my adromischus cristatus (crinkle leaf or key lime pie are its common names) use to be really plump and healthy until it bloomed. even when growing its stem it was still really healthy but once its flowers started to bloom it became really shriveled and limp, but the flowers were looking healthy so i just thought it was prioritizing the bloom over the leafs. after it finished blooming i cut off its stem once it dried out but its leafs are still shriveled and dont look like they are getting any nutrients. new leafs are growing (the little leafs in the last picture) but i dont know if i should keep the shriveled leafs or cut/pluck them off (so that the succulent prioritizes sending nutrients to the new growing leafs?). i dont know if its dying or if its just recovering from its bloom. am i taking care of it wrong and is that why it looks so shriveled or is it out of my control? furthermore, should i actually cut off the shriveled leafs or should i let them do their thing?
plant history- from the first day i got it ive had it by my window all day, every day, and i turn it every few days so that the leafs get equal sun exposure. I water it whenever the soil fully dries out or every 2-3 weeks. I got the succulent on May 16 of this year. for the first few months of having it, i had to use compost soil and the soil it originally came with because i didnt yet have succulent soil, i also kept it in a glass bowl (in the second picture) but even then it looked really healthy. i switched it to 'miracle gro cactus, palm, & citrus potting mix fast drying formula' and i put it in a proper pot a few days before its flowers started to bloom. i kept it in that pot and have been using that soil since.
(the first picture is what it looked like the first day i got it. the second picture is when its stem started to grow. the third picture is what it looked like while its flowers were blooming. the last picture is what it looks like currently.)
TL;DR- my formerly healthy succulent is looking pretty rough and shriveled after blooming. is my succulent dying? do i remove the shriveled leafs or let them stay? should i change how i care for it?
by Warm-Sleep8191
6 Comments
Oooh, lemme know when someone gives you the answer. Mine has a nearly 2ft long flower stalk that I may need to cut if it’s a death bloom 🥹
Probably root rot. They do way better in mineral based substrate.
They don’t have a death bloom. You can cut off the stalk and the plant will keep growing.
This plant however is dry as hell and needs water.
You have to water only when the soil dries .Touch the vsoil to see if it’s dry . If so scratch that soil surface by a cm if the under soil is dry water . Because Adromischus are succulent stemmed they can rot where the stem touches the soil . Detach a leaf . Dry it for a day or so until the bottom of the leaf joint is dry Then place the leaf joint section onto planting soil in a small pot . Place in a warm location/water sparely . It should root and grow a new plant .
Like someone else commented, I suspect rootrot, too. If the roots are rotting, the plant will look dehydrated even after watering because it can’t absorb water. Probably because of the conditions it was in before and your soil being too organic. The first thing I’d do is check the roots and then put it in appropriate !soil.
I’d read up on the subs wiki. All the info you need is there regarding watering,rot, soil etc, there’s also a !beginner guide.
the fact that it’s quite thin and there is no brown/yellow/squishy leaves anywhere makes me think it could be severely dehydrated and not rotting
pls check the roots and while you’re at it you could give it a nice soak and then repot with dry gritty substrate rather than the regular potting mix you currently have