Beloved succulent taken to sick bed: help?
claireintheuk
Posts: 2
I'm not much of a green thumb but I have found I am unable to kill succulents! The exception being the one I value the most: a cutting a friend gave me from abroad was grown into a gift for me and means a lot to me. It has required little attention, although I keep my eye on it, and it lives on my writing desk in my room. I went away for 5 weeks this winter and have returned to find it barely alive! (See before and after!) I would say it maybe died of thirst but in fact it seems like it's been overwatered. Not sure how. Anyway - no idea how to save it or IF it can be saved. I've just repotted it in some new soil: when I took it out of the pot the bottom of the pot was a dead knot of roots and very little remained attached to the plant. Am crossing all fingers.
Last edited: 29 January 2017 16:06:49
Posts
I think it looks either like a kalanchoe or a crassula. Both require sharpish drainage so mix some sharp sand or perlite into the compost and repot it. Then I would try 3 things:
1. First give it a light watering in its new pot. Keep it somewhere warmish but not toasting hot.
2. Cut both arms off at the node above where it branches and hope that it resprouts from there.
3. Cut the dead bit off the top of the right hand limb, let it dry off slightly (callus) at the bottom and then pot it into a pot with very sharp gritty compost, keeping it misted and hope it roots.
Otherwise it is sayonara I'm afraid!
Thank you hogweed!! Going to try all of these things and hope for the best... !
I agree - it looks like a crassula - I also agree with the advice given. They hate combined cold and wet. They also need good natural light levels, especially in the winter. Is it on a bright windowsill?
Last edited: 29 January 2017 19:16:18
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.