Thanks so much! I believe that may be the case.. I had read tons about coco coir being a great medium for succulents, but it seems I should have added more grit to this mix. I live on the east coast — it certainly isn’t hot or humid at all right now. Yes, there is a drainage hole in the pot. I watered when I got the plant 3 weeks ago, and the next/last time I watered was only 4 days ago (these pics were taken today). As for the light, it’s under a 24w full spectrum Sansi grow bulb. I will definitely repot. Do you think still using a coir mix, but adding 50% more grit this time, would be ok?

im curious whether the white spots are actually calcium deficiency... maybe I should add in some Cal Mag when I water bc of the coco?

I realized about a week or so after I received my burro's tail (on 01/12, about 3 weeks ago

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first.. i would expect clean stock from a reputable seller ... and i wouldnt expect problems inside your time frame .. unless you have other houseplants and a very big problem related to them.. and they attacked this new plant in record time ...

second... much of your damage may well be mechanical .... meaning stuff rubbed against it or some such .. and again.. when its minor.. the actual event could have been before you ever got the plant ... problems just shoudnt be popping up inside 3 weeks ...

next.. shipping in winter is a stress ... never forget that.. and.. your house is very different from where it was grown... so there are all kinds of cultural changes ... which is more stress ...

personally.. i dont repot stressed plants .. its just more stress ..

water a plant when it needs water.. not on some random schedule .. with my few succulents.. in my MI.. with the forced air furnace eating up all the ambient humidity.. i might water mine every 3rd or 4th week .. and i allow the media to completely dry ... more by lack of focus rather than plan.... lol ... i do not have gnats ...

and keep in mind.. you have the growers media.. one would think that if she could grow it that well in said media... ask yourself why you think you can do better ...

if it were mine.. i would just stop watering it.. until the pot losses at least half its weight ... i would learn how to water it properly.. and to get over its stress ... and then when things settle down .. in spring.. i might think about repotting it ...

in my general gardening.. i have found that i have more luck with benign neglect ... lol ... than i ever did.. obsessing over things... the application of too much love.. usually caused failure ... plant just couldnt take all my love.. lol ...

and i would not treat it with anything.. unless i actually confirm there is a problem to cure ...

get more plants.. so you can spread your love more evenly ...

ken

Kara

It is better to repot plants during their active growth period. BUT, if they are in water-retaining soil, that could possibly cause more damage than repotting. I have grown many pots of burro's tail and repotted when necessary. Coco peat dries up quite fast, but I do not think it becomes hydrophobic as regular peat does. I have used some in the mix; but I always add lots of sifted perlite (or pumice if available), and even grit - not sand. Burro's tail is just a bit thirstier than many succulents, but if you keep it wet it will rot fast.

By asking about humidity I was wondering how humid it is where plant is. PPl grow other plants and use humidifiers, so that is why I asked. Typical humidity in the house is np.

Light is good if needed; I have many succulents in the basement and under lights for 10-12 hrs/day. Just make sure it is not too close because it can burn, and it is a good idea to acclimatize plant to it. Without doing a soil test, it is difficult to know if and what is deficient. Rather than adding all kinds of things, I would first make sure plant is in good growing conditions: good drainage, good light, good air circulation...

I water succulents when the potting mix dries up, and according to temps they are kept in. Cooler it is, that should be less frequent.

Thanks Ken. I do think the fuzz is fungus and gnats are mainly from the potting medium not being as gritty as I thought — the coco coir is staying moist for longer than it should. Although it was definitely bone dry when I watered again a few days before I took the pics I attached! The gnat had already made its home. And the white spots I’m thinking are calcium deficiency because of the coco not providing those nutrients. I have several other succulents that are doing fine, but they’re in a much grittier medium :) also, I wouldn’t have repotted right when I got it but the way it was shipped didn’t really allow me not to unfortunately. I’m going to stick a sticky gnat trap in her, allow her to dry out completely again, and then re-do the soil with much more grit so the coco doesn’t retain as much moisture moving forward. Thankfully it’s not a mature burros tail yet, so I shouldn’t lose toooooo many leaves in the process.. but if so, I’ll just propagate those :)

Thanks Rina! And beautiful plants!!! I hope mine can get there too :)

I was thinking about the Cal Mag additive just because I’ve read a ton (after this little fiasco, of course..) about coco coir naturally not having those nutrients so added calcium could be beneficial. I will definitely do more research. I could also repot to something that doesn’t use coco as the organic matter so it may not be an issue though, I’m just not a fan of peat moss. I’m afraid if I keep it in the soil it’s in now the fungus from moisture won’t be cured—especially since I haven’t been watering it a ton to start with.

I doubt the white tips are indication of a Ca deficiency. It would be highly unusual for a plant to display a nutrient deficiency that soon after its receipt (assuming the grower was taking proper care). And most succs do not have a heavy calcium demand anyway - a rather minor element in the grand scheme of things. It looks more like mechanical damage to me, perhaps the result of the shipping process.

Oh interesting.. that’s good to know! The soil it was shipped in was also coco based from what I could tell (it was all over the box though; unfortunately there was no option for me to NOT re-pot). One stem had some white/tan spots on it when I got it, otherwise not much. The majority has happened over the last couple of weeks. Pic attached is of the lone sad stem the same day I got it.

I am not sure why you worry so much about "nutrients" rather than 1st making sure it is potted in well draining mix, you get the watering right, and plant receives light it needs. Most succulents grow in very lean substrates. Adding all kinds of elements could be more negative unless you know for sure they are needed. That is what soil test are for. But seldom needed for growing succulents in pots. Cocopeat is best used as an amendment. So are many other substrates. Make a well draining mix and avoid any layers. Everything should be thoroughly mixed. You could use sifted perlite or pumice, some cocopeat, some C&S soil, some grit ...there are more substrates, I have no idea what is available to you...add any 1 or few combined. And don't forget: nothing is perfect. Same with the plants.

The stem circled lost some leaves in shipping...they could all be tossed back, just on top of the mix, and many will grow into new plants. Number of posters agree that damage seems to be physical (I called it abrasions...) from the trip in the box. Do not worry about it. Get the plant growing, and soon any "naked" stems could be cut of, cuttings re-rooted, and you could have a full pot. The photos I posted are showing cutting potted up, and the same plant few months later. No additions of any cal or anything else. They are growing in mostly inorganic substrate - with approx. 20% of soil

Rina -- Thanks for another detailed response. I was only still mentioning nutrients because of coco naturally containing zero and I guess I was "thinking out loud" about it being a medium I'd like to still use in the future (obviously with more amendments moving forward, though!). I fully understand getting it into well-draining soil mix is the #1 priority! I've gone with a ~ 1/3 organic, 2/3 inorganic ratio for my other succulents and they seem to be great so far; the mix the burro's tail is in was the first pre-mixed cactus soil I bought (as it was one of the first succulents I bought when this hobby started!), but it certainly should have been grittier and I realize that now. I do have quite a few different grit options already - pumice, red lava, perlite, poultry grit - and I can probably use some general all purpose burpee mix that I've used for my calatheas for the organic portion... (again, just thinking out loud)

With your previous comment of growing many pots of burro's tail and repotting when necessary, would you recommend I get it in the better, well-draining soil ASAP then, or wait a week or so to try to not cause further stress? I know it's tough to say without seeing it. It is pretty dry now - about a 2/dry on the meter.

I had actually started propagating some leaves that fell off in transport. It's so rewarding to see the little roots! :)

I truly appreciate all of your advice / knowledge!!

Kara

I may have come across as preaching - that is not my intention! Just want to stress that good drainage is important for succulents. You can make pretty good mix by using your premixed/bagged C&S soil, adding lots of pumice-perlite-or some grit. Your 1/3 to 2/3 mix sounds good to me. If you have any C&S on hand, no reason to buy different soil...to me, MOST are very similar (maybe I am wrong?). All have high % of peat, just look at the ingredients label. I mentioned me using some cocopeat - I do, quite recently, since was gifted some. I mix it with the bagged soil. I use lots of sifted perlite and grit, and smaller portion of soil mix. I do not really think there is much "nutrition" in bagged soils...even if some have added fertilizer. You can grow succulents in pure perlite, or pure pumice, or pure grit - I have - and just fertilize in the appropriate seasons.

I actually do not use a moisture meter, but I am guessing 2 is lower reading? Could be too dry? In my experience, burro's tail CAN take bit more frequent watering. It all depends on temps and the drainage of the mix. Repot if soil is really water-retaining, otherwise I wouldn't ight now. Do not let it go too dry or rots may desiccate; but do not keep it constantly wet. Make sure it gets good light - or it would grow leggy. Leaves could be propagated as you are doing. I toss them back in the pot and do not worry, plant propagates very easily from cuttings. I have bunch of them waiting to be stuck in a mix again...

I do have some C&S on hand, yes! 3 different kinds, in fact. This new hobby became an addiction quick, haha. They are all pretty much the same -- one's peat moss based and the other 2 are coco. 2 claim to have fertilizer beads that feed up to 3/6 months, but otherwise no major difference. That's so interesting.. I had no idea succulents could grow in straight inorganic matter. No wonder the nutrients really didn't matter, lol! I bought the Miracle Gro succulent food liquid pump for fertilizer that I will use when the season is right. Do plants actually know what season it is if they're always indoors under grow lights though? I don't get great light here unfortunately. I'm on a first floor apartment, north facing, with a building behind me blocking any "direct" sun it could get. They will always be inside. There is a humidifier nearby, but once spring/summer rolls around I'll have windows open more so it'll be natural humidity then.

But yes - 2 is low. The meter is from 1 to 10. I'm starting to think the mix staying moist for too long, in addition to it not being gritty enough, was maybe due to the pot too... it definitely did stay moist longer than others I have in the same mix (terra cotta vs. ceramic, though)... it has a drainage hole, but it may need another. I might drill an extra in it to be on the safe side when I do re-pot with fresh soil.

I worried about loving it to death, I've read so much about how many succulents will thrive on neglect. But you're right, the environment and so many other factors play a huge part. I can take care of fussy, drama queen calatheas but succulents are giving me a run for my money so far lol there will be much trial and error, I am sure. I'm so glad I joined this site though -- so, so informative. You've truly been such a great help! I'll have to post an update when it's time :)

Succulents do not need extra humidity, that is good for some tropical plants. If high, succulents may have few problems. So do not keep them too close to the humidifier... They may 'know' what season it is, I am not absolutely sure, but are opportunistic growers and will grow if you 'push' them. That means warmer - I try to keep my cooler, but can do only so much because it would be too cold for me! Since we keep them warmer than they would be in their habitat, they need lot of light. I don't use any special fertilizer, just a same for all my plants. And I do not fertilize them too much. And yes, we can kill them with too much 'love'...

She’s in fresh, much more well-draining, soil & her roots were healthy! Fingers crossed the re-pot recovery is easy and she’ll be thriving in no time 😊

Hi Rina... i wanted to share his amazing progress with you! 🥰 your recommendations were fantastic!!

Kara;

It def looks much better! I am glad you were able to improve plant's growth - much better color and it is more compact. TY for folow-up...

Usually, mealybugs attack the sedum burro's tail. Basically, if you notice that your plant looks like it is covered with snow or leaves have some white spots, your plant is under the attack of mealybugs. One of the most important things that you should do is to inspect all your plants regularly to ensure early detection. Heavy mealybugs infestation is much harder to control and it puts all other plants at very high risk. I would recommend using the services from https://ajverminatorpestcontrol.com/. If not, you should consider replacing a heavily infested plant with a new one.

I never seen mealy bugs on this plant, & have it for approx. 10yrs. That doesn't mean they do not attack it...but op's plant is in much better shape after mproving drainage etc...