So back in October I decided I wanted to get into succulents and bought this echeveria from a local landscaping business. I potted him in rocky cactus soil the business recommended I use, and then I left him to etiolate like crazy for several months, not realizing that the window he was sitting in was not getting nearly enough light. In the months since acquiring him I’ve learned a lot more about succulents and hooked him up with some grow lights, but it was too late. I worry it’s using too much energy trying to sustain itself and that it’s going to die! Should I give him the big chop?? If so, where should I cut? This is probably the longest I’ve ever kept a plant alive so I’ve weirdly bonded to it and I don’t want to kill it 😭
And let’s say I do chop it… I just let the head callous until roots appear and then pot it?? I can keep the stem/base in the pot as-is and wait for pups? I swear if I pull this off I’ll be so impressed with myself, but I am so afraid of killing him!!
by Pinkishrabbit
3 Comments
Following closely! Running into the same thing.
>I worry it’s using too much energy trying to sustain itself and that it’s going to die!
That’s not a realistic worry. The plant will absorb its lower leaves if it feels they’re no longer worth sustaining.
>Should I give him the big chop??
Not yet. Wait a few more months to make sure the new growth is compact (meaning that the current amount of light is enough). There’s no rush.
>And let’s say I do chop it… I just let the head callous until roots appear and then pot it?? I can keep the stem/base in the pot as-is and wait for pups?
Essentially yes. I generally wait for a pup to start growing from the stem before I chop (so I know the plant has some means of harvesting light even if the new pup is a lot smaller). You don’t have to do that though.
I’d recommend waiting until there’s a decent sized compact, healthy rosette. So long as the plant is able to hold itself upright, there’s no need to rush it.
When you do behead, cut an inch or so below the compact rosette, let the cut en callus, and then pot in a dry substrate. Hold off on watering until it has rooted (if you gently tug on the plant and there is some resistance, it has roots). some people do prefer to let their cuttings air root before potting so they can better track root growth. And as for the base – yep! Keep that potted, as it should produce tons of offsets. !propagation for more helpful info.