Make sure to fertilize your succulents with a succulent fertilizer like this or similar, during growth season only (often mid March-mid October). Never fertilize your succulents in winter, when they are in dormant state. A lower nitrogen feed with balanced potassium and phosphorus ratios (such as 2-8-8), are optimal.
Reason 7: Protection
Cacti and succulents can turn purple when being exposed to strong sunlight. This further protects them from strong UV light exposure that can kill the plant in harsh conditions.
However, at the same time, it might mean that your succulent is stressed and is not used to current conditions. Most succulents lose purple coloration once sun exposure is limited or reduces naturally (seasons).
Reason 8: Issues with the root system and root rot
If your succulents have issues with their root systems, they might turn purple. As a succulent keeper, make sure to get used to taking your succulents of its pot and checking its roots every few weeks or so.
If when checking roots you see any white clumps (root mealybugs), small flies (fungus gnats) or generally black roots, you need to take care of your succulent’s root system.
What is more, don’t move your succulents around too often or repot them too often. Repotting too often, especially mature succulents, will lead to stress. Always make sure that your succulents are snugly planted in soil, otherwise they won’t be able to access water and nutrients from it.
Reason 9: Rot rot
If your succulent is turning dark purple, or even black, that means that it’s suffering from root rot. Once you notice any soft black leaves and black roots, you need to immediate prune them with sanitized scissors or shears. Repot your plant after pruning into a clean pot with fresh soil.
Often root rot is caused by overwatering, and leaving roots in standing water for too long. Make sure your succulent pots have drainage holes and always throw away any water left in a saucer.
If your whole plant is damaged, you can remove any leaves that are still green. You can then keep them separate and grow them once you see some roots. This way, you can grow fresh succulents from leaf cuttings.
Sun stressing succulents?
Some succulents growers believe that sun stressing succulents is a good practice to help succulents ‘reach their full potential’. Positive sun stress can promote beautiful coloration in succulents.
Any form of stress, not only sun stress, will make succulents turn red, purple, or even yellow. Other forms of stress that can turn succulents purple include underwatering or exposing succulents to extreme cold/heat.
Stressing succulents is not advised for beginners, as you might over-stress your plant and possibly kill it. However, succulents are naturally used to harsh environments, and can be saved if you notice signs of suffering early.
There’s good and bad stress in succulents, and you should be careful not to cause bad stress. By observing your succulents and looking for clues, you can understand whether stress is positive (or neutral) or negative.
If your sun-stressed succulent has kept its original shape but changed colors, then it’s most likely not suffering. However, if you see any bugs or red scarring, then your plant might be suffering from pests.
Also, if leaves turn soft, crispy, brown, then your plant is in trouble. Any white patches, raised bumps and corking are signs of too much light.
Succulent turning purple and falling off
If your succulent is turning purple and falling off, then it’s suffering from severe stress. Any form of stress, including extreme heat, light, cold, lack of water, can lead to succulents turning purple.
If you keep your succulents in conditions too harsh (especially if changes are sudden), it might start falling off the main plant and dying.
Conclusion – succulents turning purple
To conclude, your succulent can be turning purple when it’s under stress. Stress in succulents is not always bad, and increased exposure to sun might trigger purple and red coloration. Other stress causes include low temperatures and under watering.
If your cactus is turning purple, that would mean that it’s getting lots of sunlight or is stressed due to lack of water, poor soil or flow temperatures. Once conditions are back to normal, green coloration will return.
Unless your plant is turning soft and squishy (possibly rot), dry and crispy (underwatering), white or yellow (scorching) it should be fine. Most succulents turn green again after stress factors are eliminated.
But even though succulents can withstand harsh conditions, make sure to always change conditions gradually to avoid killing your plants.
Thank you for reading this post! To learn more about succulent care, please see this page.