Hi Nucleaire & Bienvenu,

Pls. DO NOT put this in a glass of water, likely to rot it quickly. Almost any kind of mix will do, except one heavy in peat. I'd try a cactus & succulent mix, w/ added perlite, pumice or coarse sand.

Sans. generally are not fragile plants & will not be damaged by drying out somewhat (their fleshy leaves hold their water reserves). They're much more likely to be damaged by overwatering (or being kept in water).

Since you say yours has roots, I'd say you can pot it up now, but since it's not yet Spring, I'd only water it lightly. Also, don't give it a pot much bigger than the size of the roots.

For further info. on mixes, care, etc. pls. read around this forum, especially the thread, called "What did I do wrong" as it discusses mixes in a bit more detail.

Pls. know that these are pretty rugged, sturdy plants, not so easy to damage unless w/ too much water. Bonne chance!

Dear Bruno,

Your welcome for the quick answer, I'm here in Brooklyn, a part of New York City.

Pls. don't pot it up yet, let it dry out more than overnight. Drying out even for one week will not hurt this plant. Pls. re-read what I wrote above, that they can take drying out quite well, but not staying too wet.

Also, did you read the thread (other discussion) I suggested, where it speaks about mixes (kinds of dirt)? Sand alone will not be good for this plant. I did give suggestions above, but sand alone was not one of them.

I will try to answer here what you wrote me privately (may also be useful to other people as well).

Different plants need different conditions & to learn this it helps to try & learn where different plants come from. Your example of Bromeliads are tropical plants which love humidity, that's why they can do OK in just water.

Sans. plants, while many do grow in the tropics, do not like high humidity, so putting them in water is a bad idea. Sans. plants are succulents (which can store water for a long time). If you've lost several other Sans. plants from root rot I suggest you are giving it too much water, that tends to be the cause of root rot.

Succulents in general can usually recover from long periods of being dry, but can rarely recover from periods of being too wet as they tend to rot. This also means that like other succulents, Sans plants should be watered less often than houseplants, like maybe only once every 10 days, especially during winter.

No, I don't think the plant is too small to survive, I just think you need to learn the proper care for it. I have had success w/ pups (young plantlets) smaller than that, tho' it does take time. Too much water, too frequent watering & pot size too large can all contribute to or cause root rot.

Leave it out to dry for at least 5 days, pls. do not plant it tommorow. Then plant it in some mix as I suggested above, or older houseplant mix recycled from other plants, adding perlite or coarse sand (not fine sand, not beach sand) in a very small pot, shouldn't be much larger than the plant & its root. Pls. be sure the pot has a drainage hole at the bottom. Then only water it lightly once and wait at least 7-10 days before watering it again. This will be fine for the plant, watering it more than I am suggesting may cause it to rot. I would not put it on the radiator. While bottom heat can help, there are too many variables to consider like if the radiator gets too hot, how much sunlight the plant is getting, those factors could damage the plant too. Also, pls. try to keep it out of direct sunlight, best to give it bright, but indirect light.

I grow 12-15 diferent kinds of Sans. most of which I have started & rooted from a leaf or 2. I do not have bottom heat for them & they root well & do fine without it, just sometimes take a long time. Patience in doing this is also helpful, tho' I know sometimes it's difficult to be patient, especially when excited about new plants.

Allez lentement mon ami & avec patience (pardon mon Franise avec les errors, je manque l'opportunité por practiquer.) Encore, bonne chance.

Karen

Hi Bruno,

While I consider the rest of your private EM, I'll post a some suggestions. I was going to suggest w/ 50% humidity in your home (as you mentioned in your private EM) maybe you should grow things other than Sans, but I see on your member page that you grow other succulents. W/ such high humidity, you probably other plants w/ these problems. I would think your environment is much more suited to tropicals & houseplants, not succulents.

For this plant in particular, can you get clay pots (like unglazed terra cotta)? That would be much better than plastic pots if high humidity is a problem, the terra cotta would absorb some of the water away from the roots & might help avoid rot.

Also, I would stop using houseplant mix & use the mix I suggested, cactus & succulent mixes, which have either less peat or no peat. Otherwise, if you can get pumice or volcanic rock, or even maybe the kinds of rocks used for some orchids (or even, this is a guess - orchid bark), I'd try those substances. I'd try to avoid mixes w/ dirt or 'ground' as you called it. If you haven't watered since Oct. & the plaants are still wet, I don't know what to suggest except stop using mix w/ soil.

Thanks abt the French, mine is far too rusty for me to read EM in French, but you're kind to offer.

I'm still thinking abt the rest of what you wrote. Good luck w/ the Sans.

Karen