Help! Unhappy succulents!

11 years ago

Help! My succulents don't look happy!

Their little 'leaves' keep breaking off with the slightest touch. I realise now, after some reading, that I have probably overwatered them and they may not be getting enough sun. I only planted them about 5 days ago.

I have them on pebbles, charcoal, moss and cacti/ succulent soil. Pictures attached! Are the pebbles up too high around them?

I will do what it takes to help them!

Featured Answer

rina_Ontario,Canada 5a

11 years ago

David is giving you excellent advise.
The set-up you got it in should be very temporary; take them all out & inspect - anything mushy & dead looking should be trimmed off. You could dust cut ends with cinnamon powder. Leave them sitting on some newspaper for a while to dry out (could be few days). Get some pots with drainage holes, some perlite (very easy to get in any store), bag of cacti & succulent soil. Mix the soil with perlite 50-50%. The pebbles look too large to be mixed in, but excellent to use as top dressing. Pot the plants & don't water for a while. Keep them in warm & bright place & they should start growing. Move into sunniest spot you have available (are they inside?). You can see the plant in lower left corner of your last photo is stretching for light, if not enough light, they all will be very leggy.
Top dress with the pebbles (they will support plants & keep the water off them somehow).
In the future, water only when top couple of inches of mix are dry - use wooden skewer, insert at least halfway into the pot. If it comes out dry, water.

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Comments (15)

tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
11 years ago
What kind of soil is under those pebbles? Does that container have drainage holes? From what I see there, they could have gone a week or so after potting without any water.

tj
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
11 years ago
What kind of moss?
Are all ingredients mixed together?
Plant in the center of your photo doesn't look well - too many 'soft' looking leaves (yellowish ones), and there seems to be dark/black center of rosette. Difficult to tell from your photo, but it looks overwatered to me.
Pebbles would not be too high, more important is what is underneath them.
Well draining mix & light/sun are necessary for succulents.
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holliescruton
Original Author
11 years ago
It was a gift and there are no drainage holes. I was told it was a layer of pebbles, a layer of charcoal, layer of sphagnum moss and then soil (the soil is called 'cacti and succulent soil'.

Should I move them to a new new pot with drainage holes? There is a chance they'd been in under watered before I got them and now I have overwatered them. Most of the plants are still stiff: what would you guys recommend I do?
holliescruton
Original Author
11 years ago
Here are better photos
DavidL.ca
11 years ago
Need to be repotted asap to hopefully save some of them. The one in the middle is sadly 90% a goner, rotting seems to have gone to the new growths of the plant already.
Succulents can not be in containers without drainage hole, and also make sure you look up a good soil mix for succs here on this forum, helped me immensely since I started growing succulents.
The Sedums will probably make it, Echeverias are very prone to sitting in wet soil. Best of luck!
holliescruton thanked DavidL.ca
holliescruton
Original Author
11 years ago
Rina - so I should trim the roots before dusting with cinnamon?
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
trim of any roots that are 'mushy' - black & slimy = rotten.
You may not have any damaged, I am (as David first suggested) only suggesting to inspect since they have been in planter without drainage holes. Don't trim off healthy roots.
Cinnamon dusting is suggested on fresh cuts because it is considered good fungicide. There are others available. And it is not absolutely necessary, but may help.
holliescruton
Original Author
11 years ago
last modified: 11 years ago
Thanks Rina. I did as you said and have replanted them in a pot with drainage holes and with cacti/succulent soil and perlite. The roots were nice and dry. Will put them in a sunny spot tomorrow. How long until I water them?
holliescruton
Original Author
11 years ago
Another photo
mag107
11 years ago
Hello, don't water again till they are dry, they thrive on neglect...
holliescruton
Original Author
11 years ago
The soil and roots are dry? Or do you mean it needs to be like bone dry?
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
11 years ago
Sunny spot - is it inside or outside?
(The reason I am asking is that you don't want to shock them by going into much stronger sunlight suddenly.)
I would wait 1-2 weeks before watering - was potting mix moist, or did you water at all when re-potting?.
mag107
11 years ago
Hi again I use a moisture meter to take out the guess work, it can be dry as the desert on top and wet at the bottom.
They don't need batteries and are cheap to buy and very easy to use, check the moisture level at a glance.
I've had mine for years now...
holliescruton
Original Author
11 years ago
The sunny spot is inside. The potting mix was moist, but from the bag. I didn't water them when repotting. (Also, Mag, I may look into a moisture meter).