What is wrong with my Succulents?

10 years ago

Help. All of my succulents seem to be in trouble. Attached is a picture of just one. I live in San Fernando Valley and plants are in partial shade. All of them either have rust looking leaves or as you can see below, look like something is eating it. Any help? Don't think I am over watering.

Featured Answer

grabmebymyhandle

10 years ago

A rodent!
Hands down!

Mouse rat squirrel rabbit etc.
You can see the teeth marks very distinctive.

I'm guessing because if your location that the plant are in ground, if not, get em up off the ground! In grounds tough.

You could try to cage them with chicken wire, looks great!
Probably wont be small enough holes to keep em out anyway

I hear hot pepper works, but I can't attest to it personally.

There's other stuff you can put down to deter critters, not sure if that'll work on rodents or not.

Or you dug pitfall traps and catch one, assuming it small enough, just dig a hole deep enough to fit a vessel in, a vase, deep cup or bowl or even a five gallon bucket, they'll stumble in at night.
Leave the trap dry to catch and release, add water to make it fatal.

You might actually try putting out water for the little guys, I bet it's dry there now huh?
They probably just need a drink and a juicy succulent will do!

Good luck!

Comments (13)

mikehx
Original Author
10 years ago
Another plant pict. Note the large hole in one of the leaves on left. Sure seems to me something is eating it but I don't see any insects
bikerdoc5968 Z6 SE MI
10 years ago
Who did you invite to the buffet? Looks like damage from critters... but then????
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kathi_mdgd
10 years ago
pick up some of those rocks and see if you have slugs.I don't think it's snails as I don't see any snail snot anywhere.Then again that's a lot of damage,even for slugs.And the mystery continues,hope you find what's causing it.
Good luck
Kathi
cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
10 years ago
Or one of those catch-and-release traps, if you're feeling humane. Peanut butter (crunchy or smooth) is the preferred rodentia bait, hands down, for almost any kind of trap you use. I agree too, that's too extensive and too fast for anything else (slug, snail).
Crenda 10A SW FL
10 years ago
We have fought palm rats forever! So far they have stayed with eating fruit and chewing through my screens to get to the bird food. (yuck!) Haven't noticed them on my succulents - except for this mummified guy in some purslane! No idea how he got there, or when he croaked. Freaked me out.
cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
10 years ago
However, nicely-defined-while-rotted outline, you got to admit.
grabmebymyhandle
10 years ago
Yea that's a hell of a pic there...

I don't like the humane havahart style traps, it's just soo much trouble getting the right size for an unknown creature.

I'd act fast, or you may not have any plants left to eat.

Putting out some water is the easiest fastest think to try, I bet it works.
lcadena
10 years ago
I'm by no means any kind of expert, but about two weeks ago, I noticed that two of my pots, one that had six little cacti and a bigger one that had four succulents, kept having over turned dirt and the plants were uprooted. I was curious why only those two when I have at least sixty potted plants. Neither plant was near each other. I thought at first maybe a cat, but there was no feces. I sprinkled red chili powder and black pepper on top of the soil and have not had it happen again. I hope I have not caused damage to the plants and have not watered either one since.
grabmebymyhandle
10 years ago
Na, the pepper won't bother the plants one little bit.

That sounds like more rodent work to me, if that was here, 50/50 shot there's an acorn at the bottom of that hole.
mikehx
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks everyone. We do have roof rats and squirrels hanging around as we have a bird feeder. Didn't know they liked succulents. Maybe it is them. I will try the red pepper cure and see if that helps. Thanks!
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
10 years ago
I had very similar damage (luckily, much less), and caught chipmunk in the act...they are pretty small. Dig everywhere.
puglvr1
10 years ago
OMG! Crenda...that picture is pretty freaky, think I would have screamed loud enough for the neighbors to cal 911,lol... Thank goodness I've never encountered one of those in my many years of gardening...and hope I never do!