So very dramatic. Enjoy, and realize how seriously I take the smallest, two dollar things.
I’m never too sure why a plant decides to croak when it does.
I’m no horticulturist, and whatever green thumb I have is only based on genetic luck-of-the-draw. When a healthy plant suddenly goes sour without obvious cause, I’m usually mystified.
Earlier this summer, I brought home a new succulent (the shot glass-sized plant dwarfed by a leafy, thriving monster that I highlighted over in this post):
Shadowed, it stayed in it’s tiny plastic Home Depot container for a month (or more) after I bought it. Tight-rooted, but it was watered normally and thriving. I recently upgraded it’s housing to a custom-made portland cement planter that was deeper, wider, and all-in-all, gave those baby succulent roots some room to spread out and get comfy. (You’ve seen this picture before, over yonder.)
It was only within a few days of the transplant that I noticed that it had crashed and burned. Every leaf had tumbled off, still green. It was like nothing I had ever seen before from the ordinarily rough-and-tough breed (Or species? Or genus?).
I thought succulents could withstand anything from the blazing Texan sun to nuclear war.
So… what was going wrong?
1) It was receiving the same amount of sunlight it had before,
2) It was in fresh potting soil,
3) It was potted in portland cement, which every other DIY tutorial had recommended,
4) And that planter had several holes drilled in the base to allow for drainage.
5) I hadn’t over-watered, I hadn’t under-watered, I hadn’t given it any beverage beyond water.
Despite reading endlessly that succulents and concrete go together like peanut butter and jelly, circling in my mind was something my Dad said recently, about how if a plant isn’t classified as a foundation plant (a plant that would thrive living nearby the perimeter, the foundation, of your house), it might get all choked up with the lime in cement. (And right there’s some of the genetic green thumb I attained.) With that thought, I’ve been watching the mighty mighty leafy plant for signs of unhappiness, not considering for a minute that the youthful succulent would be the one who got axed.
Clueless, I’ve been reading up on succulent root rot with as much interest as I read The Baby Sitter’s Club circa 1994, and decided to try a few things.
I’ll tell you now, it’s too early to know if any of this is going to actually work. Suggestions based on similar experience are appreciated.
In the instance that the potting soil I used was aggravating the plant, I carefully removed the succulent from the cement, inspected the roots (which appeared healthy), cleaned them thoroughly with water, and repotted in the same cement planter with some of the clean topsoil that was delivered a few days ago (and mixed it with a little bit of beach sand for good measure as advised by many of the succulent specialists).
Note: I photographed the weakling next to a thriving succulent in the house, one which appears to be dropping a leaf; this is the more common succulent death I’m familiar with, but every leaf had fallen from the baby succulent green as could be.
I also potted it a bit deeper this time; word on the internet is that succulents are really quick to re-root, so I attempted to get the base of the plant deep within so that it might root from the existing stems.
Two-thirds of the stems show little potential; I’m only mildly optimistic because there are also a few little pops of green at the tip of each.
The third stem still shows promise, with at least an inch of greenery and a single leaf appearing stabilized.
Thanks for hearing my side of the story.
Help a girl out if you have any tricks up your sleeve. Or if you’ve seen this before. Or if there’s something I can do to prevent all of my other succulents from facing the same death.
9 Comments
I have had issues with succulents as well – I thought they were made for me since I often forget to water plants. I have purchased MANY over the years and lets just say that I still don’t have MANT alive lol. I attempted to make a terrarium from a glass container with a lid (for inside on a side table) within a week the little guys started to die. I took it outside and just left it (until I had the time to do something with it) and it now sits on our front porch on a table thriving! I water maybe once every two weeks? My grandmother has some of the ones that look like “rubber roses” and she’s got them down pat – she does leave at the beach so her soil is more sandy. Best of luck! I think I worry too much over them – they are easy peasy – just forget about them and they thrive lol
Sounds like you’re exactly like every one else who’s had succulent trauma! Both overwatering and lack of sandier soil came up high on the list of why people couldn’t keep succulents thriving. It’s too bad that I love having them in the house (on the center of the table just like you mention with your terrarium)… even without watering so regularly, it’s advised for them to have lots and lots of sunlight (and my dining table doesn’t get quite enough :( ).
I have always had a hard time with succulents, especially jades. I have a freaking jungle in my house that is thriving, but the succulents always have a hard time. I’ve managed to keep three alive and kicking this past year and the only thing I did differently was to completely ignore them until the “leaves” start getting a little soft, wilty and squishy. Then I water them (and I’ve always read that luke warm water should be used) a bit and they perk right back up. I’ve been watering every couple weeks and it seems to be working. Also, they’re all in ceramic pots, but not sure how much of a difference that makes.
Good to know! I’m not sure I ever paid attention to the water temp, but I usually don’t let them get to that wilty point (so maybe I overwatered the little guy upon transplant?). In any case, I have one sole Jade that seems to be thriving – it’s my “welcome to Rochester” jade that I wrote about here. If only I could get it to grow out and not just up. Haha.
I currently have the same problem with my succulent, which after a quick Google search is how I arrived on your blog. Obviously I don’t have a solution, since mine is looking mighty twiggy, but I’ve been told that succulents are quite seasonal. After a bit of research, I learned that you aren’t supposed to transplant of fertilize during their dormant winter months, only in the spring/summer growing months. I transplanted mine in the dead of winter so that’s perhaps the issue? Like I said, I don’t really know what I’m doing (I don’t even have a green thumb in my genetics!), but I thought I’d pass along the info in case it helps solve your problem! Best of luck!
Cheers,
Chelsea
Welllll… that might explain why I’m losing succulents left and right now, despite watering and using special soil. Thanks for bringing that tip to my attention!
I know this was initially posted some years ago…you used potting soil. Potting soil is the wrong growing medium for succulents. Commercially available cactus soil mix usually works well, but if you want to put together your own, a standard mix is usually:
1 part garden soil
1 part coarse builder’s sand
1 part peat moss
It also looks like the soil is too moist.
I’m currently struggling to keep a stem alive. I gifted a baby I propagated to a friend. And over the course of two months, every leaf fell off. there are only a few buds left at the tip of the stem. Did any of the methods you used work?
The only thing I’ve found that works is… never water. And then if it really needs water and they’re getting wrinkly, just a few drops of water. I still have bad luck with succulents, however I do have a few that have been in TINY clay pots for 5+ years (from my wedding!) and those are thriving. I think the problem here was the concrete I used in my planters so if yours are planted in a “toxic” container that might be worth considering.