Why Is My Succulent Getting Tall? Causes and How to Fix It

Welcome back to a little Succly science! 

If you’ve ever noticed your succulent suddenly growing tall, spaced out, or leaning toward the window, you’ve seen something called stretching. The scientific term is etiolation, and it happens when a plant is searching for more light.

Succulents are adapted to grow in very bright environments. When they aren’t getting enough light, they start changing the way they grow. Instead of staying tight and compact, the plant begins to stretch the spaces between its leaves and grow upward toward the nearest light source. It’s essentially the plant’s way of trying to reach better light.

Here are some common signs of stretching:

• Leaves spaced farther apart than normal

• Stems becoming longer and thinner

• The plant leaning toward a window or light source

• Colors becoming lighter or less vibrant

While stretching doesn’t mean your plant is dying, it does mean it’s asking for more light.

The good news is that you can usually correct it pretty easily:

One thing to keep in mind is that stretched growth doesn’t shrink back. The succulent will continue growing from the top, but the long stretched part will stay the way it formed. Many growers will trim and propagate stretched succulents so they can start fresh, compact plants again.

Plants are constantly responding to their environment, and stretching is simply one of the ways they communicate what they need.

If you ever notice one of your succulents starting to stretch and you’re unsure what to do, feel free to reach out. We’re always happy to help you troubleshoot.

Happy growing