So, since I posted this, I accidentally knocked the lemon tree to the ground and had to repot it for the second time in one week. Then a couple days later it got really windy with gusts up to 45 mph. Then during the windy half week, the temperature plummeted twenty degrees. Therefore, although, I feel the soil is now well-draining, I cannot see the difference it made as of yet since the dramatic weather change caused the leaves to droop a LOT and about a quarter to a third of them to fall off. The soil now dries completely differently, so I think that's good. But like I said, going from the high 90s to 70 degrees shocked the poor little tree. I think heavy soil and too much water was causing the droop, but how would I check for pests? It's perking up though . . . but with all that happened to in a few days, I've learned to be less paranoid and let the tree do what it needs to do. A lesson I'm sure all gardeners have to learn!

Howard, sorry to hear about losing your plants to rot. I guess like everyone here, we all deal with the same battle and eventually lose some. I have a couple of possible explanations (perhaps you had already known them, but I'm inclined to share anyway): 1) Overheated Roots - We all do know that echeverias are primarily summer growers and winter dormant, but after researching quite abit, not all but some variable species (especially those that are habitual to the high arid lands) of echeverias shuts down when the temperature gets too warm (>90-100), and when the plant feels that its roots are being threatened by heat. Especially those grown in containers do not provide the adequate soil insulation from overheating as compared to those grown in ground. Many gardeners make the mistake of continuing watering, when the plant goes into heat dormancy and the stagnant water tend to rot stems in the process. In your case, I know you place your sensitive plants in a make shift green house with some shade, and your the roots in your picture are healthily white, so root burnt is definitely out of the question. But one of the symptoms of excessive leaves drop is the result of root burning.. It more than often when the roots are burnt or the plants stop taking in water, the signs of overwatering stress sets in. You can read more about what I wrote on burnts roots on Deva's Echeveria Blue Sky post here 2) Virus, Disease, Harmful Bacteria Pathogens I believe these invaders are the inevitable conditions of life, such pathogens can live from within your soil to the very finger tip you use to touch your plants. All it takes is 1 single pathogen cell, and the ideal condition for it to multiply, Once your plant has been invaded, rot sets in very quickly killing your plant before you know it's damage. I'm sure this thread will be helpful to you about these unfortunate but deadly scenario. http://www.xericworld.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2225 So far, I'm reading into symbiosis my local hydrophobic garden is recommending me to use to combat these fungi and plant harmful pathogens. 3) Fertilizing Burnt Roots are always the begin all end all scenario. For me, I always get greedy or lazy and water all my plants with the same dosage of fertilized water, not realizing that sometimes it's better to leave transitioning plants or sensitive alone would do them more good than watering them with food if they are not ready can actually kill them. Once roots are suffocated with the improper ph, or too much fertilizer, moisture are actually sucked out from the roots, instead of hydrating them. But I'm sure with your many years of experience growing echeverias, this shouldn't be the case. Then again, when did you repot this plant? Where was it acquired from? Perhaps the plant was still adapting to a new environment? I find the task of forcing an echeverias (especially rare ones) to adapt to a new environment is an extremely difficult task. Many die before I even have a chance to understand them. I've learnt now to only water the picky ones from dunking the pot, so moisture almost never touches the stem to allow rot to take place. I'm sorry maybe I can't offer much help, but perhaps maybe more can share their experiences in growing the fussier echeverias. -Bernard

Dave I am not sure if keeping the root ball under grow light is a good idea - I would think it will dry out the roots too much? I could be wrong, but I would just let it sit on something absorbent (newspaper, kitchen towels) and let it air dry. Josh, Jeff - you guys know more so please correct me if wrong. From the photo, the 'washing' was good enough and roots look good. Ends of trunk don't show any rotting (dark&mushy/soft). Part of trunk that was under the soil is dark and I would think that's the reason (normal) for discoloration, not to be concerned about. If you touch/gently squeeze it and it is firm, it should be just fine. If soft, that is likely sign of rotting. I believe it is healthy. Rina

I was thinking of adding in a totem but a friend told me it'll just creep back up to stand on its own. Not a bad idea though. I'll look around. Thank you both for the perlite advice. I'll see what I can do that's affordable. And again, apologies for the dumb question. The layering was questionable even to me but I had to make sure since when I looked for images of perlite, I saw people add a layer of it on the surface of their pots.