Your elephant bush( pic #1)can just be turned into a cutting. Cut above the brown leaves and wrinkly stems. Even if your plant hadn't been watered in 2 wks your soil could still be wet. It's also cold and damp outside which doesn't help. Get some fast draining soil and pumice or perlite to mix in. A ratio of 50/50 should be fine.

I watered two days ago after noticing the brown leaves. Thanks for the soil tips! There is not a drainage hole but there is a layer of rocks in the bottom of the pot. Would you reccomend keeping the rocks or just doing the 50/50 fast draining soil/ perlite mix?

There's your problem along with the soil. Drill some holes or get a new pot with holes:). I would get rid of the rocks it doesn't do anything for drainage.

If I could give you one more tip usually succulents don't like to swim in soil and pots. They tend to do better when a little cramped for space. I have no idea why:).

About the rocks: soil holds water like a sponge. Putting a soaked sponge on top of rocks does not make the sponge drain off its water. Same with soil, it just doesn't work that way.

Okay thank you so much! I will get a smaller pot with holes and better soil. Thank you for the sponge analogy, that makes sense. Another question - Should I dry the cuttings for a couple days or plant them right away?

Yep let them callus over for a couple days. Also no water till roots:). Goodluck.

I think your plants are quite wet (look at first pic-IMO, lower branches are very water-logged). I would take them out, get rid of all old soil, and let them sit on something absorbent (newspaper, paper towels) to soak off extra moisture. You need to check the roots, they could be rotting. If so, cut off all soft-mushy-slimy and/or damaged roots. Take pic of the roots & post if not sure.

Hi,

Am surprised it's not been mentioned yet, beyond the other issues that have been discussed.

These are very different plants w/ different care requirements, making them incompatible community pot partners.

The middle plant is a Thanksgiving Cactus (commonly called Christmas cactus) or here I'll call them TC or CC. These come from tropical jungles, requiring high humidity. Takes bright, indirect light, not direct sun.

Sorry to be blunt, those plants in need to be repotted into small plastic 3" nursery pots. Those pots in turn, can be placed together for the same or similar esthetic effect you're wanting w/ that window sill planter. But put bluntly, they won't survive w/out pots w/ holes & corrected soil.

The Portulacaria afra (on the right) requires different conditions & I believe, much more direct sun, so it's difficult to satisfy both together given different needs like that.

Sorry, can't see it well enough to discuss the stretched plant on the left.

I don't mind the blutness! Thanks for the help. That might explain why the others aren't rotting. I picked up some cacti soil & perlite and I will look into getting three small pots.

The plant on the far left initially grew radially then suddenly shot up. I received it in an aluminum can which i think was part of the problem, not getting enough sun maybe. The bottom leaves crisped up like paper a couple months ago, and I removed them. It is now sprouting from all over.

The long one is a sempervivum. It looks like that because it's lacking light. Unfortunately the damage is done it will not grow back to its compact form. You could cut about 2 inches from the top and turn it into a cutting. I would cut the long part off right before the new babies and see if they get bigge. I'm assuming you live on the northern hemisphere :) so it's winter and the light isn't all that great, but if you could try to give these plants more light they will grow much more compact:).

Update: Plant babies have their own pots now with better soil. I'm hoping the semp and elephant bush cuttings take root. Mother semp and CC are showing new growth. Thanks again for the help!

Good job much better:)

hawkee

If I may be blunt: sempervivums are really much better outdoors. They are hardy to z 4 or even 3. Very few species are not as hardy. Your plant is very, very etiolated. It is definitely not getting enough light. The new 'sprouts' are extremely week. They may live, but just in case they don't do not be surprised. I grow quite a few, and they are outdoors. Under lots of snow. I have one that is hardy only z5, so I keep original plant indoors and most of the offsets outside - just in case it is too cold for them (I am in z5, we have lots of snow and cold temps....) One that is indoors is in cold, unheated sun room where temps get below freezing but not as cold as outdoors. It is not watered at all. This is only semp I have indoors, and only to make sure I have some in case it's offsets freeze. If they survive, I won't keep it inside at all.

Rina - I am in Minnesota in zone 4a. Nights are getting down to 20-30 degrees here still this week. Do you think it is okay to put outside? What temperature can they tolerate usually?

Hawke

I would not put it outside now, since they were inside whole winter. Just for next year. We had much colder temps this winter (I am sure you did too).

They need to have very good drainage (as all succulents should have). If they are sitting in wet soil, they won't make it eve if it is not too cold.