You took a plant out of her soil and didn't water it, she had roots, she should have been put into new soil immediately and watered in. As long as a plant has roots, it may be watered. You just need to take out any dead roots before replanting. Okay so you didn't do that. Now I would cut off all the roots, and just lay the plant on top of an empty box letting it sit until you see the roots growing, remove all offsets, and just set them on top of fresh soil, they will root down. You want to have her concentrate on growing roots, not having the babies take from her. She need all the strength she can get. If you do decide to start her in soil, just set her on top of dry soil, she will root down all by herself, do not set her into the soil. Do not water her or the babies for at least a week, she is dormant now, so let her be. The best time to start Echevieria is now, after they have flowered. I do grow these plants, good luck, Norma

Thank you, Norma, for answering my call for help.

I already did as you adviced. But I am puzzled by what I found. When I pulled the plant out of the pot, I found plenty of new roots, very thin, very white, spreading all over the soil. There was no sign of rot or of bugs. So, why didn't she make it? The leaves were all wrinkled almost to the center of the rosette. I just can't figure this out.

About the repotting method, I am used to tropiclas (succulents are a new passion) and whenever I repot, I immediately water the plant. But having done some research on how to grow succulents, I have always found this advice -that upon watering, one should let the roots get dry to avoid rot and not water for a while. That's what I did - the results weren't brilliant, by the way!

I have one more question, Norma: peat based compost is supposed to be bad for succulents. But why does it work for growers? I have bought a beautiful echeveria, a hybrid of echeveria affinis, in flower. She must be happy, right? Otherwise she wouldn't flower. Why can't she go on being happy at home with me in that compost? I'm a bit (A LOT!)afraid to change the soil and end up with a dead echeveria.Is it worth the try in the long run? Or can I keep this soil and just be very, very careful watering her during the winter? Give me your opinion, please! Teresa

Teresa, I think you're confusing rooting succulent/cactus cuttings from stems. They're supposed to be left to dry/callous. If you're repotting a rooted C/S, it should be potted immediately. Also, because this plant had roots, it should have been watered after repotting..I think roots dried too much.
How is she looking now? Better, worse, same?
I too notice plants, no matter if they're tropicals, succulents or cactus growing in peat..Although, recently, more C&S's are being shipped in a sandier medium. I think it depends on the nursery..For instance, my son brought me a citrus tree from a CA nursery. It's in a big pot and 90% of the medium is sand..boy, does this guy dry out fast..
If you feel comfortable w/the peat, and planning on repotting, perhaps you should leave existing peat then add succulent soil around it..This is entirely up to you though. Toni

You can pot up rooted plants immediately, as well as after a few days, and have success. Did you leave the plant out of direct light? Direct sun on exposed roots will dry them out very fast, and the plant will lose moisture at a greater rate, as it can't replace it from the roots immediately. I normally wait for a few days before watering, (this is with a rooted plant), but gradually increase light levels (from inside to shade outside,and then after a week or so, some morning sun, then two more weeks, and then full sun if the plant can handle it and the pot isn't too small).
Commercial growers use peat because it's cheap, and they water and fertilize lightly, but frequently, with high light levels. Their goal is to grow the plants and get them to market as quickly as possible. When you pot, it's a good idea to (gently) remove as much soil as possible. Once the peat dries out, it can be hard to remoisten.