I found this little guy on the floor of my local Walmart a few weeks ago. I couldn’t identify it and brought it home. I stuck it in a mix of potting soil and perlite.
Today, I was curious why the bottom leaves were yellowing, and I gave it a little tug. Turns out, no roots had formed, but instead, the intersection between the two branches had completely rotted.
Luckily, there still seems to be new, healthy, growth at the top of the plant. I think it’s still saveable.
Any tips on ID or how to prop (save) it? Anything helps!
by CakeNo878
5 Comments
looks potentially like a crassula ovata. jade plant. easy to propagate: just cut the rot away and leave it resting somewhere for 24h (the wounds have to scab over). feel it then with your finger and it should be crusted over. *then* you can plant and itll (slowly) form roots
Could also be Portulacaria Afra. Same method as Crassula. Use cactus soil or seedling soil mixed with perlite or fine gravel.
cut it into two healthy pieces so the ends are a healthy color. i’d probably try to root them in water. maybe try one in water and one in soil? they look really good to prop. (edit: it doesn’t look like jade to me. i have jade. i’ve propped something that looks similar, that also had brown ends. every green piece i cut above the brown rooted in water. i don’t think it’s a succulent because i left it in a drenched pot with no drainage and it’s survived for years)
Succulents are best rooted by putting the cuttings directly into soil. You don’t need to water root a succulent…
I’m not saying you can’t water root a succulent but the water roots will die when you transfer to soil anyway & then regrow
Cut them off a couple of leaves up. Wait a day. Pop it into soil or water and they’ll take root – you don’t have to do any of these extra steps or complicated things a lot of folks will recommend- it’s simple, really!