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Cacti & Succulents

Pachyveria royal flush leaves soft and purple

6 years ago

Hey. I realized I had been overwatering my succulent a few weeks ago (it's leaves started getting soft and soggy) so I stopped watering it and put it in a bright place. The leaves are still pretty soft and now they have started to turn purple.. What should I be doing to make it come back to firmness? Do I trim off the soggy leaves or do they have a chance of being revived?

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Comments (4)

SucculentSavvy (Zone 7b)
6 years ago
The purple/rotting leaves cannot be salvaged and should be removed immediately to keep the rot from spreading to the rest of the plant. Be sure to check that the stem is not soft or black, as that will mean that the rot has spread and the plant will need to be beheaded. I would also recommend checking the roots of the plant to make sure that they are not rotting off. What soil mix is your plant in? Part of the reason for the issue may have been that the soil is too water retaining.
Lily Brown
Original Author
6 years ago
Thanks for the help! I removed all the rotting leaves -- now it looks so bare!! But the stem still looks healthy and the small leaves on the top of the plant are firm. The soil feels really dry but I don't know the mix. It was at a store that specializes in succulents so I hope it is the right kind!

Now that it's almost bare, how long do you think it will take to grow new firmer leaves? Should I go back to a regular watering schedule? What would that look like? A spritzing once a week or less?
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lisasfbay9b
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Usually the soil mix you purchase a succ in is not the best one, even if it is from a succulent store. read through the soil/gritty mix threads on this list to get thorough detail for replacing soil. If by spritz you mean spray, most of us don;t recommend spraying, but water from the bottom up instead. keep leaves dry, don;t spritz, but place the pot in a tray of water and allow it to soak it up. How often to water the tray/saucer depends on the plant and climate, but generally when soil is completely dry. There are lots of threads on here about watering that will give you more details based on your situation etc. Enjoy!
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
6 years ago
Lily

It would help a lot to see the plant - do you have photo of it?

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