Thank you! I suspected soil was related. When I bought the succulent, I was told that it was planted in special succulent soil - guess I will need to look into that more. I most likely will not be able to purchase the perlite and succulent soil for a few days... what can I do to help the succulent now? Can I put the plant next to the window right away? I thought I read that you should slowly acclimate a succulent to new light conditions.

I'd suggest correcting the soil is more important at this point than improving the light.

I'd crumble off any dry, brittle, crunchy roots off the bottom there. Then sprinkle some cinnamon on the roots, shake it off to knock off the excess. It acts as an anti-fungal & helps prevent rot.

I am going to repot the succulent today...thanks everyone. How many leaves should I be concerned with falling off? Is the plant as good as dead if all the bottom leaves come off?

That succulent should be able to survive a lot more than losing a few leaves... I assume you will probably lose a couple in the transplanting, but if leaves start falling left and right (like 1 a day), THEN you can be concerned.

The leaves are wrinkling more and more every day... two look like they may fall off today! I purchased the perlite and looked for the cactus and succulent soil, but the store was sold out of it. I purchased some African violet soil because I read that it can be used with some succulents, so will that work? Also, what should I do if the roots don't improve after replanting?

And does anyone know what type of succulent it is specifically?

It could be an aeonium. I really only am good at identifying jades, simply because they are mostly all I grow.

3 leaves have fallen off today....I'm very worried about the succulent and not sure if it will make it at this point. Almost all of the bottom leaves have come off, reducing its size by pretty much half.

If you are really concerned, you could pull off a couple healthy leaves and try to root them, but that will stress the plant even more.

Concerning the ID, It will be really hard to find an exact match, since there are A LOT of Echeveria species and hybrids. Also, a healthy plant makes a huge difference when correctly identifying.

Thank you...will the african violet soil and perlite work for replanting? As I said before, the store was sold out of succulent soil. Just want to know if that is ok before replanting.

That should work.

K M

I agree with palms, it is Echeveria, perhaps agavoides.

I can't advice you on using African violet soil since I don't use any soil for succulents; but many will mix cactus&succulent or African violet soil with lots of perlite (50/50) and it seems to be working for them.

Some leaves may start yellowing if not enough water, and very low light doesn't help. It should be on a windowsill, not few feet away from the window, and depending on where you are even that may not be sufficient.

If leaves are yellowing from over-watering, they usually fell quite soft, may even mush, and also could look almost translucent because of too much water. With so many leaves falling off since you posted (not even a week?), I would suspect over-watering. But you said that there was about 2 weeks between watering, so it is confusing. BUT, watering every 2 weeks could be too much if wrong soil.

I am gathering that the damaged roots have just not been able to get the water to the leaves. It doesn't seem like the roots rotted though, as they're dry and brittle. Wonder what happened to them? Anyways, hoping that the new soil helps the plant get back on track. Is there anything else I should do to stimulate root growth?

If dry & brittle they are likely dead. Karen already suggested that in her post. If roots are dead, plant should not be watered. No roots - no water :)

Succulents will often regrow roots. It needs to be potted into better mix and left alone - no checking if any roots by pulling it out again and again. It could take a while, so patience if needed.

Repotting the plant now. The first picture shows the super wrinkled leaves that have fallen off, the second shows the significantly smaller now plant, and the third shows the stem, which looks sort of brown. I sprinkled the cinnamon as suggested, am repotting with the perlite mixture, and will put the plant back on the south-facing windowsill. At what point should I water again? I know that I need to let the plant settle into its new soil and grow its roots, but how do I know to water once it has done that?

I recommend watering from below. Its a more efficient way to water succulents, but dont water it for a while after you repot the plant, maybe mist the soil a bit as you plant it but that about it. dont want mold. wait until the leaves stop shriveling and water about once a month, sometimes more in the summer. Also keep the plant out of direct light for a while after repotting as it doesn't have established roots yet.

also i recommend rotating the plant every so ofter to make sure the plant doest start growing sideways, escheverias like to lean towards the light if you let them, idk about your species but all of mine have to be rotated every other week or so during the growing season otherwise they start to lean.

If not too late, pot it up DRY & do not water it in.

Pls try to let go concerns abt watering, the leaves have plenty of moisture in them, this need not be watered for a week or 2 at least.

I must disagree w/ person suggesting misting. Misting or watering too soon will likely lead to rot, from which the plant cannot recover.

You could withhold water 'til you see new growth -- that means the roots have re-established themselves.

I'd give the plant bright indirect light & then pls, leave the plant alone for a whole week & do NOTHING to it, pls. Then take a look & reassess.

One Week Update:

I repotted it a week ago now. Overall, the plant seems to be doing alright...the outtermost leaves shriveled, dried up, and look like they'll fall off soon - but that was expected. The other leaves seem fine. Should I wait another week to water? There are also a few small white marks on the tiny inside leaves, not sure what those are? Close up is below.

Close up of the shriveling:

Here you can see the white marks:

Another, separate question: When I went to Home Depot to buy the soil and perlite a week ago, I bought a pachyveria succulent as well. I repotted it along with the above one, and it's doing fine, but the leaves are starting to lose their turgidity a little bit - is it time to water or is this a sign of overwatering? I have read that it can be both. The leaves haven't turned yellow or translucent, just a little softer than when I bough them One or two leaves have shriveled a little bit. Is the shriveling just a reaction to new soil? Sorry for excess questions, just want to prevent the same thing that happened to the echeveria.

Pot 1:

Pot 2:

Glad to see it is doing better!

Whenever I water, I do it by appearance and feel, rather than on a fixed schedule. If the leaves start to lose turgidity, I wait a couple days, and then water. If you are unsure, stick a wooden skewer into the soil to make sure it is thoroughly dried out before watering.

K M

I think you are too eager to water - many are! I tend to overwater. That is why I like very gritty mix (grit, perlite, turface - no soil). Did you check the soil? (bamboo skewer or chopstick test?) I would not water until it is dry.

..."small white marks on the tiny inside leaves"...could be damage from handling (I don't think that's what it is-); could be some dust from perlite. I would check it with magnifying glass/loupe to make sure it is not mealy bugs.

Same with pachy - check soil if dry. It may be just recuperating from repotting. Do not overwater.

What would I be looking for with mealy bugs? I looked with magnifying glass and don't see anything that looks like the pictures.

Mealy bugs in pics are magnified, they are quite small. Their larvae is even smaller. Mealy bugs make white, cottony-looking mass, almost like a very fine web. If unsure (and it is in difficult to get spot), dip q tip in some rubbing alcohol and dab it on white spots. If bugs, they will be killed. Watch if the spots reappear after few days - mealy bugs hide very well. Also, if any eggs left, new ones will hatch. Small infestation could be usually eliminated with 1 or 2 treatments.

Just wanted to update: Still haven't watered the plant since repotting and it seems to be doing fine. I think I will wait to water for a few more days and then give the plant its first watering. Are echeveria plants dormant in the winter? The soil has been dry for quite a while, but I am hesitant to water with the root troubles (which seem to be improving - from minimal touching, I can feel that the plant is more secure in its pot).

I meant to get some rubbing alcohol a while ago but I just haven't gotten my hands on it. I should finally be able to get it tomorrow. I know I should have done the mealy test earlier, but I have been watching the white marks and they have not changed at all since my last post now 2 weeks ago or so. If it helps, the white parts seem to be almost a part of the leaf, not something sitting on top (if you try to pick off the white marks, you will make an indent in the leaves). Not sure if that would be a mealy sign. But I will get to that rubbing alcohol test.

KM,

Good of you to update us.

Respectfully, this is not mealy, could you pls. let that go & skip the alcohol treatment?

We know mealy bugs, don't think you have them, it appears to be some kind of mechanical damage, like tiny injuries to the leaves, maybe from handling as suggested above, or getting banged up, not a problem from the look of it.

Glad you see now how the plant is just fine w/out watering. That's what makes them succulent plants, their ability to live off the water stored in their fleshy leaves.

Don't know how else to say this, you're at risk of over nurturing the plant.

It's not bugs, it doesn't need water. Your comment about minimal touching?? Why touching, if it needs steadying in the pot use a couple of rocks. If you're tugging to test if it's rooted, pls. stop, as that sets the plant back each time it's done.

We know you want the best for the plant, but now it just needs time to grow & patience to do so.

Thank you! Only touched when it shifted over in its pot after I accidentally bumped a book against it. Will try not to again. I definitely will not water yet, and I apologize for seeming so overly focused on watering, but how will I know when it is time to water again, now that the plant is doing well? The soil is already thoroughly dry. Will I be looking for signs? I don't mean to seem like I am micromanaging the plant - but I don't want to make any more watering mistakes.

From Rina's comment above from 12-17, partial quote:

" Did you check the soil? (bamboo skewer or chopstick test?) ... "

I forget, how long has it been since you last watered? Given that plus 7 - 10 days & then skewer test as above (to test at the bottom of mix if one inserts skewer all the way down). That's the true test.

It has been 3 weeks. I did the skewer test after week 2 and the soil was fully dry to the bottom. Yet I still have not watered and I've been told that that is the right thing? That's the only reason I ask.