Microscopically small but sometimes revealed by their webbing (see picture). These little suckers cause permanent scarring and can trigger dormancy in deciduous pachycauls. They are impervious to most insecticides as they are being not an insect. Conqueror Oil sprayed at no more than 1:100 is excellent, but keen-eyed vigilance is needed to know WHEN to apply it.

Webbing of happy Spider Mites. Leaves sucked dry will soon force this Adenium into dormancy.

New growth is fine but the lower part of this Mammillaria is permanently mite-scarred.

One of the worst pests on succulents, these limpet-like insects are difficult to control. They are farmed by ants, so kill the ants too. They excrete sweet honeydew, which not only feeds the ants but also grows Sooty Mildew. Try a spray program at weekly intervals with high strength chemicals or, on species that can cope, use Conqueror Oil at 1:100. If they are damp when you crush 'em they are still alive... so continue the program.

The Abdelkuri Look, actually small white scale insects.

Black Scale on left, Honey Dew, and its Sooty Mildew on far leaf.

Be aware that some succulents, especially those with a glaucous or floury leaf surface, are prone to permanent marking (damage) with oil sprays. When in doubt test first on a friend’s plant

Usually a problem when moving plants into direct sun from a greenhouse or indoor situation, or having plants up against a window.

Treat your plants like a baby: would you lie it in the hot sun for hours on it’s first day outside? No, you would leave it outside first on cloudy or rainy days. If you have an east-facing location where the sun will not reach after say 9 a.m. this can be a useful place to acclimatise plants. Also a hailcloth or gauzy half-shade protection will allow acclimatization over a couple of weeks. We have not tried sunblock, but we think it would be problematic.

Etiolation is the correct name for the weak, pale, stretched growth

resulting from inadequate light levels. In cacti circles it is also known as the Mexican Restaurant Look. Putting the plant out on the balcony, as in the picture below, will eventually restore the diameter of the growing point but the damage has been done and a narrow waist will be left to commemorate your plant’s misadventure.

Combinations of the following promote etiolation and are therefore to be avoided: less light, more heat, more water, more fertility.

Stretching desperately to find the sunshine.

Narrowed tip tells a tale of a dark incarceration.

Dry black leaf tips indicate plant is too dry.

This Dinteranthus needs at least a teaspoon of water to plump it up.

Don’t be cruel: repot this plant immediately.

The inward-curled leaves show what torture we subjected these Aloe ortholopha to.

Not all succulents would enjoy the Mojave Desert; Sempervivums come from the European Alps after all. Air movement is important to some plants, Echeverias in particular, and Ferocactus also. Small greenhouses often need more shade to avoid overheating.

Some plants which prefer partial shade include Gymnocalycium, Haworthia, Aeonium tabulaeforme, Peperomia, Sansevieria.

A hot greenhouse caused damage to this Echeveria.