What type of soil is it potted in? It looks pretty wet. :(

Some "cactus" potting soil! Guy at the store said its fine for succulents. Doesn't look like it. And it's kind of dark by nature. I haven't watered it in a week now. But it must be the darker soil. You can see the difference in the old soil and the dark stuff around the edges.

If it was doing better before, in a sunnier location, I'd switch it back to that spot. :)

Want the A-Z guide or not?

It looks like it might be suffering from root rot since the tips are the healthiest part. You could try cutting some of the ends and letting them callous over and then see if they send out new roots. Also, succulents prefer to be in smaller pots than most plants ... Bigger pot, more soil, more moisture, more risk for root rot.

Soil is definitely not okay.... C&S soil that big box stores or some nurseries sell are not good enough for succulents in the long run, there's still too much organic and peat moss in there, the acidity is not right and too water-retentive. Amend it with 50% perlite, or even better find some grit and turface to add to the soil mix. You can also try the "Gritty Mix" that many people swear by. Also, these love sun, so the more you can give the better (watch out for burns if you give it too much sun too soon)

David- haven't seen you on the forum I a while. Good to know you're "still out there." Have a great one..i'm off to the cactus sale in an hour.

Neil

Thanks everyone!

Ok, so shrivelling means not enough water? What if I was already watering once a week? Could it have been root rot? What are the signs of root rot in this plant? This is the second plant I've lost to shrivelling. The first plant was given to me by someone who grew it from their very healthy and happy plant. Not sure what kind of soil it was. This one I planted in C&S soil (yes I know, not great soil - but it's what I had). Both plants seem to have had the same fate - shrivelling pearls starting at the soil.

This baby has a few good strings and pearls left so I'd really like to save it if I can.

flowerhope -

Please start your own thread instead of resurrecting 5 old threads. You are likely to get better responses - all in one place and easier to follow. It will be much easier for folks to help you, too.

Tell us what zone you are in and roughly where.
Post a picture illustrating the problem as well as the entire plant.
Tell us how often you water.
What soil, substrate have you used for the plant?
Do you have drainage holes in the pot?
What kind of light does the plant receive?

This will give us all a better chance to help you. And you will have a nice thread to bookmark with all of your answers and suggestions in one place.

I look forward to seeing your plant. And welcome to the forum!!

What may be happening is the roots have rotted away, which is preventing the plant from absorbing water, and now the pearls are slowly drying out from the soil line outwards ..... I would see whether or not the strands pass the "tug test", and/or take it out of the pot and visually inspect the roots ..... If the roots are damaged as I suspect, then you can trim off any bad sections and lay the strands on the surface of the soil to attempt to get them to root again ....... I would mist only, don't water, until it has reestablished the root system ...... Succulents will send out roots in search of a water source as a survival mechanism, so you want to keep the soil on the drier side while rooting

So, why do some strings die and others not? I noticed when I was buying this plant some of the ones on sale had some die out, but most of the plant was good. As I have mine longer the same thing is happening! YiKs!

Because certain roots that affect that part of the plant die off...

This of the root system as a spinal nerves in humans where all the nerves affect every part of your body. Depending on what nerve is damaged will determine whether there is pain, motor function, or tissue death..