Hi Dewdrop, your plant seems to be more wet than dry..

Couple of questions:

1. Where did you buy your plant?

2) Did you repot it? If so, did you inspect the roots for pest/mealybugs?

3) Where is your location?

4) How long do you leave it to "dry" after watering?

5) How often have you re-watered it to try to bring it back to life?

6) When you mean "direct sunlight", was the plant placed outdoors for a prolong time?

Your plant looks like an etiolated Echeveria. They usually lose their lower leaves when they are exposed to stress or prolonged dryness. For your case, it seems unusual that it's losing it's middle leaves, and leaves at the crown. Especially the crown, new leaves should stay very firm and healthy at the crown. Such foilage stress might reflect stress from roots.

Tonnes of possibilities, could be mealys, rot, or even fungal attack to the roots.

Word of advise, NEVER water your plant from the top. Succulent leaves do not benefit from moisture whatsoever, and in fact, when kept drier - the better.

Bernard

Bernard, where do you get this idea never to water from the top? That is the only way I have ever watered mine. Sorry that is not accurate infomation you are giving.

Christopher

I'm with Christopher on this one. All of my plants are outside and get rained on regularly and of course get it from the top. I know it is breezy outside, and inside my house I have ceiling fans cranking all the time. So maybe I have plenty of breeze . . . or maybe I, too, am lucky.

Crenda, it's the breeze and the heat. Those 105 degree heat index days and the boiling Florida summer wind really help to whisk away the extra moisture outdoors, and fast ceiling fans indoors do a good job of replicating winds of a milder temperature. IME, you have to really ventilate plants if you want to top water (and you obviously do because your plants are beautiful!!). The only plants I have ever lost were ones that were rained on back in Florida, and then were not given adequate wind to dry off all their nooks and crannies so they rotted on the stem while the roots remained healthy.

Chris and crenda. I grow mostly echeverias indoors like Ben mentioned, it's your choice to pour water over tight rosettes succulents that might accumulate moisture and rot over time if not properly aired.

I grow mostly echeverias, and certian varieties like my lilicina and laui have very sensitive farina, once watered on/or touched the white powdered coating are irreplaceable.

I do believe it's sound advice for a grower whom plant had already lost the fresh leaves at the tip of the crown. If anything, those are symptoms that rot might potentially had already set in on the crown of the plant and additional moisture-water on it is not gonna help her situation.

I believe there is some misunderstanding here:

Bernard - if you say "never water from top" - what exactly you mean? - I imagine that you are trying to warn not to pour water over the rosette.

One can (I do it all the time - I don't bottom-water any of my succulents) water top of the soil without getting excessive amount of water sitting on and in the center of rosette. Some water may drip on, even in the center just as it does when it raining (yes Crenda, yes Christopher). If you constantly 'drown' your plant in any way, there is the problem. I wouldn't pour water over the plant on purpose...

They get rained on (even if rarely) in their natural habitat.

After the rain - See the water sitting in the center of rosette in first photo and on second set of leaves in next photo? I don't "shake" it of or anything similar - it is like a jewel and I take photo :):

Well guys - I would absolutely wilt without a breeze, so I guess my plants get the same treatment! I even have fans out on my lanai.

Bernard, and Ben, I have never rotted a plant just from watering from the top. Ever. So I still cannot agree that that is sound advice that Bernard gave. And it has nothing to do with luck, honestly.

Christopher

Then I guess you have adequate ventilation or you water as Rina suggested, and mainly water around the rosette. Every plant I have ever lost has been a result of top watering/rainfall on the top of the plant, which caused water to collect at the point where an annual stem joins a caudex, or in-between tightly stacked leaves. As luck would have it, my experiences in this matter run completely opposite of yours and so I felt compelled to share my thoughts.

Christopher, Crenda, and Rina - Do you water similarly when your plants are indoors? And if you water like that in the evening, you've had no problems?

Dewdrop - Hope you don't mind my additional questions in your thread! Has your plant improved at all? If not, let us know if you get a replacement and we can help if you have any questions. =)

Well, yes, succulents can die from dryness.

Since California is in a severe drought, last winter I decided that the succulents would have to survive on the rain that should occur. I stopped watering. All my succulents are in pots. My plants started dying off...silly me...it wasn't raining. Low water doesn't mean no water. Well a rain storm went through and the ones that were still alive perked up. LIke duh? So, now I water when they are dry.

Hoever they did not look like your plant. Mine had the bottom leaves dying off first until it got to the top. By that time the plant would be dead. I noticed some shriveling in the leaves too...did I take the hint and water them? For some it was too late.

I knew that some plants do not like water on their crown. So after a heavy rain or If I use a hose to water instead of the water jug, I just get a straw and blow the water out of there. We get an afternoon breeze so generally it'll dry up on its own.

I believe there is difference between "watering from the top" and
"watering on top of" - at least that's the way I understand it, and pls. correct me if wrong.

ew

To answer your last question:

Pls. remember that Crenda is in different climate - I can only speak of my plants in my climate and conditions.

I water differently indoors then outdoors - indoors is more controlled (temps, lights). My succulents spent last 2 winters in colder temps day & night - just below 50*F, I watered them less often.

I water almost always in the morning outdoors (just the way I am used to) and indoors usually too (except last 2 winters when I was 'visiting' my plants I never arrived before noon so they were watered then).

pennyhal

As mentioned above, my zone/climate is different from yours.

Definitely agree that succulents could die from dryness - I have done that!

I see huge difference between plants in pots and plants in ground. They will dry out much faster in pots.

I have mentioned in many threads here that my succulents get 'watered' most of the time when it rains, but if there is no rain for a while I will check them and water accordingly. I also suspend plastic sheet over them if heavy rain, or if rain lasts whole day or longer. If there is just a 'drizzle' I don't cover them even it lasts whole day.

Outdoors: I use bottles with small watering rosette to water them individually most often and can control where the water goes (I water on top of soil, not in the saucer - my pots are not sitting in saucers outdoors at all and I am sure that helps too), I use hose too and just spray everything. Water gets to sit in crown of some plants but it never lasts too long. If it did, I would just 'shake' it off (or always for some very finicky plants).

Indoors: I would not let water sit in crown of plants indoors. There is much less air circulation and it may sit there for too long. I agree that it could cause or increase chance of rot and I always advice not to do it. I always water on top of soil, around the stem, not on top of plant (naturally, some could drizzle sometimes over the leaves). And if any water remains in saucer/tray for longer than 30min or so, I make sure I get rid of it.

I use very gritty mix and that helps a lot with drainage. I never measure amount of water - using gritty mix, I can see when there is enough. If one uses soil, peat or similar, they need to adjust frequency and amount of watering.

Rina

Thanks for pointing out the difference Rina. What I meant was not to pour water over the succulent leaves/crown and water them that way. These plants are called succulent for a reason, and I find it meaningless to wet the leaves, which serve no primary purpose/benefit for the plant to collect moisture whatsoever. The reason why I pointed this out is because the OP, dewdrop's plant in the picture had no more leaves grown on its crown, and I'm suspecting rot.

I believed there were already many other discussions among folks here debating between watering from above the soil/under. It was never my intention to bring up this discussion here that might only confuse the OP even more.