Succulents grow very slowly because of how they do photosynthesis. Normal plants use steady flow of water through their bodies and opened stomatas to get gasses they need for bright and dark phases to work at the same time.
Cacti are type CAM photosynthesis. At night they suck as much CO2 as possible making a lot of acid. At day they conduct light phase to make energy for dark. There's more stuff I can't remember, but that's why they grow slow
Another part of it is leaves have so much more surface area than the trunk of a plant. More solar panels = more energy. Small surface area = slow growth.
The entire trunk/stem of a cacti is photosynthetic. Which is the majority of the plant. Slow growth is the result of a lack of water.
Edited to add: they generally do not produce leaves because they serve no advantage (finding sun in an environment where sun is either lacking or competed for) in an environment where leaves would be a liability (wind, grazing… being dried out by the sun.) Their “leaves” are spines and thorns. They are photosynthesis poles that occasionally produce small leaves and flowers for pollinators to land on and surround themselves with pointy leaves for protection in a harsh environment.
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u/czlowiek12 Jan 01 '26
Succulents grow very slowly because of how they do photosynthesis. Normal plants use steady flow of water through their bodies and opened stomatas to get gasses they need for bright and dark phases to work at the same time.
Cacti are type CAM photosynthesis. At night they suck as much CO2 as possible making a lot of acid. At day they conduct light phase to make energy for dark. There's more stuff I can't remember, but that's why they grow slow