I respectfully, politely, and personally don't agree with depriving/starving them of water. when they are that dry. That is what is killing them in the first place. Too dry will kill them too as you can clearly tell.. If you leave them bone dry after you received them bone dry, they will die. Sorry. That;s not what I would do. But it's your choice. I have yet to loose any succulent or cacti from watering even every week with good light and warm room temps..

Sure you will kill them if you water log them in a pot, one with no holes, one that is too large, use a mix too heavy or provide conditions that are too cold or too dark, but that is not what you have is it? Does that mix dry out rather quickly? Is it hard to re water? Under lights, with air movement?

Yes cold temps, a lack of light and wet are not healthy for any cactus or succulents. Then they will rot.

But warm, lots of bright light , good air movement and porous mixes and porous pots allow you to water quite frequently.

The last time I deprived them of water as many suggest, past the point of dry, I lost a many when while they were provided good light and warm temps and porous mixes in the right size pots)

I was under the impression they don't have roots? If they have roots, I agree 100%. But I thought they were rootless, which I why I said, you know, wait until they have roots. Which I stand by.

I'll add, too, that most of those plants were looking really good, considering the journey and the repoting they just had. Even when my plants DO have roots, I still give them a few days in their new media to just chill out and let stuff heal over and not be so susceptible to rot or bacteria.

Regardless, I find these things to be super hardy, and so there's a lot of room for error (I'm kind of worried about the plants Karen pictured, TBH; they seem to be in worse shape than any of the plants our OP posted).

Even without roots, they will form better roots if given moisture and much faster when supplied plenty of warmth and light. That is the difference. That is what I assume is being done. If not, they will desiccate to nothing before they ever take hold and take forever to grow into healthy plant lets.

Dannie, I am seeing bare rooted plants and live plant terms being used..Not cuttings, so I am going with plants that are too dried out from shipment. If given lots of light and warmth I would water them. Why kill them even further with even more time without moisture? Why extend their death period or further damage them with not moisture? That's not what I do and I never fail.

I agree with you. If I were to receive nice healthy or plump plants or cuttings, then I too could hold back water for a few days, but not when they arrive in need of moisture and half dead.

So basically are you saying that if anyone receives plants that have been in the mail for weeks and bone dry or badly dehydrated to hold back water even longer?

That if one receives cuttings that are so dehydrated after weeks of no moisture, almost dead, to hold back moisture longer, until they are on their last breath if they decide root?

Having never done any of those things, I can't say for sure, but I think I'd probably still err on the side of caution and pot up and leave for at least 24 hours. Mayyyyyybe I'd hit them with a mister? I know it's been a month, but they looked okay!

I'm a compulsive over-waterer (I grow orchids and hit everything with the mister and it's ridiculous to grow orchids and succulents, truly), so I know it would torture me NOT to water them at all. But I also know they can handle a hefty drought. If I thought there was root damage and the media was not immediately going to dry out, I'd be worried about watering in a cool, wet environment. If the humidity was low, I'd hit them with the sprayer and see if they perk up a little. Still, it would make me nervous, so despite knowing myself and that I might spray them ... I still always advise waiting. Could be over-cautious, but that's what I would (try to) do.

Dannie, funny you should say that, I LOVE orchids too and I have hundreds of them?

Do you like fragrant ones at all? That is about what I grow. If you are ever looking for Dendrobiums or a piece of any of mine you are welcomed to come spring. I have plenty to share.

I see your point for in many ways. It is better to err on the safe side for those that don't have the bright warm conditions like I do... I guess I don't worry about it so is because all of my cuttings and rooted ones from mail or otherwise are potted up right away and kept warm under bright conditions. I accidentally mist with a hand sprayer as I water as if even the cuttings already have roots If they are sitting in the warm sun....Any I get in the mail. usually dry, I water them in too. They like that treatment from me. But then not everyone has the same growing conditions as I do. Mines thrive in this environment, but unlike my orchids, they hate it in that room unless they are given a bit of humidity.

So believe it or not, I built a greenhouse indoors with good humidity only 4 feet away from my succulents. ha

Dry and humid in one room , but then god lots of warmth and light for both!

Why to mist plant? - if that's what you mean. Roots should get water when needed, not succulents leaves.

Plants with roots could be watered (and likely should - especially if dry) unless there was cutting/pruning of roots needed. If that's the case, waiting a day or so is OK - it will give chance to heal/callus cut roots. If plants travelled bare-root and cold, and now they are going to be in warm environment, perhaps some period to acclimatize them to warm temps may be OK - cold and wet is usually not so good for succulents. Otherwise, rehydrating roots make sense. At least that's what I would do...

Don’t worry about the double post, this site is doing some crazy things at the moment! I commented on this post that it was double one as I could view your pic on the other one without having to click the link, but it seems other posts have started on this one instead, lol :-)

Gill

HUNDREDS, oh how I wish. I'd love a greenhouse, and you have my eternal envy for all the growing space! My handful of Paphiopedilums live happily in my light-starved, north-facing apartment, but I grow everything else in my east-facing office, on the top floor of a 20-story glass building. A few dozen succulents, two Oncidiums, a Cattleya, a Brassovola seedling, and two Dendrobiums are on the windowsills, and then I've got a dozen phals, plus a collection of miscellaneous creatures further away from the windows, out of direct sun. I don't have very many fragrant plants, though at the moment my Sedirea japonica has 11 flowers and is filling the room with its lemony scent all day long, and I love it. I've got a Sharry Baby I rescued ready to burst, too.

You are so kind to share, and if I ever manage to get this one Dendrobium (Den. victoria reginae) to flower instead of throwing off keiki after keiki (I swear I kept it dry! I swear!!), I'll be sending you postage right quick. They're still a bit of a mystery to me, and I've got to figure them out first!

Dannie, oh yeah! I have many! ALL all are fragrant and many very expensive if you were to just buy a piece, such as the Maxillaria ' cococnut' one. I can share this with you too., If you want that Dendrobium to flower, by the way a very nice bluish color, keep it not just 'dry' but very cool. In a very cool room or near a cold window and dry for at least three months come November..) If you can't provide the cool, you will just get growth. I have all the ones you mentioned plus varieties of them! Love them all, my next passion next to Citrus Trees and Hoya which are succulents..These like their leaves misted more than you know! Phals, I love the small type very 'fragrant' ones! I will take pics and let you know when I do. Check out this link in a couple of days)

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/5048465/january-2018-show-us-some-of-your-plants-please-this-month?n=130

Rina, yes, I am guilty of misting my cuttings many times over. They thrive that way, even the most difficult ones to root, like my 'Lenglois' jades, cacti, and ',Echeveria' as long as I do that when they are warm and under good light with a good fan blowing breeze. They seem to root faster and grow faster this way.)

Let me put it out there that I would 'not' make it a habit of misting mine if I did not have those conditions which most here do not. I guess I am lucky that way. That I don't take for granted)

Mike

One thing I forgot to say is that one thing I didn't realize about succulents at first is that water is stimulating in a way, where with regular plants it may take fertilizer to really stimulate them. With annuals, they need water right away when they wilt, otherwise they'll surely die. or be stressed to the point of no full return. Some people would say don't water because it's stimulating the plants to grow during a time when they need to acclimate to their new surroundings. Others say to water because they're shriveled and obvious need water. I'm just pointing out that water can affect succulents differently. I'm not going to take a side publicly on that one, partly because I'm nowhere near experienced enough.

Jeff good points! There really is no sides to take. IT is a know fact that succulents can handle drought and will shrivel and come back, but that is not thriving. None of mine ever get to that point. If one provides plenty or warmth, air movement, light and a good porous mix, most love to be watered regularly as they dry out and will grow more robust.

If moisture is held back deliberately, it can have many affects, like shriveling, root die back, forced flowering, dormancy, drastic coloring and so forth..We can manipulate what cacti and succulents do just with water alone, let alone the play on temps. Marvelous plants they are! They let us do many things to them and still hang on)

Mike, I've never had plants in that situation, but if I was pressed, I would say give them at least some water somehow. No sense it delaying it in that situation. There, I've come clean. Now I will duck.

One thing I find strange (and I'm not saying this is wrong) is when people wait until a plant shrivels to give it water. Maybe that's better than too much. I remember reading that ewwmayo says that he tries to time it so that the plants are watered just a day before they would really need it. I don't like the idea of stressing plants, but then I suppose they can handle it. I'm so used to Coleuses, where if they wilt more than two or three times in a summer, they're going to look worse from it. I don't have the experience of bringing a succulent back from the brink though, so I don't know the extremes yet or how stressed they can get before they'll permanently be worse off.

Jaitt,

Back to the clay balls. I believe the manuf. is deceived or mistaken. Someone else here diplomatically said some Vendors will say anything to make the sale. Those same clay balls are known for Hydro growing (growing in water instead of soil.)

That's what's in here w/this Sans, just clay balls & water, no soil. If you were to search Hydro growing, you'd find these clay balls some call Leca stones, used not to aerate soil but to support plant & its roots in water.

I too think your plants looked better than you described. I think most could stay in those size pots, more important to get the clay balls out & remedy the soil. Agree about no sand, really maybe translate Perlite or Pumice & look for that. It makes all the difference. I too thought the plants had no roots, so yes, no roots, no water.

Dannie, you're free to share your concern about my plants. They're fine, have you heard of growing them hard?

I posted those older pix as that's all I had available to show that very coarse mix I was suggesting.

I wouldn't mist succulents either, may cause foliage problems.

Mike, I agree, most folks wouldn't have the light & heat you do for your plants, so it's a pretty different transition time.

Karen, I'd be interested in what growing hard is. I have a feeling i might not like it, but I'm curious. It's a hard (?) thing to search for.

Growing "hard" is when you give them lots of light, wide temperature swings, and little water. It results in nice, compact growth and deep rich colors. I grow my succulents hard, mostly because it's difficult to limit the intense temps and sunlight on my windowsills. The plants above don't strike me as grown hard so much as a bit neglected and very dehydrated. It's just my opinion; everyone can grow their plants however they like.

And I agree, Jeff, on watering. Unless I forget about them, which is rare, my succulents are watered pretty deeply at least once a week. But because it's so dry and warm on the windowsills (unless it's nighttime and then it's dry and cold), they dry out really fast. Like, 24 hours fast. Hence, growing hard whether I like it or not. I'll check the leaves to see if they're getting soft after a few days. In the summer months they get a soaking every 4-5 days (except the dormant ones). In the winter I keep them drier because of the low temps. But they never really dry out more than a week, and they never, ever wrinkle up. I know some people do it, but my plants look miserable when they're thirsty.

Thanks for the info. I really had no idea. What would be interesting is a discussion of what plants to grow hard and what not to, based on preferences and if someone can create certain conditions. Maybe this isn't the place for it, but when I think about it, I like Aloes and Haworthias green, but compact and colorful Echeverias. Just today I was thinking about the heating mat in my basement and putting that on a timer with the lights in the summer growing cactus down there.

Phew! A lot to take in! I mixed a new batch of soil, this time I put in a lot more perlite and some granite, I asked around for lava rock in any form, but the grow shops recommended perlite instead. I wonder if replacing some of the soil with Coco coir would make it more draining. The plants are shriveling more, so I'm going to transplant them to the new soil ASAP, I even found smaller pots (6cm) for them. I'm also going to give them a little bit of water afterwards, maybe add some BioBizz root juice to the water, seaweed extract too? The fluorescent bulbs are going back as well, I don't like how dark the tent is with just two of them. My new LED lights are being delivered today, they'll put out more light and less heat.

Regarding the roots of the plants, it's hard to say if they were still functioning, really shriveled and brown, seemed to break off really easily.

I'm glad you guys debated a little, made me understand that this isn't as black and white and I need to try and find what works best in my situation. I'm not giving up on this hobby even if these plants don't survive, but I'm going to do what I can to make them!

The new batch sounds way better! Seriously, even if you just put in a substantial amount of perlite, they'll benefit from having less water retentive soil. I don't think coco coir is good, because I think it holds water (if it's similar to what's in my orchid bark mixes, which is pretty absorbent).

As you may have guessed, there's definitely different ways to go about getting your new plants acclimated. I guarantee several of them will bring your plants around. The good thing is they'll probably tolerate some experimentation until you find what makes them happy.

Another thing to remember is that sometimes plants just sulk. I see this more with my orchids than I do with my succulents, but sometimes, especially after repotting, they just don't wanna do anything. They don't die, but they don't actively start putting on growth, either. For a while. So remember: if they aren't DYING, you're doing a great job! LOL.

jaittasa

Few members of this forum row exceptional haworthias. Many are rare and expensive, but I believe they have some "more common" plants too. Many use just pure pumice to grow them. Not that you have to, but it must be working very well? Maybe you already checked it out, but if not, maybe you'll find this thread interesting. It is now at page 6 - so if you have time, start here: calling-all-haworthians There are many pictures - you can see very clearly the mix most of them are in; but you'll find many helpful tips too - what to use for potting substrate, watering, light, temps, maybe even fertilizing is mentioned...

Btw, lava rock is suitable too, if suitable sized. Coco coir is very similar to peat; I think what Dannie mentioned she uses for orchids is coco chunks/coco husk chips that are better for orchids than succulents. As she said, they hold lots of water and are way too big for succulents.

I have just few what I call 'common' plants - sold frequently in different stores. They are all in gritty, inorganic mix and are doing quite well. Here are some that I recently separated, all potted in same mix - most didn't have any roots:

And some more haws:
Reason I questioned misting plants is that water could collect in the rosette, and could cause rotting. Some ppl mist, but I think it is better to be avoided, especially if having other problems.

Overall, do not panic :) and hurry to repot again if someone suggests something else. Lots of perlite you said you used to make new mix + some granite should work (perhaps 1/3rd of each or even less soil = maybe just 20% of total volume) - let your plants to recover and get stronger. Check mix for moisture using bamboo skewer or chopstick to make sure they don't have 'wet feet'. I think your existing pots are OK too, especially if you making better draining mix.

I found some pumice and lava granules on Amazon, do you think they're necessary if I just use a lot of perlite? Their grain sizes are 3 - 5 mm for the pumice and 2 – 8 mm for the lava granules.

As a ' beginner ' here's what I would take from this and I would 'save' this thread

Many here have been growing Cactus and Succulents for years and are pretty darn good at it. Me for over 20 some in this very thread for even longer!

We always tend to agree on the simple principles which you should use and start with take from each of us and then mold these ideas into what fits your growing conditions, environment and situation.

Most will not over water their plants or spray them with water when growing in cool conditions and that would mean temps lower than 65.
Most would not water them often in cooler conditions lower than that either as often as you would in warmer conditions
Most of us would use a very good porous mix that can be made or bought.
Most of us would encourage good root growth by holding back on moisture in less lit conditions or cool conditions for badly rooted or damaged plants or cuttings

Most if us believe it's good to use a a fan of some nature to encourage quicker dry off and to mimick the outdoors.
Most of us who grow in very warm bright conditions in which our pots dry out fast would water more often than those that have less than ideal conditions.
Most of us love helping others to find their nitch In growing these by sharing out experiences whether it be failure or success to help you to determine which you will provide your plants.
Most of us are friends here and have great respect for one another and work as a team.
We all have varying ways to get to success and different ideas and conditions too. But in the end you need to find what works best because there is no one size fits all with any plants when we are in charge of what we provide. Our homes are not the perfect place for optimum growth but we sure the heck can get as close as we can by deriving tidbits from all. So many great ideas can be catered to your needs and done omitted.
You will find that place for your plants as we all have.

I can tell you that most of us have never met face to face and that's ok. Whether we like it it not our connections to each other here bring us close in spirit and help create well rounded out people and good growers at the same time!

Mike

jaittasa

Pumice and lava you found on Amazon are good, but you don't have to use them. There are many substrates suitable for growing succulents, and they can be mixed together, or even used exclusively. As I mentioned in previous post, some use pure pumice...some use 1:1 mix of C&S soil and perlite; mix could be made of 2, 3,4 or even more different substrates if you like. The goal is to get great drainage. Particle size you mentioned is in great size range; 8mm is getting large. If you have range of 2-8mm, it should be sifted to separate the largest particles. Mix works best if different substrates have particles of as similar size as possible. 3-5mm is very good size to use without any worries.

I don't use pumice since it isn't easy to fid here and ordering by mail could be quite pricey. Perlite works well for me, even if some ppl don't like it since it is so light - but I look at performance. Here is another thread discussing size of particles click here pls.

Mike summarized it quite well.

If you just want to get them established, just making the soil more free-draining with the perlite will make a big difference. I have amended my soil over the years with granite (sold on amazon as chicken grit) and lava chips here and there, but for the better part of the last decade, I've grown in 50:50 cactus soil mix and perlite. It's cheap, easy, and it works. The granite is good to make pots heavy to keep my jades from toppling over, or if I let my goldfish plant vines get so long they want to pull their pots down off the shelf!

Rina: yes, it IS coco husk chips I was thinking of, thank you! I wasn't sure I had the right product, and you're right. I'm still not sure about coir.

Welp, the plants seem to be getting worse. Good news though, I received my new LED lights and a lot of different plants have germinated so I'll have something to grow under the lights even if the cuttings die (most of them will).

I'm sorry I don't know much about growing under lights, but do they put out much heat? The plants look crispy and dehydrated at this point. If they're in their fast-draining soil now, water well.

They're only slightly warm to the touch, but yeah the plants look crispy and didn't seem to improve at all when I watered them. The pots are small, but still feel like there's some moisture in the bottom.

I wish I had more advice. I'm confused as to why they're tanking on you. :(

They are far from dead still, but these are not good developments.

Too me, it looks like you are withering away by not providing enough moisture with too much light..That is most certainly not how I would care for mine.

Like I said earlier, if they were mine I would of just stuck in natural light and in warm conditions...They would of rooted or acclimated just fine. I would still take them from the over head light and wait until they get roots or come back with very little moisture. If you decide to keep them under lights and warm water away, They are dehydrating to death.

I can't understand the cooking part, the lights are only 37w each and I can easily hold my hand on them, I've also watered them multiple times now. Maybe the soil is still not coarse enough.. they also don't have much of a root system. Guess I'll just put them in a corner somewhere and hope they'll root.

Plants in your last photo look dry - maybe they are?

I am guessing that you are using tent to concentrate the light? Is there any other reason? Do you keep it all closed up? I wonder if there is good air circulation inside - if not, small fan would help (maybe even as small as fan from old computer).

LED lights typically do not emit lots of heat, IIRC less than CFL bulbs, and they seem to be quite far from the plants. I see your thermometer showing 24*C, that is not too much heat for most of them. During night, many plants would appreciate bit cooler temps. How long are your lights on?

One of our members, Pagan, grows Haworthias in temps 20-25*C daytime and as low as 13*C nights. Kevin (ewwmayo) reported recent temps to be 15-20*C now; Howard (bikerdoc) has temps 20-28*C daytime, around 16*C nights. I am quoting these since they took time to post them very recently; here is thread where you can find photos of their beautiful Haws:- haws galore - . Post including temps are toward end of that thread.

I believe sometimes it helps if unrooted plants are kept on a heat mat for bottom heat. I am not saying you should do that as I do not have experience, I think Mike does ?

I wish I had natural light to give them, but the winter in Finland is dark, really dark. And it's currently almost -20 degrees Celsius. The 24c temperature in the tent is warmest I currently have.

Rina, I keep the tent closed so my cat doesn't eat everything. I have a computer fan pulling air out from the tent and a clip on fan moving the air inside.

I don't think there is anything wrong with your temps and the artificial light is just fine.

I'll keep watering them, and I'll leave the window cracked for the night.

Since no one seemed to 'like' my comment I will correct it and not use the word cook, but just say they are shriveling away under light and a lack of water..My apologies...Not the proper term I meant use) I re worded it for you to understand...

If my temps were above 65 most of the time and I used lights like that, I would be watering them cuttings or not. Not 'one' plant of mine ever is allowed to dehydrate even if it is a cactus not if I am providing warm temps and light. If I was try to force dormancy, or hold back on watering, then the common sense thing to do is to cool the temps down. This is more important for my plants than light.

If my temps were 'cooler' and the light provided was less than what you provide, or less than optimal, or if you were rooting or trying to grow by natural winter day light, I would not water until roots are start to appear or until my soil mix was dried out.

If my plants or cuttings were in the very warm sun, even in summer, I would water in a very good mix that dried out rather quickly which it should in the sun, even in winter, but make sure they are not cold at night. I would keep the heat in there warmer than usual or use a heat mat to keep them above 60 at all times..

The key is to keep them warm with good natural light means to water, usually above 60 degrees at all times. To keep them cooler or less light, I let them root before using water freely or light water if they start to shrivel so that the mix is dry by the evening. It's a balancing act and one that can be accomplished by anyone)

Light plays a crucial role to many here growing Cactus and succulents, but for my plants, the thing that affects them most is the temps they are subjected to. And it seems to me you keep them on the warmer side of things which is dehydrating them if your mix is getting dry too fast. Does you mix dry out very quickly? Do you water them at all? It's hard to tell in pics..Are they dry in those pics you posted last?

Hopefully you can learn something from this last thread. I tried my best and repeated myself many times so you could get my point)

Mike

Mike - you are fussed about whether anyone ´likes´ your comments? I don´t even notice - nor do I give a damn. I do not post to gain any personal acclaim.

Mike, when you say, "That is most certainly not how I would care for mine. Good luck though)" it sounds rather snarky. I just want to put that out there, because there are a few people on this board that come off that way, even though it may not be intentional. She's doing the best she can and wouldn't kill her plants on purpose. If she had your experience she may do things differently.

They're getting water, just not uptaking it. Some of the plants seem to have new growth coming out from the sides. Maybe some of them just froze to death during shipping.

I send a few Lophophora williamsii plants to dedicated growers in the US - but never in winter time. I have told my potential buyers to wait until March.

JeffO, no it was meant in a most caring way. Sorry if it was misconstrued that way, darn internet. Easily removed))

Spanish Fly made a very good point! It is much better to wait until after winter unless they offer a heat pack of a sort. I hope they make it with all the info you have received here, I am pretty sure most will)0

Hey Spanish Fly, I could care less if anyone even thanks me for my help, although it makes for a much better experience here and it is a considerate thing to do. JeffO is right, there can be many here that can be quite rude and unappreciative, which is why many come and go, but a majority here are quite friendly and very considerate of others always making the time to be of great help because they genuinely care. That is why I have stuck around for many many years and have made quite many a friend here)

When I said 'like' I meant that I must of said something that might of offended one not deliberate though. So I made that comment seem much nicer..Thanks though))

Hope all is well across the pond and keep posting some of those nice cactus which I assume are ready to come out and show off their true flowers!

Mike

jaittasa

That is exactly what I wanted to ask: is there a chance plants were just too cold in transit? Do you have any idea how long they spent out there?

Well it took them almost a month to get here, in a flimsy cardboard box. I'd imagine they spent quite a bit of time sitting in cold postal trucks, airplanes and maybe warehouses. I'm gonna have to re-read this thread tomorrow, currently doing a night shift and my brain isn't functioning anymore lol

Ha, there could lie the issue. Maybe you have freeze burn or damage! This could explain everything. I feel so bad. I wish there were some way you could get a refund.

Hopefully you have learned a lot here. Your welcome.

Mike

Man, if it was the cold... I think that's as much the seller's responsibility as anyone. I might show them photos and politely ask for a refund, depending.

Spanish Fly, you must be, like, super old. Older than me. (53) I never thought I would find a legitimate way of using the phrase, "If you've got it, flaunt it." Learn something new every day.

Mike, I'm sorry if I misconstrued your tone. I'm glad I mentioned something. I knew you would handle it well.

Good news! (Maybe?) I'm seeing air roots in two of the plants, which means they're alive, however I read that air roots are formed when the plants aren't getting enough water? Also, some of the plants aren't even haworthias which is weird because I ordered a haworthia mix.

jaittasa

Many succulents will grow air roots, so do not worry. 1st may be Crassula tetragona (smooth leaves?) 2nd looks like Sedum rubrotinctum - they can grow lots of hair-like roots. Maybe you got those as 'bonus' plants? - that would have been nice if they were included free :). Mix in 2nd photo looks moist enough in the photo (is there also sand?)

I see C. muscosa in top left (very easy, needs lots of light); couple of tiny cacti; rosette type could be Echeveria but need better photo; few are very small and I can't ID them. Maybe you can take individual photos and number them; post for ID

I just spotted flower stalks in three of the plants... From dead to flower in 10 days. What's going on? They're still in pretty horrible condition.

Back again with more questions; since the plants were damaged, I shouldn't expect them to ever look very healthy again since damaged leaves etc won't recover. But the new growth will most likely be normal looking, any estimates on how long it would take for the new growth to be strong enough to be separated from the damaged parts? I'm just dying to plant them in new "soil" because I've seen gnats in the tent. There's some of the new soil mix on top of the pots already, but it's still the same poor quality stuff under it.

3 plants that seem to be growing inflorescence have better color in newest leaves too - so they could be recovering well.

Fungus gnats like moist soil, that has some organic material in it. I mentioned before that plants you showed in post about air roots looked like they are too wet. Keeping top dryer by using some grit helps, since they like laying eggs in moist soil. Just watch that soil under it doesn't stay wet for too long. I would also make sure that top dressing is just gravel; if there are any finer materials mixed in (like sand or peat) or some areas not covered by it, fungus gnats will 'wiggle' in there. Once you repot into well draining gritty mix, you probably won't need any top-dressing. I keep it on because I use lots of perlite; and it tends to float to the top slowly. Gravel will prevent it from flying around if bit windy.

There are ppl that are against using top-dressing. If soil below is water retaining, it probably won't help at all and I would agree about not using it.

I am not sure how long before new growth - some plants take really long time. But it could be good idea to keep leaves on, even if broken or scratched- they will help makin more food. I would take off any that are mushy - rotting - waterlogged. Otherwise, they will eventually start drying up and shrivelling when old enough. Hopefully someone with much more experience with growing many different Haworthias will chime in....I have only few, and I did kill few with overwatering...