more help? erin's sick succulent, part two
Here’s 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 what happens next. Any more advice?
My plant hasn’t had any water for weeks now…..I was wondering about the leaves on the bottom. They are a little darker in certain areas and I am unsure if this is a good thing or a bad thing. Also will the stem ever have regrowth??? If there’s any advice — I am looking for some tips on how to help revive this little guy. Thanks for your time. I look forward to seeing the your comments. — Erin
I have a succulent like that. It’s healthy and it just keeps getting taller/ganglier and the stem does not have regrowth. It’s kind of like a palm tree in how it’s growth is all at the top. The healthy, new leaves at the top will be lighter and brighter than the leaves at the bottom, which will continue to darken and then fall off. It sounds like you’re doing well now.
Hi Erin – the top part of your echeveria looks great, and the bottom is the natural sloughing off of the older/weaker/sick leaves. You shouldn’t keep it totally dry all the time – give it a sip once a week. I think you are on the right track.
Your echeveria isn’t going to ‘pup’ from it’s stem … there are so many varieties of echeveria, and some just don’t do that, but if it would, it would have done it while it was close to the ground. In that tiny little pot, there is nothing else it can do than grow a trunk – it certainly can’t spread out. Unless you want a tiny, gangly succulent, you should re-pot it into a larger pot. I know this will seem scary, but do this:
Cut the stem under the echeveria so that you have about 4 inches to work with. Prepare a new pot – it should be at least twice as wide as the old one – and fill it with 2/3 cactus mix, 1/3 sand. Stick the stem into the pot so that about 1-1/2 inch is above the soil, and press the soil down very, very firmly into the pot and against the stem. This is the key to getting a cutting to root – this tight, sandy soil. Now water it well – don’t worry about overwatering it – and leave it alone on a windowsill for a month. After that, you can water it regularly (meaning a tiny bit once a week)
Can you do this, Erin? Try it!
thanks a lot for the tips!!!