The soil you pictured is very similar to what's in the pot. The pot has two drainage holes. . I agree with you about Hoffman, I use custom soil mix I make myself for my cacti and succulent collection but since this came potted in something that looked comparable I let it be. I have not fertilized and my water doesn't go through a softener. So overwatering seems like the most likely culprit. Is she a goner? The pot was bone dry all the way through and the leaf tips were suddenly dry and crispy so I thought for sure it was a safe bet to water, and the pot was bone dry again the next day so it's not like it sat with wet feet. Very confusing.

I suppose it's possible that when you watered, the water just ran down between the root/soil mass and the inner pot wall. Maybe you could take note to see if that's happening. If you're reasonably sure there's not much chance of the soil being overly wet for an extended period after watering, when you DO water, a slow soak might be appropriate to make sure you're actually wetting the entire soil mass. Hard to tell from here - wish I could've been more helpful.

Al

Is this growing inside or outside? The plant pictured looks o.k. to me. These like a lot of light. I don't think indoors would make it happy. I would pull it out of the pot and check to see if the root situation looks o.k.. Their roots never look real happy to me. I think you will be able to tell if there are any new root growths. Mine in pots are getting watered every 2 to 3 weeks while it is so hot. In the winter they are lucky if they are watered once a month.

I grew a large one (inherited from my brother when he moved) for years indoors and it did fine. I did move it outside in the summer. Inside it was in a south window, but they will exist in lower light... they're pretty tough (My mother had one for years in rather low light. I wouldn't say it thrived, but it lived). This was back before I grew things in gritty mix, so mine was probably in a mix of potting soil with lots of perlite. Eventually it got too tall for my house and I had to give it away.

I agree with aloebot, take it out of the pot and look at the roots. It may be that it's in a core of peat based mix with faster draining mix around that, or just a top dressing of the fast draining mix.

You could use a wooden chopstick or skewer to test the moistness of the root ball before you either soak it or disturb the plant by depotting it and looking at the roots.

If it turns out to be moist, then let it be until its time to water. If its dry, soak it for 10 minutes, then pour a large amount of water through it, letting it drain out the bottom, carrying with it any salts that may have accumulated in the soil.