How To Recover Succulents

1. Avoid exposure to the sun

Yes, I am aware that it seems illogical to remove extra water from the soil, but bear with me. This is the justification. Too much water has already put the succulent under stress, and exposure to sunlight makes matters worse. Direct sunlight is a big no because most succulents require brilliant indirect light.

Place the succulent that has been overwatered somewhere dry and bright, but out of direct sunshine.

2. Permit the roots to breathe.

Cut off any brown or black roots as they are already rotting. Dig the succulent out of the ground and remove any excess soil that has become stuck to the roots. Place the plant on a mesh or other strainer until the roots have had two to three days to air dry. Replant the roots in the pot once they have dried completely.

Remove the entire root system and any puckered, spotty, black, or brown stems if the roots are entirely rotted. The succulent stem can be buried in the ground for propagation.

Keep the overwatered succulent on a mesh screen or other strainer until the roots have had two to three days to air dry.

3. Modify the ground

You might not need to entirely alter your succulent if it is already rooted in homemade or commercial succulent soil. Algae (green living matter) typically grows on soil that is too wet. If so, it is your responsibility to remove all of the top soil from the area around your plants and replace it with new succulent soil.

Can you revive succulents that are already dead?

No, in all sincerity. You cannot resurrect a succulent that has already passed away. However, it is possible to save a dying plant. Your plant may still be saveable as long as it is displaying signs of vitality. However, you should anticipate that the process will be difficult. Similar to humans, plants will be more difficult to resuscitate the closer they are to passing away.

Have you ever questioned your ability to revive a succulent in trouble? There are two things you need to decide before we proceed with the processes.

What Type of Succulents Do You Own?

Is it a desert or tropical succulent? You can identify the source of the issue by being familiar with your succulent and its particular requirements. It might also assist you in later deciding on the most effective revival strategies.

What’s the Cause of the Issue?

That’s the next thing you need to determine, the root reason. If you ever want to stop what is happening to your plant, fix it, and more importantly, prevent it from happening again in the future, you must have a thorough understanding of the problem.

The Most Common Causes of Succulent Death

Overwatering, excessive sunlight, neglect, abrupt temperature and weather changes, pests and illnesses, and neglect are typically the five main causes of succulent death. Let’s discuss each one in order to determine why your succulents are dying.

Overwatering

Overwatering is the most frequent reason for succulent deaths. Succulents require less water than other plants because, as was already established, they can withstand drought. Disease and root rot can result from overwatering your succulent.

Too Much Sun

They are drought-tolerant, but that doesn’t imply they enjoy to burn in the sun. Your succulents’ leaves may become scorched and even die if you expose them to too much sunshine.

Neglect

Despite being robust and low-maintenance, your succulent plant still needs attention. Even the most hardy plants will perish if they are not given what they require.

Weather and Temperature Changes

Succulents dislike being left outside in the winter to freeze in addition to the potential harm that the summer sun’s heat can bring.

Saving Your Succulents

You can now proceed to the following phase, which is resolution, after determining the problem. What you may do to revive your wilting succulents is as follows:

  • Consider repotting your succulent into a more well-draining medium and container if it is dying from overwatering.
  • If your plant has sunburn, move it to a location where it can get bright but indirect light. Another effective way to safeguard a succulent from the winter cold is to relocate it.
  • Other than giving your succulents better care, there is no cure for neglect. Giving your plants a good soak will help them recover, for instance, if you feel they are too thirsty and dry.

You can accomplish this by putting the plant’s pot in a larger container filled with a few inches of water. As soon as you notice the dirt beginning to get moist, let your succulents sit there for a time. To avoid drowning your plant, don’t soak it for an extended period of time.

  • Finally, you may protect your succulents against pests and diseases by using a variety of treatments and organic formulas (some of which you can even make yourself).

How can a damaged succulent be repaired?

Succulents spring to mind when discussing indoor plants in the first instance. If you purchased one, I wouldn’t be shocked if you had the same thought. Although it has been said that some plants can be resilient, that doesn’t mean that they are impervious to harm.

Depending on the damage, a broken-off succulent may be saved. You can just wait three days for the leaves to dry if they start to fall. Keep the stem away until it becomes calloused if it has been severed. If you put it on cactus soil after noticing these changes, it will develop roots within a few weeks.

Succulents that have broken can still be saved, however it depends on the circumstances. We’ll go over every one of them in great detail so you can understand how to preserve succulents and even assist in their multiplication. Stay tuned because we’ll also provide advice on protecting succulents from harm.

How come my succulents are dying?

They are receiving too much water from you. Succulents don’t require as much water as standard houseplants. They can survive on less water and prefer well-drained soil because they are a sort of cactus. To the touch, the soil should feel cold and damp but never soggy or watered down, and it should never feel muddy. For optimal results, you might want to sprinkle the ground rather than feeding it directly. There can be a concern if the soil is consistently damp.

Underwatering can also damage your succulents, just like overwatering can. To maintain the moisture level at the proper level for your plant, do some research on its water requirements and create a watering schedule.

How does a succulent look as it ages?

The leaves on your succulent may appear yellow, translucent, or wet. Your succulent is starting to die as a result of overwatering. A more serious condition is indicated by leaves that are brown or black and appear to be rotting. Therefore, you must begin saving your withering succulents!

What is killing my indoor succulent plants?

Overwatering and poorly draining soils are the main causes of succulent deaths. Succulents need the soil to dry out between waterings because they are drought-tolerant plants. Succulents get root rot in wet soil, which turns their leaves brown, black, or yellow and gives them a withering appearance.

While overwatering is the most frequent cause of dying succulents, there are several other potential causes as well:

Succulent plants typically die back when they are kept in environments that are drastically different from their native habitat.

Replicating some of the minimal rainfall, full or partial sun exposure, and stony, well-draining soil conditions will help revive dying succulents.

What does a succulent look like when it is overwatered?

How can you tell if your succulent is getting too much water? You can usually determine if a succulent is being overwatered or underwatered by looking for telltale indications. A plant that has received too much water will have soft, mushy leaves.

The leaves would either turn translucent in color or appear lighter than they would on a healthy plant. A succulent that had received too much water would frequently lose leaves readily, even when only lightly handled. Usually, the lowest leaves are the ones to suffer first.

The plant will look to be unhealthy overall. When this occurs, the plant is either being overwatered, sitting in the incorrect soil that does not dry out quickly enough, or both.

Your plants are being overwatered if you have been giving them regular waterings or if you have been following a watering schedule regardless of how the plant appears.

On the other hand, a succulent that has been submerged will have withered, wrinkled, and deflated-looking leaves. The leaves will appear thin and flat. The entire plant will appear withered and dry.

The leaves of a good succulent plant should be thick and solid, not mushy or desiccated.

To learn more about this subject, visit my post titled “How To Tell If Your Succulent is Over or Under Watered,” in which I go into great length about how you may determine whether your succulent plant is being over or under watered.

This String of Pearls ‘Senecio Rowleyanus’ plant leaf is one that has been overwatered. If a succulent’s water storage capacity has been exceeded, it may physically burst from overwatering.

Succulents can they cure themselves?

Again, just like people, plants are vulnerable to damage. Bites from insects and animals as well as stress like being dropped can cause physical harm to plants. This is an issue I regrettably know all too well because last fall I had the sad experience of having several squirrels feast on and topple several of my plants.

You can try your best to avoid physical damage to your plants, but there is no way to ensure that it won’t happen. Although it may seem like really basic advice, take care not to drop your plants when you move them. When choosing a site for your plants, maintain them on a robust base so that neither people nor animals may easily knock them over. Finally, to prevent squirrels and other animals from eating your succulents if you keep your plants outside, think about placing netting or wiring. You can use deterrents like coyote urine and wobbly stuff to stop backyard wildlife from asking about your plants.

Your succulents won’t ever entirely recover from physical trauma. Where the trauma happened, they will typically start to callus, but they could also start to decay. Plants that have developed calluses will eventually recover and become healthy again, but they won’t be as attractive as they could be. Cutting out the rotting areas and either replanting them or attempting to start over from a cutting are the two options you have if you notice symptoms of rot.

If a plant in the store exhibits these symptoms, it doesn’t necessarily indicate that it is sick; rather, it just means that it was harmed throughout the process of getting from the producer to the retailer.

Do I need to discard the broken succulent leaves?

There shouldn’t be a need to cut anything if it has already snapped, as the leaf in the top left corner of the image. It serves little purpose to keep it running if it is already largely broken. It will simply disappear.

The plant needs more light; did you notice how the pink underneath it contrasts with the greener tint at the top? and I believe that it will soon require more space (a pot maybe 1 inch wider than the rosette, not a whole lot bigger than that).

How may a broken succulent stem be repaired?

For novice gardeners, broken succulent stems could seem like the end of the world, but if you tackle the issue correctly, it actually could be the beginning of new life! Unbelievably simple, fixing broken succulent stems only requires a few weeks of patience, some dirt, and a clean pair of scissors. Below is a complete technique for repairing broken succulent stems.

Fixing Broken Succulent Stems: Step One

This is frequently the most upsetting step for many people who care house plants, much like getting a haircut. But occasionally it has to be done, just like getting a haircut. First, cut the broken end off the plant with a pair of CLEAN, sharp scissors in order to repair a damaged succulent stem. Save as much of the healthy stem as you can while cutting as smoothly as you can.

Phew! The challenging part is over! And even though it could seem intimidating to cut your succulents (especially if you’re the fortunate owner of a rare plant), I can assure you that as long as you adhere to my advice, you’ll keep your succulent!

Fixing Broken Succulent Stems: Step Two

Place the succulent stem after cutting it (leaves and all! ), on a dry paper towel, and leave it alone for at least a day or two. The succulent must be allowed to slightly dry out in order to avoid drowning once water has been added to the mixture.

When your succulent cutting starts to wrinkle, move on to step three without becoming upset; this is quite natural.

Fixing Broken Succulent Stems: Step Three

It’s time to start adding water to the mixture since your succulent is starting to wrinkle and is consequently becoming thirsty. Place your succulent stems over some soil to do this. Lay the stem on top of the soil rather than BURYING it like you would during a repot. Each time the soil becomes dry, moisten the top layer with a spray bottle and restart the procedure. Spray the soil your succulents are sitting on rather than the plants themselves.

You should start to see some new roots growing from the succulent stem in a few days. Continue with step four, our final step, only once these roots have grown to a length of at least 2-3 inches.

Fixing Broken Succulent Stems: Step Four

It’s time to move your succulent back into a pot if you feel at ease with the length of its roots. Of course, select potting soil designed for cacti and succulents that is well-draining. Normally, I wait at least two days before watering repotted succulents, but if you see the plant starting to wrinkle, water it vigorously (this is related to step 2—scabbing is always crucial!).

Do succulents require sunlight?

Depending on the type, succulents need six hours of sunlight each day because they are light-loving plants. You might need to gradually expose newly planted succulents to full sun exposure or give shade with a translucent screen because they can burn in direct sunshine.