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lmecheverri

succulent soft leaves

8 years ago
I am noticing my succulent's leaves are no longer rigid... they are turning soft at least the bottom layers and kind of wrapping... I am not putting a lot of water or too often, afraid of overwatering it... what might this be?

Comments (12)

  • 8 years ago

    Over-watering.

    Is there a drain hole in the container?

    Al

  • 8 years ago
    yes, I made two holes on the pot and also put gravel n the bottom... water drains right away when I water it
  • 8 years ago
    This happened to mine when it wasn't getting enough sunlight. Do you let the soil dry completely between waterings?
  • 8 years ago
    yes. and also is right on a sunny window.
  • 8 years ago

    Are you checking the soil with a 'tell', a wooden dowel sharpened in a pencil sharpener? The symptoms for under and over-watering both include loss of turgidity (wilting).

    How much gravel did you use in the bottom. Water can/does "perch" above drainage layers. See middle image below.

    You'd have been better served to mix the "drainage layer" into the soil (as long as it's not phytotoxic (poison to plants). What type of gravel did you put in the bottom of the pot?

    A high level of dissolved solids (salts) in the soil solution can also cause a loss of turgidity.

    Al

  • 8 years ago
    few inches of gravel. watering every 3-4 weeks.
    not using a tell.
  • 8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    I agree with Ash. Lower leaves look dehydrated to me.

    As an aside, those holes in the pot look very, very small to me. I would either enlarge them or add many more. Then you can water more often with less worry of overwatering.

  • 8 years ago

    ^ very good advice from Al and Odyssey

    I’ve found that sometimes, with very peaty and dense soils, “water running out right away” means it’s actually bypassing the roots/soil entirely ... running down the sides of the pot and out the holes without thoroughly wetting the rootball.

  • 8 years ago

    Lower/older leaves can 'look dehydrated' due to over-watering, under-watering, a high level of salts in the soil, a reduction or significant increase in photo load (light) or natural senescence (aging). The leaves are in the process of being shed, as were the dead leaves you can see under the flaccid foliage. Ultimately, what causes the leaves to be shed is a reduction in the amount of a growth regulator/hormone (auxin) flowing to/through an abscission zone (attachment/detachment point) at the base of the leaf. Another growth regulator, ethylene, also plays a synergistic part in the process. There are several cultural influences that impact the amount of auxin produced (see list in first sentence), but the main ones are on the list above.

    I wouldn't count it as a major issue unless ALL the leaves lack turgidity. If it's only the lower leaves - no big deal. Nothing lasts forever.

    Al

  • 8 years ago

    I had the same experience with one of my succulents. All of a sudden the leaves at the bottom were getting soggy and then wilting, but at a very fast pace. I repotted the plant and was careful about my watering but the problem continued. After repotting I noticed the leaves started to point downwards and when I lifted them up to check on any dead leaves I found a huge mealy bug infestation! I sprayed the plant with 50% isopropyl alcohol based on some advice from blogs to kill the mealy bugs ( I moved the plant away from direct sunlight for a few days). The leaves are starting to flatten out and I'll be monitoring to see if the issue goes away now that the bugs are gone. Mealy bugs interfere with the plants ability to photosynthesize so it would support what AI says about a reduction in photo load. I'm no expert and in all the reading I was doing I didn't find anything that linked mealy bugs to what was happening to the plant, but I'd check your plant out and see if you find any mealy bugs on it. I noticed some of my nearby succulents had the same thing happening and I sprayed them with alcohol as well. Good luck and let me know what you find!

  • 8 years ago

    This seems likely to be underwatered... Thick leaves requires less water... wen ur leaves seems soggy and if its been quite long u hve watered... Thoroughly water ur plants until water drains out of the pot... one of the things we dnt do fearing overwatering.. Check the soil before you water...

    Succulents requires a well draining soil.. use perlite or coco peat

    It requires bright light and doesn’t like to be overwatered..

    pls have more drainage holes in ur pot.. so that u dont worry of overwatering...

    In this case trim the soggy leaves and place it indoors in a bright area receiving sunlight, as it seems to have sunburns too.. Give it a thorough watering and check the soil in intervals with a moisture meter or a wooden stick / pencil until the next time u water it..