Despite the fact that succulents are touted as some of the easiest plants to grow in your home, they can actually be tricky little devils to keep alive. Trust me I know! Sometimes, for what may seem like no reason at all, they begin to wither and die, and with the withering of the succulent leaves, your soul dies a little too. But fear not! There’s always a reason, and maybe even a quick fix you can use to give them back their sparkle. A while ago we put together an illustrated guide to caring for succulents, and today we’re sharing another in our green series
To make it easy for you, we’ve once again put together an illustrated guide, this time detailing some of the most common problems that happen with succulents, with the goal of answering your question about what’s wrong with my succulent. Once for all!
If your plant starts to lean towards the light, or grow tall towards a window, it is a sure sign that it is not getting enough sunlight.
Quick Fix Well, it’s obviously time to move your plant towards the light source. But remember that morning light is better than harsh afternoon light, and if you plan to make a drastic move, it’s best to do it in small steps so as not to shock the plant.
Leaf dieback is a normal part of succulent growth, and there will be times when you need to trim the dead leaves on a succulent, which are often the bottom, older leaves. But if the leaves suddenly start to shrivel or look wrinkled all over, chances are your plant isn’t getting enough water.
Quick Fix Check if the soil is very dry, which will help confirm that underwatering is the problem. If so, give your plant some water and make sure the soil is completely soaked. Thinking about watering more often.
If your leaves and the base of your plant start to get squishy, you have rot on your hands. This is due to overwatering, where the soil cannot dry out properly between waterings and the plant becomes waterlogged.
Quick Fix If you think the rot is due to overwatering, hold back on your watering schedule for a while. If the rotting is pretty bad, chances are you may need to trim your succulent.
Another sure sign of overwatering, yellowing leaves is something you may notice before any major rotting.
Quick Fix Definitely hold back on your watering for a while until the leaves have started to regain their color, and also make sure to let your soil dry out between waterings.
BLACK OR BROWN SPOTSIf you see your plant turning brown or black in spots or along the plant stem, chances are you’ve gone a little overboard in the watering department.
Quick Fix When the stem has turned completely black, it can unfortunately be difficult to bring a succulent back to life. However, let it dry for a while and you may find that the spots disappear and the plant recovers.
