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Echeveria (i think) help

13 years ago

Hey all...not sure what to do with this plant ....Im only guessing its echeveria.I dont know for sure ..I almost killed it in a smaller pot with no drainage and repotted it last spring/ summer in its current pot with what Im pretty sure is orchid or cactus soil. .the bottom leaves are dead and its growing in a weird upward shape as you can see. but parts do look really healthy ..Is it a matter of sun,soil water ,fertilizer ? any ideas tips recommendations? Should I repot the baby plants that sprouted? thanks :)

(Dont mind that big leaf in the pic to the left its from something else im killing i mean growing lol)

Comments (6)

  • 13 years ago

    Hi,

    Sorry but the weird, upright growth is the plant reaching desperately for additional light (we call this etiolation). Not something that can be fixed another way & that growth will not revert back to normal.

    This pot is too big for this plant & the additional soil put it at risk of rot if not carefully watered. That mix looks pretty peaty, I'd switch it to something w/ much faster drainage & lots more perlite or pumice. Perhaps do some reading here on recommended mixes for succulents (Unfortunately, not the usual bagged C&S stuff).

    FYI: we generally advocate removing all dead leaves & dying leaf debris as it'll prevent them from rotting there & also gives insects less places to hide, just so you know.

    I agree it's an Ech of some kind, hard to say which. Echeverias generally want full sun & as much as possible, which makes them pretty hard to grow indoors (from my experience). Again, sorry.

  • 13 years ago

    Hey thanks for the quick response :) I just purchased a grow light thingy for seeds could i repot the babies and use that as winter light until summer or is different light needed for plants than seeds Tahnks again for all the info :)

  • 13 years ago

    You're welcome for the info.

    Sorry, I'm not familiar w/ lights, so let's wait for someone else to tackle that, OK?

  • 13 years ago

    Any extra light you can give it will help.

    Clean it up as pirate_girl said above, repot into smaller pot with well-draining soil: you need some grit in it (not sand); at least perlite mixed in with potting soil and don't overwater. Don't get rid of the biggest/taller plant (you said - repot the babies - but repot all). It will be nice plant - sorry, I don't know proper name.

    I keep all my succulents in the windows & under lights until they can go outside - they are still etiolated, but considerably less than yours.
    Attached photo may be same plant, I am not sure, I do not have proper name for it. You can see some 'bare' stems where some dried leaves were removed. It will look much more compact once it gets much more sun (but the long bare stems will stay the same as pirate_girl already mentioned; they may grow some little babies one day (there are few tiny ones outlined in black in the photo).
    You can search for help with the better soil mixes for succulents on this forum, try typing soil mix for succulents or something similar into search box on top of this page.

    There is lots of great info here if you are willing to read some...good luck.
    Rina

  • 13 years ago

    Thank you pirategirl and rina I appreciate all the help. I'll give repotting a try with your suggestions. I might of had the pot lower than a window at some point so maybe thats why its so etiolated.Its now level in my sunniest windowsill Im near pirate girl near the city so im not expecting much.. just something to do. im going stir crazy waiting for spring. Thanks again :)

  • 13 years ago

    That species needs a lot of light to show well, and form, Most are from Mexico grow in dry harsh climates and soil, if you water them less, it will grow tighter and show better and less leaves will drop. If you choose to restart the plant do it in the hot months, I cut off the top leaving only 2 inchs of stem and set up in an empty pot small enough that the leaves will hold it up with no soil, new roots will form, then I set it in damp soil and water in in to settle down the soil. Fresh soil, does a plant wonders it gives them a jump start. Make sure they have roots before you water any plant or it just may croak. This species likes a dryer soil, but when you do water make sure you water twice until the water runs out of the bottom. Don't water ungain until dry, here in So. Calif, we water only once a week, they can go with out water for a few days depending on the size of the pot. This species will not like Peat added to the soil if you live in the Eastern states. Norma