Have you looked at the underside of the leaves and around the base of the stem? If there are critters, that's where they hide out, not in plain sight. There is some type of debris on the rim of the pot.

Rose, usually browning leaves as shown in the pictue for stacked crassula species like your plant are all signs of unhealthy and unhappy roots under the soil. If it's too dry, it will start losing its lowest leaves first and slowly cannibalize its way up to the youngest shoots..

If it starts browning/losing leaves from the middle then we have a problem, chances are, you are over watering, and the plant is struggling to cope. The worse that comes from overwatering is that rot might have already taken place at the lower stem or the roots and there is no way to recover them but cut it off and re-root.

More photos might help better id, but there are many variable species of such stacked crassulas and they aren't among the easiest succulents to culture for beginners.

Bernard

Along with what Bernard has said, I was wondering if you have repotted since you purchased the plant? I think that would be a good idea, and you can get a good look at the roots when you do so.

Make sure the pot has good drainage and the soil is fast draining. There are many recipes for potting mixes on this forum and you can search for those. You can also mix at least 50% soil with 50% perlite to achieve a faster draining mix. Some use potting soil, others use cactus and succulent soil - but still mix it with the perlite.

Try to take all of the old soil from the roots. A skewer or chopstick will help. If the soil is rock hard, it may be preventing water from getting to your plant's roots. Soak it in tepid water to see if it will re-hydrate and loosen up.

Let us know how it goes!

How recent was this purchase? Depending on your response, I'd consider returning it to the nursery, or perhaps asking them to trouble shoot it. Sounds like you may not have had it long enough for the harm to have been done on your end. Good luck.

@lgteacher I actually thought of that too at first; there were none. :)

@bernardyj Thank you. It is from the middle, guess it is rotting then. I only watered once since I purchased and only when the soil at the bottom of the pot was dry. However, come to think of it, these were being kept out in the open and there was constant rain for the past 5-6 days. The soil was soggy when I was purchasing it and I had assumed that these were a winter growing species that appreciates the extra water around his time of year. Guess I was wrong and they were negligent. I will repot ASAP. You are right about stacked crassulas though. My luck never seems to be going well with them and I always buy rotting plants unaware (this is not the first time, though the symptoms were different last time).

@Crenda Thank you for the response! I intend to do just that, but people usually advise against regular soil and especially against perlite for cacti and succulents (for the reason that perlite keeps water and moisture, thus causing rot). I am not sure whether this view is correct, I always assumed perlite keeps moisture until soil is dry then releases it.

@lmontestella The purchase was 2 weeks ago but I noticed this condition from the 3rd day and before I began to water. The succulents were being kept outside and it had been raining almost continuously nearly the whole week. Sine they were a nursery, I had assumed they knew what they were doing and kept them in the rain for a reason (i.e. the species appreciates the water due to their growing and/or soil structure). Guess I was wrong. Unfortunately, they do not have a return policy and all sales are final. Will try to call them and see if they are willing to compromise as they were not caring for the plants properly in the first place. Otherwise, I will have to repot them...

As far as the ID, I think it is Crassula 'Springtime' (if pix aren't showing it well & it has a silvery look, then 'Silver Springtime').

I agree. Good call! =)

Rose, I believe there are some misconceptions on growing these plants that I wish to address them, and I don't think it's fair to point fingers or push blames at these commercial nurseries but ourselves to improve our knowledge and culture of these plants.

The whole meaning of commercial growing is that the plant is treated like a product and with the goals to sell it with the highest returns at the lowest cost (meaning cheap peat soil as it requires as little water as possible - and it stays moist for a very long time with very little care) as quickly as possible. Some nurseries might give the minimal or basic care to ensure the plant doesn't die so it can continue to be kept as inventory, some don't even have that basic knowledge, and many a times resulting in dead plants or grow to a very poor state before anyone buys them. (Read our rants about BBS)

1) Succulents grown as house plants or for your case as outdoors shrubs. You have to understand that Succulents like Cacti are xerophytic plants, and they mostly originate from the dry arid regions with high amount of sunlight each year.

Unless you can simulate such conditions in your growing region, it's best to keep these plants in pots or pick species that can thrive in your climate. I think Kevin gave you a really good explanation on understanding your plants' growth habits.

When you water them with a house plant mentality, regardless of how many days intervals you watered them, so long as the soil is still wet, the roots die, followed by foilage - eventually the plant. It's sad because usually by the time the plant looks like its failing, it's almost to late to save it from rot.

There are some quick remedies to address this problem or at least identify it:

A) stick a finger into the soil to see if it's wet before we water or

B) leave them alone until you see signs of thirst then water.

C) trust me on this one, wind or moving air are surprisingly effective and useful to drying soil. It dries even faster if your plant is in a clay pot. In fact most of these plants grow in high altitudes in nature with alot of strong winds, it not only dries the soil and aerate the roots but it also stiffens the plant up.

2) Succulents also experience transplant shock

I don't even think healthy fully established succulent plants can withstand rain in the outdoors like yours for 5-6 days in a row, not even if you have very well draining soil that doesn't dry after a wet spell. So imagine what your plant had to go through in addition to the transplant stress it had already gone through.

This is based on my experience, moving a plant from point A to point B cause stress and disturbance to roots. Different plants have different level of hardiness, but I'm talking about sensitive ones in specific, some breeds of stack crassula ie Buddha's Temple aren't afraid to show you that it's stressed and they usually don't recover well. It's a natural instinct for the plant to shut down if it felt any thread.

So it's always vital to leave any newly bought plants alone for a while until you start seeing signs of change, this period of rest (meaning no water and low light/shaded light) can be very beneficial for you to observe and study your plants.

There isn't a need to follow my advise word for word, but I've recently grown some rarer and more sensitive plants, and these are just some observation I've based from those that are still alive. Some died along the way, despite receiving similar care and attention to the rest of my plants. But hey, we live and we learn!

Happy New Year to you! Hope you can save your plant and happy growing!