Overwatered or underwatered?
User
7 years ago
Trying to get the hang of how often to water succulents, but I'm stymied by the symptoms of overwatering vs. unwavering. Why are some of the leaves shriveling on the plant in this photo? The shriveled leaves feel supple, not dry or crispy. It gets morning sun, shade in the afternoon.
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User
7 years agoRelated Discussions
Can't tell if overwatered or underwatered
Comments (13)I love the planters too, but I recommend air plants for those. They require no soil and almost no water. I have bunches of these too, and they would work really well in those pretty containers and bring you the bit of green you're looking for. They even turn brilliant shades of reds, oranges, yellows, purples, and white with beautiful flowers. I love them. You would just have to make sure that they are as near the top of the pot as possible to get enough air flow. I use rocks to raise mine up. My understanding from others in this forum is that a layer of rocks makes it worse. I had some planted in glass containers with a deep layer of rocks and after initial growth I nearly lost them all! The solution for me was to ditch pretty in favor of succulent-friendly, in the form of terracotta pots with drainage and gritty. My plants have taken off since then. Some have tripled in size and I have lots of pups. I consider it a huge success. I am pretty new at this myself, but I consider this the greatest lesson I have learned here. I don't know about you, but I spend a lot of time on Pinterest where succulents are all in rage in home decor. Unfortunately, unless most of the plantings are temporary, many of them will absolutely not support a healthy, thriving plant in the long term. I was greatly misled by this myself and I had to start from scratch and learn to use them in a way that was decorative, but would make my plants robust. Just my opinion and my experience. (BTW, the advice on air plants on Pinterest is similarly flawed. PM me for info if you like.)...See MoreOverwatered or Underwatered? Help!
Comments (12)Kara is asking good question: old soil (that is usually peat) should e get rid of completely before potting into well draining mix. At the same time, one can inspect roots. How did they look? If roots are in good shape, plants may be not watered as often as they need to. Names of plants really do not matter that much - care for them is very similar. I can't say anything about BJ mix as I never purchased any. Lots of ppl use it & hope they will comment. I make mix using grit+perlite and some turface for my succulents. I keep them under lights approx. 12hrs/day. It is quite warm in your house and mix is possibly drying up quickly. If my plats, I would check (using bamboo skewer or chopstick) deep into pot about every couple of days to see if the mix is dry or wet & water accordingly. Soon you'll learn how long it takes to dry up....See MoreShrunken leaves - overwatering or underwatering or...?
Comments (5)Not sure, but plant in pic #2 looks like very etiolated and thirsty Sedum morganianum to me. And what is the tiny rosette in top left in 1st photo? Looks like Sempervivum - but can't tell from small pic. If it is Semp, it should be growing outdoors. It is hardy succulent....See MoreIs my succulent overwatered or underwatered? (bottom leaves droopy)
Comments (6)It is flowering and it isn't horribly etiolated suggesting you're doing a decent job taking care of it. I agree that your plant will shed its older lower leaves as it grows but the older lower leaves don't look like they are on the verge of being shed to me. I've seen leaves bend to unusual angles when a succulent plant isn't getting enough sunlight. You typed that the leaves are droopy but are they droopy because they are shriveling away and no longer turgid or are they still fairly firm but just angled downward? Also, I see the older lower leaves are bigger than the newer younger leaves so I'm thinking maybe for a time during the winter the plant wasn't getting enough sunlight but now during spring the amount of sunlight has improved....See More
Lauren (Zone 9a)
7 years agoLauren (Zone 9a)
7 years ago
ewwmayo
7 years agoLauren (Zone 9a)
7 years agoUser
7 years ago
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Kara 9b SF Bay Area CA