Take clippings and put them directly into the soil and water it everyday just to get soil damp for them to root quickly and you will most probably have 100% of the clippings rooting but I don't even think you will need a special blend , I had these guys in a pot and they just took over and that was normal potting soil , no perlite or extra grit . I damaged it a couple of times aswel and when a leaf or nodule came off , even that would get roots .

HU, these are not plants that will make roots from leaves and bits and pieces. These should not have visible stems, should only have one or two pairs of leaves, and the leaves certainly don’t just come off. As the OP mentions, they have been overwatered, and possibly have not had enough light at the bottom of the plants. Echeverias, Pachyphytums and many other succulents can be grown from leaves, but not Pleiospilos.

If they were my plants, I would transplant them to a fine, mainly gritty mix, lots of small grade pumice. I am not sure they would regrow their roots if you cut them off their base. I doubt it, but you could try with one or two. The long stems will disappear as the plants grow. Plants will eventually cluster, but for now I would not crowd them, just several to a pot. But others may have more experience with growing on seedlings.

Think nicksouthafrica is among the most reliable in terms of this subject, but so far he hasnt replied on this topic.

Try copying your topic as something on his thread, someone is bound to answer:

[https://www.houzz.com/discussions/lets-talk-mesembs-part-2-dsvw-vd~5513792?n=143[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/lets-talk-mesembs-part-2-dsvw-vd~5513792?n=143)

Me, im curious with troubleshooting mesembs, since i want to know what problems might pop up when growing them from seeds and beyond...

While i do have some base knowledge of cacti, aloe and crassulaceae, mesembs and euphorbiads are new to me.....

Tried mesembs in the past but success was limited to aptenia...

Thank you all.

niksouthafrica, I have some more questions.

He has learned from some of his mistakes. I thought I heard him say something like more than 2 leaf sets over-watered. Since, they are not mine, I did not think more about it when I watered them.

Below I have questions about lighting & soil with pics.

Lighting

In the original pictures posted, the only one with decent lighting, was the one with flash. The others taken under grow lights and me trying to fix the yellow lighting the camera picks up from the lights.

Niksouthafrica, You mentioned the plants need better lighting. I had them for a week prior to this first picture I posted. Before, they were under Sunblaster T5s. After a very rough measurement, I think they 15cm/6” below the lights. If I remember correctly, I believe optimum is 7.5cm/3” with those lights

The first three lights are with flash for better comparison. The fourth pic was three days ago in the daylight. Until three days ago, they were the exact middle of the overlapping radius of two lights. Lights are 30cm/1’ apart. So, great light, but not as intense as being directly under. I moved them over one row closer to one light, I doubt that make any difference, since it mean I moved further away from another. The lights are only 30cm/1” from the plants, strong enough to burn some plants. Would these guys be happy directly under a lights. The plants I have directly under the lights are various senecio, agave, sedum. I raised the table an additional 13cm/5” about two weeks ago, after some of the senecio were showing stress.

2018-10-16 With Flash · More Info

2018-10-19 with flash · More Info

2018-10-25 · More Info

2018-10-22 Daylight · More Info

Last questions about repotting.

I flipped them over gently took them out of their current pot. The soil he used appears to be a very good hanging basket/container soil. I plan to tease as half of their current soil away from the roots with little root damage. I will try to rinse the soil letting the flow of water take away soil, but leaving the root intact. If that doesn’t work, I have had good success root pruning in the past. Essentially cutting the bottom half of the soil and roots off.

After spending a couple weeks studying them, watching them, gazing at them, I see no reason to divide them. Let them to continue to grow into a small colony. I plan to put them back into a 2.5” pot, but a deep one versus their current short pot. One the biggest reasons, is consistency. If they go back under my spouse's lights, they will be at the same height as all of the rest of his flourishing plants.

I have three final pictures. Soil consistency of agave plant lots of grit with some bark mulch or coir with little soil. Except for these plants I would use smaller grit. On the left side of this Adromischus, is an example of smaller grit with more soil.

The third is what I was planning to use as top dressing, small pumice with little soil. (the picture has perlite, I would do without for this project. The topdressing will cover the long stems, but be fast draining to avoid rot. The same consistency I use for my rooting trays. Should all the soil be similar to this?

Which of these soil would you recommend?

Agave - Mostly grit with some bark mulch & very little soil. · More Info

Adromischus - Referring to soil on left side of plant small grit with more soil · More Info

Topdressing or Soil or both · More Info

In South Africa, we are blessed with an abundance of light all year round to the point where succulents can be killed if you put them in full sun so I have zero knowledge and experience with grow lights. Having said that, do plant them so that they are level with the pot rim and maybe someone else can help you with your lights.

I am a heretic in that I don't use topdressing at all. I like to see what's happening at soil level.

I wouldn't wash or cut those roots at all. Mesembs take a long time to bounce back from that kind of thing if it doesn't kill them and I would put them in the Adro mix

Regarding colour, this is a pleiospilos grown outside under an overhang to protect it from rain. It gets a few hours of direct sun and bright light the rest of the time. I do know that grow lights make plants go strange colours but that's all I know about it

Thank you niksouthafrica,

The grow lights will be easy enough to figure out myself, I was just being a little anal about it all.

It's good to know not to mess with the roots at all.

My question about topdressing, was not about ornamental or keeping out weeds, I'm talking about adding a small level of soil. In my garden I top-dress the soil in spring with leaf mulch. It is quickly absorbed into the soil as form of nourishment. I'm just unsure what to to with the long stems. Is it okay to topdress with the soil I will be using to plant? When I worked at retail nursery, we top-dressed in summer for any trees or shrubs that didnt sell in spring. Again in late winter for any plants carried over through the winter.

If, I'm not topdressing or removing any soil, essentially all I am doing is putting them in a deeper pot. I doubt they actually need a deeper pot, except to lift them to the same level as the other plants.

I just think they look sad laying on their sides attached to what looks to me as an umbilical cord.

I feel like an idiot when it comes to these guys, the other 100 plants, I feel pretty confident, but this one pot, has me scratching my head. I know they are fussier than most plants, so I do not want to depend on what I read on the internet, from some fluff journalist.

I thinking the colour will continue to improve, as it has over the last 3 weeks. The new soil, going under the current soil does have a compost component, perhaps that will also improve their colour.

Thank you.

Topdressing in succulent growing terms is a layer of coarse material, usually gravel of some kind, that goes on top of the growing medium. It's considered to keep moisture away from the base of the plants. It sounds to me like you were thinking along the lines of "topping up" the soil when you mentioned top dressing and yes, that would absolutely be a good idea and you can definitely bury those stems

Yes, you are correct. I am an idiot. I need to go back remedial plant dictionary. I can blame on disability I afflicted on me last year, in which in the height of, I could not even remember simple words and meanings. It still takes me hour to write something others take little time. My long response with picture took me a few days to put together. My spouse found me at the computer and asked if I slept last night. I said I believe I did, why ask me now. It was 6 in the morning. Working on a simple reply to someone else. I find myself leaving out complete sentences, but recall typing them. It's gotten a lot better. As much as it will.

I do appreciate the word reminders. It helps me re-learn some words, at least for a time being.