We could get a much better picture of what is going on with some pictures or at least a description of why they are "looking terrible". Are the leaves mushy, shriveling, brown, black, drooping etc.?

Sometimes after re-potting some leaves may fall off from damaged roots or other stresses associated with handling during a re-pot. Also, coming from a BBS (big box store) they may have been in poor health to begin with and the re-pot just exacerbated the issue causing a faster decline in health.

I would not personally use old soil that has been open for time. It's an easy way to introduce pests to your plants. That is just my opinion - there are people out there who do it.

When using commercially sold cactus soil it is good practice to add 50% perlite to the mix. This helps with aeration and prevents future compaction of the soil around the root system.

-Erica

Hi Erica-

Here are photos... hopefully they help...

Aeoniums can last a while with no soil. I had some kiwi cutting is a cardboard box outside for several months and they grew roots in the box. The message is, if the Aeonium is in soggy soil, take it out and let it dry. The center still looks decent, so you could remove the yucky leaves, cut the stem so it is 1/2 to 1 inch long and let it callous a few days before planting. I've purchased $1 rejects at Lowe's and had them turn out to be beautiful plants.

Thank you Erica & Igteacher. I'll see if I can save the Aeonium & watch my watering amounts more closely. Igteacher, I'm also in zone 9b (I didn't even know what that meant until I started looking into saving my plants yesterday). Do you have luck growing succulents outdoors during the hot summer months? Also, are there any certain kinds you think do better in our weather? Especially for a newbie like me who's still learning.

If they are all in the same (or very similar) soil, it would be a good idea to change it for all.

Succulents are excellent plants for warm climates; some may not like very high temps (like aeoniums - they usually 'srivel' in heat and just wait, looking not-so-good, for bit cooler temps.) and very high humidity - but I am not sure if that applies to your zone. We have lots of ppl here from hot climates, growing many great succulents.

Some of the basic needs for succulents:

very well draining -not dirt, but potting mix :) - (if you are interested to find out about it, you can read a lot about 'soils' on this forum)

containers with drainage holes

lots of sunlight (some may prefer less)

good air circulation

some are winter-hardy, in your location more of them

It would also help if you search for each of your plants growing requirements to make sure they are similar - if potting different plants in same container.

emcruz, welcome to the world of xerophytic plants. They are by no means garden or houseplants, perhaps there are many varieties now cross bred and hybrid to a genus that is tolerable to our house or garden conditions, but for the most parts. Cacti and succulents love to be kept in high light, relatively cool (except the tropics) and dry.

The comment about "dirt is dirt & it didn't really matter as long as it's cactus soil" is probably the giveaway about the signs on why your plants are suffering. Most succulents grow in arid highland among dry and rocky terrain, especially the crassulaceae group have many species called stonecrops such as crassulas/sedums - which I see you have some growing in the community pot. It just won't make sense to use florida garden dirt to force these highlands adapted plants to grow into with the stress of humidity and strong sun.

I hope my explanation has shred some light on your question, and you have many great mentors here written very good pointers for you to take note.

Hope to see some updates and Happy Growing.

If my soil is the problem will it cause the plants too much stress to pull them out again after only a few days to report them? Except for the Aeonium which I'll follow igteacher's advice on.

No, it's more harmful to the plants to continue in improper soil (risking rot), than to simply remove them long enough to pot anew in more appropriate mix. The key is to do this DRY, don't water the mix & don't water the newly potted plants for 3-5 days at least.

Lena

Can anyone tell me how much of the previous soil I should be removing from the roots before placing them in the new soil? Everything I've read says just to shake or tickle it off a bit but many pictures I see on here show completely cleaned off roots as if they were cleaned in water? Is this necessary? Should I be soaking them or something?

Best is to remove all of it, especially if peat. Sometimes soil doesn't want to crumble off, so washing it off helps. If you reading tips/suggestions on this forum, that is the info you'll find - did you read any threads here? There are many with photos included.

I'm kinda just learning to get around on here & only after posting this did I did find a few threads on the subject. I've now spent the last hour reading all sorts of helpful info I found here on the subject. Love it!

emcruz

You'll find info here from 'plant/succulent geeks' :) Most of us are interested in growing plants well, and for a long time. No 'gimmicks' - even if many ideas you'll find on the net are great looking, many do not supply plants with what they really need. Good example is succulents in terrariums - they look good, but are definitely not good for succulents to grow well and for a long time.

There's definitely a lot more to it than I originally expected but I'm happy to learn if it results in beautiful plants!