Lithops lesliei
Succulents are amazing plants: decorative, relatively easy to care for, and the perfect size for potting. The vast majority of species are heliophilous, that is, they love the sun, and perhaps that is why they are often thought to be very resistant to drought, when the reality is that this is not entirely true.
If we do not have much experience in their cultivation, it may happen that we give them less water than they need, or that on the contrary we give them too much. As a consequence, our plants will weaken and, unless we avoid it, we will lose them forever. But calm / a, it is not necessary to worry. Keep reading to know what to do if my succulent is dying.
How do I know if my succulent is dying?
The first thing to do is see if it is really weakening or not, since this way we can take the necessary measures as the case may be. So that, We will know that your health and life are at risk if:
- Yellow, transparent and / or soft leaves
- Sheets »closed»
- Leaf fall out of season
- Wrinkled plant
- The stem or trunk feels very soft
- Black spots on the stem
- Appearance of fungi (gray or whitish powder)
What to do to get it back?
Check the substrate moisture
The vast majority of succulent problems tend to have a lot to do with watering. If the soil is very wet for several days in a row, the roots rot quickly. Therefore, you should check the humidity before watering, for example inserting a thin wooden stick all the way to the bottom and see how much dirt has adhered to it (if it has been little, then it can be watered), or weighing the pot once watered and again after a few days (Since wet soil weighs more than dry soil, we can be guided by this difference in weight to know when to water).
Finally, a very comfortable and useful option consists of buy a digital humidity meter from the earth.
Put a substrate that drains well
Compost or mulch is usually not a good option for cacti, succulents, or caudex plants, as they retain a lot of water and do not allow their root system to develop in the most optimal way. It must be taken into account that these plants, for the most part, grow in sandy soils, with almost no organic matter. Because of that, it is highly advisable to use porous substrates, such as pumice, akadama, or make mixtures with them and a little black peat to get perfect succulents.
Cut to the chase
If the succulent is rotting, to save it what you have to do is make a somewhat radical but effective decision: cut your losses. With a knife previously disinfected with pharmacy alcohol, we will have to cut through the healthy part and discard the rest. With what it is now, the cutting we will do is let it dry outside in an area protected from the sun for ten days, and then we will plant it in a pot with a substrate that has good drainage.
Treat against fungi
When the gray (botrytis) or white powder appears that makes us suspect, it is necessary first that we decrease the frequency of irrigation, since the fungi are very favored by humidity, and second to treat the succulents with fungicides, whether they are chemicals like Fosetyl-Al, or natural like copper or sulfur. If we opt for these last two, we will use them only in spring and autumn, because if we apply them in summer the roots could burn.
Frailea cataphracta
Do you already know why your succulent is dying? I hope that from now on it will be easier for you to take care of her. But if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask 😉.
Hello, we have a succulent that was beautiful when my mother-in-law gave it to us, the point is that it is withering at a fast pace ... my husband put magnesium sulfate on it for irrigation and we think they did not do it any good. She is quite withered, is there a way to save her? Thanks greetings
Hi Virginia.
I recommend you take it out of the pot, h remove all the substrate you can. Then wash its roots with water and re-plant it in a pot with new substrate. And water after a few days.
Then it only remains to wait.
A greeting.
Good night ! Something's wrong with my succulent. It was super big and pretty. Now the leaves fall like that just by touching it.
Hello Karen.
Do you have it in a bright place? Succulents, in general, are sunny plants, and they do not do well indoors or in shade.
If so, gradually accustom it to the outside and to direct light, avoiding the central hours of the day.
Another thing that could happen to you is that you are getting too much water. How often do you water it? It is important to let the soil dry between waterings so that it does not rot.
A greeting.
Hi there! I have a cactus that was planted in a pot of those that are type plastic paper, as it broke I passed it to a normal plastic one. When I passed it I cut some roots since I saw that they were very dry and I put fertilized soil on it. Then I watered it and put it in the sun with all my other cacti and succulents.
However, when I touched it I noticed that it was a little soft and I am afraid that it is rotting.
It was supposed to flower soon but since I have it (about 1 month) it hasn't. When is the flowering time?
THANK YOU!
Hello Vanesa.
Cacti bloom in spring, sometimes summer but it is not the most common. However, if yours is still young, it may take a while to do so.
Water it a little, letting the land dry between waterings, and if you see that it is burning, protect it from the sun and gradually get used to it.
If you have any further questions, consult 🙂
Regards!
Hello Good morning .. My succulent had a cochineal infestation and apparently I put excess insecticide on it. The leaves and some stems are darkening from where flowers were coming out. Can it be recovered?
Hi Susan.
It's hard to tell 🙁
Remove all the leaves that are black, and also put new soil on it (that is, carefully remove the one you have, and put another one). And to wait.
Hopefully you are lucky and he recovers.
Greetings.
Hello greetings. A month ago they gave me a Jade plant, the plant of abundance, but 2 weeks ago it began to shed many leaves and those that sprout do not grow, they wither and their branches begin to fall. I need help. Can you still do something?
Hello Maria del Carmen.
Where do you have it? It is a plant that lives well in the sun, but if it was in semi-shade or shade before, it can lose many leaves if it does not get used to it little by little.
On the other hand, do you have it in a pot with holes or without? If it doesn't, then you should plant it in one that does have holes in the base, otherwise the roots will rot.
Here you have his file for more information. If you have doubts, do not hesitate to write us again 🙂.
Regards!
Hello, I have had a succulent for a year, it is a «portulaca molokinensis» and I just noticed that its stem is soft, has leaves and they are strong (they do not fall easily). Lately it has been cold and I have not taken it out in the sun much, it has been a long time since I gave it water because in cold times they recommended not to give it (I barely gave it a little because it is hotter) what can I do to know if it is okay ? Are you dying if the trinco is soft or is it just lack of sun? By the way, it has good drainage in its pot and its soil is a mixture of red volcanic rock and potting soil. Thanks!
Hi Fiorella.
Yes, you do well to water it little when it's cold. But keep in mind that this substrate dries very quickly, so it is not good to leave the plant without water for a long time. A week, two if you hurry me, fine, but for example a whole month no longer.
On sunny days it would be interesting to take it out, as long as it is not cold.
Greetings.
Hello, two months ago I bought a succulent terrarium, it was growing beautiful and with new shoots, the following happened to me, she came with leaves that fell and black, now I moved and it crushed me, I brought it inside a bag of paper, when I went to see it, I saw that it had soft little arms, what I did was cut everything ugly and soft until a little of the stem that was too soft, and the rest of the stem that is fine I left it there in the terrarium, the Can I water or do I have to transplant it? From already thank you very much, greetings!
Hello Karen.
If it is very soft, it may not recover 🙁
Put it in a normal pot, with holes in its base, and soil that drains the water quickly (it can be pumice, or a mixture of peat with chopped brick in equal parts). Water very occasionally, once a week or less, only when the soil is dry.
And to wait. Let's see if we are lucky.
Greetings.
Hello, sorry about a month ago I bought a succulent, from what I was able to investigate it is a crassula perforata; everything was going fine until a few days ago, the lower leaves began to turn black, then they dried and fell, then its trunk began to turn brown, now it has lost most of its leaves and I'm afraid it will die, I don't know what what happens to him or what to do, help
Hi Liliana.
It is a plant that needs a lot of light, and little watering only when the soil is dry. How often do you water it?
Here you have his token in case it can help you.
Greetings.
Hi there! I saw that my succulent has a soft stem and this fall, it is losing leaves. Is there a way to save her? It's outside, maybe it was overwatering. But I wanted to know if by cutting the stem I might get it back.
Thank you!
Hi Vanina.
Yes, when they are soft it is almost always due to excessive watering, or due to high humidity (it happens a lot on the islands for example).
My advice: water only when the soil is very dry, and cut the soft parts. It would also be convenient to put new soil on it.
Greetings.
Hello, good afternoon, about two months ago I bought a pot that comes with a variety of succulents, I had it in the bathroom and I noticed that it lacked light so I left it in my living room and it seemed to be going well, but it has been about 2-3 weeks ago. The stems of the succulents (graptopetals) begin to bend, it seems that due to the weight, but their leaves are weak and fall when touched, in addition to some sedum they got a white powder. What do you recommend me?
Hello Sea.
What I would do is plant each plant in a pot. The compositions are really beautiful, but indoors it is difficult for them to thrive, not only due to lack of light, but also because all plants receive water with the same frequency and that can be a problem, since there are some that do not need as much water as the others.
When a stem bends, it is because it has been growing in a fast and exaggerated way looking for light, and in the end it bends because it cannot support the weight. So, to solve it, it would have to be taken to a brighter area.
The white powder is fungus, due to excess moisture. You can treat it with fungicide, but it is also very important that it be watered less frequently.
Greetings.
Hello good afternoon, about a month ago I transplanted a succulent by means of a cut and the leaves at the bottom are drying and falling, I do not know what the problem is, the leaves at the top are still green
Hello Karla.
It is normal for the leaves below to fall off, don't worry. The leaves have a limited life expectancy, and when it comes to cuttings even more so because they do not have roots at first.
Greetings.
Hello, about 4 months ago I bought a succulent and it was very well I had given a couple of new daughters but suddenly it began to lose leaves now the trunk is no longer, hard and beautiful green but it does not give more leaves, I water once a week
Hi Norma.
We need more information to help you. Do you have it in the sun or in the shade? Are you inside or outside the home?
If it is potted, does it have a hole in its base?
It is that if for example it is in one in which it does not have holes, even if it is watered only once a week it will have a bad time, because the roots will always be flooded.
If you are indoors, you may lack light, since indoors the light is not strong enough for these plants.
Well, we hope we have helped you something. If you have any doubts, please contact us.
Greetings.
Good afternoon, I love succulents, I had them since I was little and they grew and multiplied, but I had to move house and the direct sun hits me for about 12 hours, I noticed that they were getting sick, they were very purple in color and began to wrinkle And I took them to the place where we hang our clothes but the sun doesn't hit them a bit and I feel like they're worse. I don't know where to put them or how to save them. One of them was left without a root, I was left so to speak with the pure little head, I don't know what to do.
Hi Brenda.
The problem with plants that have already suffered burns is that these damages continue to worsen for a while longer once they have been moved. But then, as the weeks go by, they recover.
For now, you did well to take them to that place, away from direct sun. Water them when the soil is dry, and all else is waiting.
Luck.
Hello good evening, the matter is that I have had a succulent for a month and its leaves have become very soft and it has begun to close, in addition to the fact that it has lost most of its leaves.
Is there anything I can do to get him back on his feet?
PS: it's my first time taking care of a plant 🙁
Hello Camila.
How do you take care of it? It is important that it does not get direct sun (but it must be in an area where there is a lot of natural light), and that it be watered when the soil is completely dry.
The pot must have holes in its base, without a saucer underneath, otherwise it will rot.
Greetings.