no photo

Sorry, I was trying to get it to work. It should show up now.

Its something along the lines of pachyphytum and its hybrids. Its very etiolated. Leaves should be denser and the rosette compact.

That’s what I thought, but it’s in bright light so I don’t think it’s stretching. It’s in an east facing window so I can’t think of why it could want any more light.

At what latitude do you live in, and how obstructed is your window by trees, buildings terrain etc . And how many sunny days do you experience?

I live right at the top of the US in the east coast, so it’s not super sunny in the winter. Its been growing like this for a while though, it’s not just this winter. The window is midly obstructed because I usually keep my blinds down in the winter to help it stay warmer, but I open the blinds in the day so my plants get the sun they need.

Oh I haven’t thought of that. I used my normal soil for it, but I haven’t fertlized it since I probaogated it, because I know succulents don’t really need it. I have no idea how I’ll manage to give it more light than it already has, but maybe I’ll wait till the growing season and chop off the top.

Yes, you can chop it off - behead when it is warm enough to put it outside in order to get more light. In the meantime, it will probably just keep stretching, getting too tall. Remember that bigger/taller is not always better and many ppl think they have good growing conditions if plant grows fast. Many of us in colder zones use supplemental lights in winter to help. You don't have to - if succulents are kept in sunnyiest spot you can provide, in cooler temps and seldom watered, they will slow (not stop completely) their growth during lowe light season. Sunlight thru the windows is much less intensive, and even smallest obstrucion - for example sheers - will diminish it a lot.

Soil does look very water retentive, and succulents need good drainage. You can easily improve it by adding at least half of total volume of sifted perlite. It should look like this:

Credit to Crenda for photo.

Thank you! I will see if I can get better soil.

I don't think a change of soil is going to help much. It needs more light.

s g

I agree, to prevent eiolation, better light is a must. But the soil in 1st photo seems to be very wet, and that is not going to help overall heath of plant. I know that Caitlin didn't ask, hopefully she appreciates a suggestion that is be helpful in keeping the plant in good shape.

Caitlin

I noticed you have it in cachepot; make sure you take inner pot out when watering, and let excess water drain before putting it in cachepot again. Otherwise, that water just sits on the bottom, gets reabsorbed and keeps roots too wet for too long. It also 'airs' the pot with the plant (keeps it from sweating), since there isn't much air circulation when inserted.

Right. Thank you Rina! the soil is quite wet because I had just watered it. I usually only water it when I notice the leaves are no longer firm.

I’ll see what I can do about the light. It gets quite bright light for the majority of the day, so I’m not really sure how much more it wants.

It's not just the color & darkness of the mix, it's how finely particled that is. Not good for succulents, doesn't drain well.

There is a risk in waiting until the leaves are no longer firm before you water again .... especially in a highly organic, moisture retentive soil like that appears to be. It is possible by the time you have noticed the leaves are not longer firm that the plant's roots will have lost some or even a lot of their root hairs (the structures which are responsible for water uptake). If one then waters thoroughly, root rot may result because there are few to no root hairs to uptake the water present and the soil remains that much wetter longer on account of that. This prolonged wet situation can cause roots to suffocate and die as well as allowing pathogenic fungi and microbes to proliferate. I would also have to agree with Rina and others .... based on what I can see of the soil, it looks more organic/peaty than is wise for use with a succulent.

As far as light goes, yes yours does need more light. Your eyes are wholly inadequate as a means of determining light intensity because they are actually remarkably sensitive instruments. Light which seems bright to the human eye can still be woefully inadequate from a plant's point of view. This is a case in which one should "listen to what one's plant is telling them". In the case of yours, the stretched out growth is most likely the result of the plant reaching for more light. It is a full sun plant preferring 5hrs or more of direct, unfiltered sun. In my neck of the woods, I keep plants like that on my balcony over the summer. There, they receive full sun from 8am to 2pm. Now if I lived in someplace like Arizona, it is quite possible the plant would need protected from the scorching afternoon sun.