save this plant: bunny's sad succulent
It’s a familiar tale of woe: Girl sees cute plant, girl buys plant, plant becomes demanding (sun! water!)… plant and girl are on the rocks. At least that’s what’s going on with me and my succulent right now. When I bought it, it was a pale bluish-green (typical of succulents)—a tall single stem with thick pink buds. Over the past month, it has become paler, skinnier, and has lost its pink flower-like petals (they weren’t silky, like most petals, but rather were thick like a stem).
So I’m coming to you for advice: Any tips on what it needs? More sun and heat? More (or less) water? Or perhaps it’s beyond saving? Also, my friend Kim suggested taking a cutting and re-growing the plant: Does anyone have any experience with propagating houseplants? I’d love your help. —Bunny W.
I think your plant either doesn’t have enough light or it has too much water. That’s what usually happens with succulents. We tend to overwater them. If it got too much water it may get diseased in the roots and die. Try to water it in the mornings rather than at night, because they will only use the water when there is also light and there will be less chance of getting a disease. You can try to propagate it by cutting a branch and sticking it into water. Depending on the type of plant it may or may not root and survive. We do that with many plants around my house but we don’t have succulets. When they have a few roots we transfer them to soil and they should do fine. Good luck!
I would definately say that it looks like too much water. You can almost literally not water succulents and they will survive. If you have an area outside to sit that pot it will do worlds better. Plants that require light really suffer from being indoors. If there are any of the green parts left, that may have dropped off the plant you may be able to stick them down in some soil and leave them, for a long time, and they may make roots. I can’t really see if the plant is beyond hope or not. But I would say that it’s best chance for survival is to get outside. Oh, don’t forget to keep it out of direct sun because it will burn since it is so used to life inside.
How often are you watering it? Is it getting direct (or even indirect) light, and how much? I bet one of those is the key.
Succulents don’t need to be watered much, and I lost several before I learned I was rotting the roots by overwatering. It’s a natural reaction: the plant starts to fail, you panic and start watering all the time. Those big squishy leaves hold water for the plant, though, and the roots can only take so much at one time.
I used to be a jade plant killah until I started giving them actual sun a few hours a day. Now my sad-ass three-leaf succulent has over 20 leaves. And also I learned to water them once or twice a month, maximum. Hope you can bring this one back – succulents are low maintenance and pretty once you figure out a rhythm.
I fourth the overwatering! The water rings on your pot and the saucer indicate way too much water as does the grey flabby condition of the remainingstem. If you try succulents again and make sure you repot in a succulent mix (1/2 cactus mix 1/2 soil) to get a fast draining medium. And never let a succulent stand in water. If you overwater just dump the water out of the saucer!
Good luck next time!
and i fifth the overwatering. i killed a cactus that way! i think the excess water just causes them to drown, basically.
Honey–you need to repot with nice fresh cactus mix, put the sweet little thing in some bright light (4-6 hours per day would be nice) and water once per month. Better yet, give the plant a vacation and put her outside where she can get light on all sides and the clean, soft spring breezes can blow away the bad memories of struggling through the winter indoors.
Do it this weekend!
I have no idea what’s up with your plant, or what will help it . . . I just want to know what kind of yarn that is in the photo! It’s sooo pretty!!
Thanks everyone for your helpful comments!
Chris–the yarn comes from a shop on Atlantic Ave. in Brooklyn…I forget the name right now, but it’s near Hoyt or Bond or some such. The label says divé: Teseo and it’s Italian–half wool, half microfiber. I hope that helps…
Whenever I have a cup of tea that I haven’t quite finished (minus milk or sugar) I always pick my saddest looking plant and dump the tea into it. Apparently they love the acidity. My plants are looking really good because of it. Just make sure the tea is cold!
Speaking of tea, I heard that it will get rid of aphids. Will it? I found in one of my plants a few aphids and really don’t want them in the house again. I bought one plant a month or so ago and didn’t realize it had aphids, when these bugs started flying all over I drove myself batty thinking they were friut flies from a grape that ran away from the kids or something. Anyways, I recently got another plant from the same place, but while re-potting it in clean soil I noticed a few of these flying bugs at the base of the plant. I quickly got a pot of tea started and once it cooled watered the plant with it. Will it really help? I hope I don’t kill my plant!
[...] Hi Erin! This plant is a succulent — they come in all sorts of varieties and this is not the first sad one to come our way. It does indeed look and sound like you have overwatered it. As Martha Stewart will tell you, these types of plants need very little water. They’re built to survive strong light and draught, so soaking is not needed! Just water every few weeks or so. The pots needs to have drain holes on the bottom — this is very important. Try putting him near a really bright window and ignoring completely for a month or so. They naturally shed leaves, so it’s possible that your little plant is working on healing itself right now. Do you agree with our advice? Got any repotting tips? Please help us help Erin. [...]
Hi Everyone…I was searching for info about succulents, and found all of you talking to Erin. I’m happy she had so many responses because I’ve just gotten started with a cute little succulent myself, and I do believe my guy was going to go down the same road as Erin’s. You’re right, the little guy starts looking bad and it is a natural urge to water him. But thanks to all of you he might have a better chance of surviving. I’ve put him in my kitchen window which gets good indirect light, plus lots of extra light from the skylight….. and I’ve thrown out my watering can…hehehe.
And if he makes it through the fall and winter, he’ll be headed outside to the summer breezes. Best of luck Erin. Hope you get to repost in the spring and tell us how great your guy is doing.