Hi i am a Newbie. My mother in law got me into Succulents. She gave me a few and i have been able to propogate. BUT after doing some research i feel like my plants are not thriving as well as i would like them to. I mainly have Echeverias and Jades. They are sprouting babies but the actual mother plants are losing alot of leaves and starting to stretch.

I have some outside under a west facing patio and some indoors.

The ones outside get about 4 hours of direct light and the rest of the day are in bright light shade. I have been watering them about once a week thoroughly wetting the soil. By the next week the soil is always dry. We have had quite a hot summer and still have begun to feel any cool weather. It also rained alot this summer although the plants never got rained on but i am sure experienced a humid mist.

The indoor plants are in West and East window sills. (I dont have any South facing windows). They are the ones stretching out the most. I water them every week also. They also shed dead leaves but not as much.

The MAIN PROBLEM im having is ALL the Echeverias have developed a Powdery White/Grey layer. At first it was only a little bit so i didnt think it was bad but now it has spread throughout the plant and to almost all the Echeverias. I have done some reading and have seen that it could either be a Mold which is bad or something normal they produce as a sun protection.

If anyone has ANY info u can share with me i would really appreciate it. Especially if u also live in South Florida (Miami) and have had succuess or just any advice in growing Succulents in this Humid Hot Tropical Climate.

My questions would be:
Where is the best to place them inside and outside?
What is your soil mixture? (If u live in S.Fl)
Do u water from the top or bottem?
How much sun should they get? (Echeveria and Jades)
If its raining alot should i still water them?
Is it true they need a windy spot?
If my plants have Mold/Mildew how should i treat them?
What does Root Rot look like?

Im new to Succulents and have a new passion for them and would like to learn as much as possible so my plants can thrive in South Florida Climate

I look foward to your Advice!
Thanks
Bea