Take them out of their pots, work the soil until it's not compacted, repot and don't press down.

Also, what do you mean by dirt? I hope you're not using dirt from the ground outside.

also, it would help you to take a little bit and read through this:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/2805869/container-soils-water-movement-and-retention-xxi?n=57

I meant soil, no not dirt from the ground. Store bought soil.

Thanks for the speedy reply as I am very worried about what I did. How do I keep a plant from falling over? Attached is a picture of the one I am very worried about, it was in a 4" clay pot and growing like mad so I moved it to a 6" plastic pot with the same type of draining. It began to droop and this morning was all the way over. I have been trying to keep it from falling one way but then it leans in the opposite direction. THANKS!!

Plants should not be in 'the dirt' - dirt is something that goes into garbage...Nothing personal, many ppl use the word 'dirt' but that is not correct.

That 'droopy' plant seems to be succulent & I think I see few more there. All your plants would benefit from potting mix that drains well. They won't do well at all as they are and many will likely die - especially succulents. And they are growing quite week - from lack of light and too much water. That's why they are falling over.

Please read the posts in link Dave provided.

Point taken!

"There is no magic soil that will eliminate the need for good watering skills."

Nobody ever said there was, it's only you showing this never-ending need to state, overstate & repeat the obvious.

(pls. disregard these comments, part of no longer existent conversation)

Lena (after-the-fact)

newbyish - how compacted is the mix? Did you really ram it down or just firm it a bit around the roots? What happens when you water the plants? Does water come out the bottom of the pot? Does it pool on the surface? Or does it just drain through at a reasonable rate?

After potting a plant that doesn't want to stand up, a few rocks around the base can help (or any object that can prop up the stem.) I'm not a fan of staking.

Rina and Tapla,

The succulents are in front of a window that brings in quite a bit of sun. They are over watered as I got a moisture meter yesterday to get a handle on what I am doing in that category. I am afraid to take the succulents out of their pots for fear of breaking off limbs, etc. Especially the plant you see in the picture that is falling. The soil is mostly regular soil.

Flora_uk,

The soil was pressed down near the stem as well as the rest of the pot(s). I have been trying to loosen the soil a little at a time, gently with my fingers. Should I add cactus soil as I do this? I am not sure what else to do given this one succulent is not strong enough to pull out of the pot right now. I am afraid the stems will break off.

Tiffany,

Staking scares me too since I fear hitting roots but the pictured succulent just wants to lay down. I have put all sorts of rocks and things at the base but I think the plant is top heavy. I am in the process of letting all the plants dry down to their suggested moisture level.

Thank you everyone. I appreciate your input!

Newbyish,

Respectfully, pls. try to get over your fear, these are not fragile or delicate plants.

Out in nature, they have no one to give them such tender loving care (TLC) & they survive just fine. They may drop & fall where they are, root or not, get trampled on by cattle, livestock, they'll right themselves as they can & root & grow w/ minimal damage.

Whatever limbs or roots you break will re-grow just fine. These aren't newborn babies & NOWHERE as delicate as you seem to think. I PROMISE (been doing this 15 yrs.+)

The 1st Graptopetalum I ever grew I found in FLA growing btwn 2 rocks, no soil anywhere near. It survived a flight back to NYC in luggage, went on to grow just fine.

Pls. be brave, take a deep breath & lift out the plant as needed. Like ripping off a bandage, stop thinking abt it & just do it. You'll have a harder time gardening if you don't get past this.

Lena

N - you might find this overview of good growing practices to be helpful. Growing can be very easy if you take a little time to make sure you have the basics covered. A good potting medium, good light, a controlled watering and fertilizing regimen is about all you need; and the best place to start is a good medium.

Let me know what you think.

Al