help! can my plant be saved?
I am not sure what kind of plant but it seems like a cactus of some sort. I been trying to research it but have had no luck with how to care for it. I have had the plant for about 5 months. I usually water it about every two weeks. The man I bought it from told me to soak it however I assume that I have soaked it for too long and now I am wondering if there is any chance it will survive and what i should do from here? Thanks to anyone who can help!!! — Erin
P.S. Also I have a couple other succulent plants and wondering if anyone knew any tips of how I should water them as well as how to repot them (ie: plant food/soil/rocks?).
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.
March 1st, 2007 at 6:52 am
I know that the common wisdom about succulents is to not water them very often, but my mother and I both have succulents of the Echeveria type (a bit like this: http://www.lapshin.org/succulent/album/Echeveria-backebergii-liho2004.jpg) that break all the rules!
Hers live in a backyard pot that sits directly under the watering hose faucet, so the soil is nearly always wet from all the drips and spills that it catches, but the succulent seems to absolutely love it! Her Echeveria is huge, and it’s always creating new shoots that she snips off and gives away or plants elsewhere in the yard.
Mine is considerably smaller and lives indoors, but it seems to do best when I water it every day, not soaking the soil, but keeping it a tad moist.
I know this goes against all the rules about succulents, but it’s possible that each variety or sub-variety is different, and some do better with more water. Go figure!
March 1st, 2007 at 2:38 pm
I would reccomend that you set this little guy in an area (like a windowsill) where he can get plenty of light during the day and cool off at night (this mimics the dry, arid climate he is adapted to).
I wouldn’t worry about watering him for the next two weeks (post a picture up in two weeks, and let me know how moist the soil is that he is in).
What sort of soil/dirt do you have him planted in? Also, how big is that container? I would reccomend a larger (in diameter) and flatter (for example a clay pot with a hole/holes in the bottom that measures 18cm/7in deep by 36cm/14in in diameter ) would be perfect. As for soil, it would be best if you avoided regular “dirt” or rocks. It looks like you have rocks in the picture. I would reccomend a more sandy soil (but NOT straight sand) – for example get a bag of “Play sand” and mix it into regular potting soil in a 6:4 ratio (for example, six handfuls of sand to four handfuls of potting soil). This should be similar to the soil in which this plant usually grows, but has some extra nutrients to help him heal.
In the future, I would reccomend watering him lightly, and getting a water spray bottle which makes a mist, and using that to spray his leaves in the evenings. (This mimics the collection of dew on the plant which occurs naturally in his habitat).
That should bring your little guy back to health.
Peace,
Megan
March 2nd, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Erin, I think you have a little Echeveria glauca on your hands, and your baby wants a new pot! Like Megan suggested, get her into a shorter, wider container and use a soil mix that drains sharply – a cactus mix from your local nursery should be fine. As for the mysteries of watering succulents – it all depends on your climate. Martha Stewart lives in a cool climate that gets it’s fair share of rain – the common advice not to water much holds true there. I live in hot, arid Southern California, and I water my succulent- heavy garden every day March thru November. Most people will be somewhere in between these two extremes. As long as the pot and the soil mix you plant the echeveria in drains well, you can water your pretty succulent once a week. I suggest you buy a few more – it’s a funny rule of succulents … they always do better in groups, almost like they don’t want to be the center of attention! I am crazy about succulents – come visit me at dominomag.com and ask any other questions you might have, Erin – I’m always happy to talk plants!
April 11th, 2007 at 8:39 am
[...] an update from Erin, who wrote in about a month and a half ago about her sad succulent. We (and you) decided she had overwatered it, and now she’s wondering [...]