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keiko_lcl

Help! What happened to my succulent?

9 years ago

I recently joined the trend of growing succulents in terrariums and I am new to growing succulents.

My sister accidentally left the plants out in the full sun for a day and the smaller succulent turned pink/leaves became limp. The larger succulent has also turned from cool blue-green to this green.

Newly bought on 1 May:

On 24 May:

How can I nurse both back to health? :'( Would placing them in an aircon room beside a window with direct sunlight work better? I live in a tropical country with high humidity and temperature.

Also, what are the breed/type names of my succulents?

Please help!

Comments (11)

  • 9 years ago

    get them out and give them a proper pot. They cook overthere.

    Harry

    keiko_lcl thanked hablu
  • 9 years ago

    "Trend" indeed. They can't live in there. Put them in proper, well-draining cactus soil in proper pots with holes in the bottom. Or you could simply replace the plants as they die. Because that's what plants in trendy terrariums do; it's a temporary arrangement, not a permanent houseplant.

    keiko_lcl thanked Danielle Rose
  • 9 years ago

    Can anyone help me to identify the exact names of my succulents so that I can look up on specific care instructions please?

  • 9 years ago

    @rina_Ontario, for good light, should it be under direct sunlight or just in a brightly lit room?

  • 9 years ago

    It's lovely & I can understand its appeal. Unfortunately, this trend is disastrous & bound to fail.

    What the trendsetters don't know (as said above) is that succulents need really good drainage & air circulation, neither of which are available in terrarium. So it almost doesn't matter what the specific names are, as even if treated well this very situation compromises its possibilities, sorry, but enough of us have said it, you see we're all agreed on this.

    These appear to be two different kinds of Echeverias.

    Lena

    keiko_lcl thanked lmontestella
  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    You can keep them in that container, but you're going to have to be a lot more careful than you would in a more traditional environment. A couple things.

    - Pink isn't always bad! Quite a few succulents can develop a pink tint around the outer rim of their leaves when they get a lot of sun, however, be careful of beige, brown, black, grey, etc.. The difference between a healthy and happy pink and an unhappy color is pretty obvious when you see it.

    - The rocks are a dicey move. To keep the container I'd recommend switching the soil to a well draining cactus soil and mixing in some of those small rocks to give it extra drainage. Without a drainage hole in the bottom you're going to have to be extremely careful to not over water, too.

    - Like Lena said, succulents need really good drainage and air circulation, otherwise they're going to rot. These plants are built to survive droughts (but they are not cacti - under watering can cause harm as well). The way they do this is they suck up and store all the water they possibly can. Too much water means they will bloat up until they pretty much turn to jelly and die. If you lived in an arid environment and payed very close attention to these guys, you could get away with this container, but still probably not worth the headache.

    - That container is great for other things! Especially if you really like the rocks you could consider putting a big air plant in there (as long as you're good with regular care). While it can be done like this, wouldn't it be more fun to increase your number of plants and give each one a container they'll truly thrive in, without a lot of headache?

    - Ditto to Lena, again! Looks like Echeveria varieties. Of note, these are ones where some healthy pink / red around the outer leaves might not be bad. The one on the right might be Echeveria Halbingeri and the one on the left might be an Echeveria Huffs Pink or Blue Cloud. These plants especially like full sun (careful of burning from intense afternoon sun, depending on where you live), and if they get enough sun you may notice them turning a healthy rosey around the edges!

    keiko_lcl thanked amelia_irene
  • 9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I would like to see keiko updating this post - can we possibly see how the plants are doing?

  • 9 years ago

    These should survive just fine in the material they're planted in now -- looks like maybe lava rock or something similiar?? -- especially given Keiko's humid tropical location. They just need a pot with drainage holes and a good watering schedule (as others previously mentioned). I'm also hoping for an update...

  • 9 years ago

    Thank you for all the comments, they definitely helped a beginner :) @rina @Liz sadly, one of the plants rotted right after I posted for help... I've since re-potted the remaining echeveria in a pot with drainage holes, but it seems to be stretching as I don't quite know if I should put it in direct sunlight again. Here's a photo of it in its new 'home' (I put it in the sunlight for a photo). Its lovely shape when I first bought it seems to be gone, but I hope it is now growing well...

  • 9 years ago

    Sorry about one dying, this one should grow well for you. Just don't overwater :)

    Sunlight will be good, but make sure you introduce it to it slowly - start with dappled shade and move gradually into more and more light. Putting it directly in full sun will likely cause burn. Previous problem was the enclosed container.

    keiko_lcl thanked rina_Ontario,Canada 5a