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sugi_c

Poor little succulent

Hi guys -

I have about 30+ different succulents here, all in containers. Some are outside on the balcony and some are inside in containers, open terrariums, etc. and all are grouped in one way or another.

Despite having not really grouped them perfectly in terms of needs, I'm making do by spraying some while "watering" others, and letting all of them dry out in between. Like bone dry then a nice soak. The ones in the really flat pots or terrariums, I spritz until they're nicely soaked but never pour water on them.

Anyway - - of all of these, I have a problem with only one. An echeveria, I believe? This one was in an actual container grouping and it was inside when the problems began. I've since moved the entire pot outside.

The leaves started falling off, but prior to this, I noticed it becoming kind of lanky looking and significantly taller, if you will. Then, one by one, the leaves kind of plopped right off.

Was this light or water? This was in a wide but shallow pot of other succulents where all the others appear to be doing very well. This alone was in the center of the pot and suffering.

I've since plucked it out of there and stuck it into a spare pot with some loose potting soil. It's been like this for over a week and --- no additional leaves have fallen off, but it doesn't look happy quite yet either.

Easy question: what did I do wrong?

Comments (10)

  • Colleen E
    11 years ago

    "I noticed it becoming kind of lanky looking and significantly taller, if you will." -- That would be a problem of insufficient light, called etiolation. The whole thing could be a light issue, but a water issue might not be helping. Overwatering is often a huge problem, but they would like to be actually watered rather than just sprayed all the time. If you have it outside now, getting sun, and if you start watering when the soil's totally dry, you'll probably fix the issue and the plant will eventually recover. They're not inside plants, so this change should be a positive one. Just make sure to acclimate the plant, rather than stick it out in direct sun right away when it has been inside in low light.

  • Sugi_C (Las Vegas, NV)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Thanks, Teatree. It's such a sunny south-facing window I had hoped it would suffice but I'm guessing not all will thrive here. Bummer.

    Yeah, I placed it outside in partial shade for about the last week and then only today it went into partial sun. Hope this little thing comes back. It was pretty until it met me. :-(

  • Sugi_C (Las Vegas, NV)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    .....and she's showing signs of life! She has little red bumps coming in all over.

    This is going to look awkward when the new leaves come in and the old ones that didn't drop off are still there, huh?

    {{gwi:482609}}

  • Colleen E
    11 years ago

    Yep, you've got babies beginning to grow on the stem! What I'd do now is remove those remaining leaves and, if you want, set them on dry soil until they produce roots and, ultimately, new plants. Just be careful not to bump the starts of babies growing on the stem; they'll probably be delicate and could easily be knocked off.

  • norma_2006
    11 years ago

    Good advise, and right on. Norma

  • Sugi_C (Las Vegas, NV)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Teatree,

    I could have sworn I replied to this, but apparently, it didn't go through!
    I did as you advised and then repotted into gritty mix -- and here is what it looks like today.
    {{gwi:5620}}

    I actually like this look a lot more than the original plant with its original leaves. :-D

    Thank you for helping me bring back this baby.

    Grace

  • Colleen E
    11 years ago

    Oh, good! Glad it has turned out so well. If the plant is perhaps Graptoveria 'Debbi,' my mother had one that went through a whacking experience like this a few years ago and now has produced 30+ babies off the chopped-off stem (removed from the stem when fairly grown). :)

  • Sugi_C (Las Vegas, NV)
    Original Author
    11 years ago

    Teatree, 'Debbi' looks very similar except that the original leaves on this were significantly longer instead of being compact like Debbi.

    I wonder what it looks like if I leave everything on the stem and continue letting it grow without rooting pups. I love this look! I'll update when it grows a bit more. Thanks again!

  • Sugi_C (Las Vegas, NV)
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here she is today!
    Hmm, in hindsight, the growth hasn't been rapid since my last post, but it is growing so that's a plus. I'm not sure what it intends do as far as final form, but so far, the previously poor succulent looks happy.

    {{gwi:482611}}

  • rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
    10 years ago

    Grace

    I think that's very good growing in less than 4 months.
    Little red bumps from March 1 turned into bunch of babies.

    Rina

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