I have had this guy for 4 years, he was part of a center piece at a wedding. He hadn't grown or died in all of that time, I started to think he was fake. Last month I decided to upgrade his pot (it was in its original, thimble sized jar), when I depotted him, he had very little roots but the ones he did have looked healthy. I picked a well reviewed cactus soil and lined the bottom of the pot with rock. Now he is dying (see the bottom 2 leaves), what did I do wrong?
I live in a humid area and only water when the soil feels completely dry about 20-25 days.
He is in a south facing window, and gets a lot of natural light when the sun decides to show itself.
by DFlyLoveHeart42
4 Comments
i think this pot is too big- a lot of succulents prefer very small pots or else it retains too much moisture and rots their roots
If the leaves are plump and firm then it shouldn’t be a watering issue. I have had issues with my soil being TOO drain-y (like cactus or orchid soil), where the water I pour in the pot pools at the top then runs down the sides without being absorbed into the soil. I get around that by watering from the bottom (sitting the plant in water).
If you are really nervous, you could pinch a leaf or two off and try to propagate. Let the ends callous, then i like to give them a little spray of water on a paper towel and the leaves start pushing out roots within a day or two.
First, take those rocks OFF the top of the soil. It’s pushing the soil down and making it more dense, retaining water longer. Get them off asap.
Cactus soil in the bag is okay, but it’s not enough. You need to add crushed rock like pumice or small crushed lava rock and perlite. I do a 1:1:1 ratio and also add in some horticultural charcoal.
Only water when the leaves are very soft and can be bent in like a taco. You want them to be nice and firm, this plant could be overwatered so let it dry out COMPLETELY before watering and wait until the foliage starts to look wrinkles and feel soft to touch (your leaves are probably soft right now but it does not need water right now, they go soft from too much water as well). I’d check the roots again since the repot to make sure nothing rotted, repot into a chunky rocky soil.
Also, these babies want direct light. It looks like it is searching for more light, the south facing window is good but be careful of window glare – I fried one of mine last summer on accident doing this. I would start introducing this baby to direct sunlight outside SLOWLY if you can, so you don’t fry the plant from sunburn. Start with like 30 mins-an hour every day for a week, then bring it up slowly over time. They love outside!
Yeah pot is wayyy too big, remember to also size up just one or two inches bigger then the previous pot. You don’t need a big pot for such a little cutie.