Should You Remove Dead Leaves From Succulents

One of the most enjoyable aspects of growing succulents, in our opinion, is getting to remove all the dried leaves from the area around your plant’s base. Most individuals find it to be quite calming and enjoyable since it is so enjoyable and genuinely healing.

Aside from that interesting fact, you should remove any dried leaves and blossoms for the sake of your plant’s health. You can maintain the happiness and health of your plants by carrying out this easy chore.

New growth, New plants, New Blooms

Energy can be recycled back into the plant by removing any spent, dried-up bloom stalks and dry leaves from your succulents. Your plant will be able to produce new growth, blooms, and occasionally new rosettes or pups if you do this. And who doesn’t desire succulents that are bigger and more numerous?

To remove, gently lift the plant’s healthy leaves, and then pull any dried-out leaves from beneath. They ought to be rather simple to remove. If they don’t, you can either leave them to dry out more or, if they are past their prime and unsightly, try to snap them off completely.

Good Air Flow

Humidity, wetness, and/or succulents make for a dangerous and occasionally lethal mix. You may provide your plants sufficient air circulation and make it easier for the soil to dry out by removing these dried leaves from beneath your plants. Removing these dried leaves will assist avoid the growth of rot, mildew, and/or illnesses, especially in humid or very rainy weather. Additionally, air circulation around the plant’s base is made possible by this procedure.

Less Pests

Succulents are susceptible to a wide range of pest attacks, just like most other plants. Getting rid of the dead leaves beneath your plant can also help deter pests. Little insects adore wet areas where they may hide and reproduce. A succulent’s compressed lower leaves are likely to retain moisture around the plant’s base, which will attract pests. Your plant has a higher chance of repelling these pests if you remove these leaves.

Another alluring nesting habitat for bugs, specifically aphids, can be bloom stalks. If you see that your blooms are starting to develop this bug problem, you can either completely remove the bloom stalk or treat the bloom with a mix of diluted rubbing alcohol and water. These bugs frequently spread disease to surrounding plants and flowers if the situation is left untreated. In order to remove bloom stalks from your plant, either gently wriggle the stalk back and forth or, if it hasn’t dried up yet, snap or cut it low.

Do we have any ASMR fans out there??

We made this little movie to demonstrate how to take these leaves off your plants, but since we adore succulents, it also serves as our take on ASMR. Am I correct?

(According to The Urban Dictionary, ASMR’s sole function is to help people unwind. The goal of ASMR videos is to relax the viewer by sending a tingling sensation down their spine or back.

Why are the leaves on my succulent dead?

Because most succulent species are not particularly cold hardy and most die if they experience temperatures below 50F (10C) for an extended period of time, most succulent are susceptible to frost damage. Succulents are adapted to living in hot and dry climates (Jade plants are native to Africa, and aloe vera plants are native to the Arabian peninsula).

The ideal temperature range for succulent growth is roughly 55F-80F (13C-27C), making them considerably better house plants.

When succulents are exposed to cold or even frost, the liquid that is contained inside the leaves freezes, causing the leaves and stems to turn brown or black and mushy.

Move your succulent to a room or part of your yard where the temperature is between 55F and 80F (13C and 27C). Make sure the leaves are not in direct touch with any windows, as these areas of the house can get much colder than the rest of the house. Reduce watering for the time being.

The harm from cold shouldn’t necessarily get worse in the short term once the succulent is in a more stable environment.

Wait until the mushy, cold-damaged portion of the succulent dries up and develops a callus if the leaves of the succulent feel gooey.

Cut the leaf back to below the damaged section once the mushy portion has dried out. Cold-damaged succulent areas normally do not recover, but if the damage is not too severe, the succulent plant can be preserved as a whole.

In order to avoid additional potential issues, you should only restart watering the succulent once the callus of the leaf cut has completely healed over. Cold damage increases the danger of root rot.

After being damaged by cold, succulents can ultimately produce new leaves and begin to regain their natural appearance, however it frequently takes a lot of patience.

Key Takeaways:

  • Overwatering and wet soil are the causes of succulent plants dying. The soil must completely dry up before watering succulents again because they are drought-tolerant plants. Succulent leaves rot from the roots when they are placed in moist soil.
  • Succulent leaves shrink and wilt owing to drought stress, overwatering, insufficient watering frequency, or soil that has baked hard and repels water from the surface. Succulents’ leaves are water reservoirs, and when the roots do not have access to enough moisture, the leaves wilt.
  • Transplant shock or wet soils are the causes of succulents dying after repotting. A sudden difference in the amount of light, soil, and moisture causes succulents to wither. Repotted succulents may not be able to survive the new soil’s excessive moisture retention, which will cause the leaves to turn yellow, brown, or black.
  • Because they are submerged or don’t receive enough sunshine, succulent leaves wither at the bottom. Succulents and succulents that are drought-stressed When a succulent receives excessive shadow, it diverts its energy toward protecting the top leaves, which causes the lower leaves to wither and fall off near the base of the plant.
  • Due to freezing temperatures and frost, the majority of succulents lose their leaves and die back. Succulents typically prefer temperatures between 55 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit (13C-27C). The moisture stores in the succulent plants’ leaves are harmed by freezing temperatures, which causes the plant to turn black and die.

Will a succulent’s dead leaves regrow?

Are you unsure if the leaves your succulent lost will ever grow back? The quick answer is that leaves won’t regrow on the stem from which they fell. But it’s not always a bad thing. New leaves will sprout from the top of your succulent.

Should I trim my succulent’s brown tips off?

Succulents benefit most from pruning at the start of their growing season, although you can prune them at any time. If you prune around the end of the growing season, new growth might not appear as rapidly, but it will develop gradually and accelerate once they begin to grow vigorously again.

There are numerous succulents that grow best in the summer, but there are also quite a few that grow best in the winter. To determine when your succulents are actively developing, check at this dormancy table.

My succulents are often pruned in the spring, after spending the winter indoors. Typically, they become quite stretched out and lose some of their initial beauty.

I can freshen the arrangement by pruning them without needing to buy new plants. It’s a fantastic approach to grow your garden!

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.

How frequently should succulents be watered indoors?

Indoor succulent plants probably need to be watered once a week. They require ample time for the soil to dry out in between waterings so that the water may be stored in the leaves. Use the following methods and advice while watering succulent plants inside.

  • Use an irrigation system with a little pour spout.
  • Fill the succulent plant’s center with water until it is completely submerged.
  • Allow water to completely drain out of the pot through the perforations. Make careful to empty any water that seeps through the soil if there is a saucer underneath the plant.
  • Since there won’t be enough heat and fresh airflow for the leaves to dry when planted indoors, avoid soaking the leaves to prevent rot from the top down.
  • Dry the soil completely in between waterings.

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!

How can I tell if a succulent is about to die?

A succulent should be simple to care for. But there are a few things to know in order to maintain it healthy. How can you tell whether your succulent is prospering or dying, first?

Generally speaking, the following are typical signs that a succulent is perishing:

  • The roots are rotting if the leaves are brown and mushy.
  • Pale, yellow leaves are a sign of illness or rot that has spread.
  • Dehydrated, wrinkled leaves indicate that the roots are drying up.
  • Rot or infection was indicated by brown roots.

These are a few warning indications that your succulent may not be prospering. If you have one or more succulents and are worried that your plant is dying, continue reading to learn how to identify when your plant needs care.

Do cacti require a lot of light?

Ensure That Your Succulents Receive Enough Lighting 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.

Why are the leaves on my succulent brown?

Sunburn or sun damage is the most frequent cause of brown leaves on succulent plants. When you observe brown spots on your plants’ leaves after moving them to a bright place or after a heatwave or other period of extreme heat, these patches are the equivalent of sunburn.

Brown spots from sunburn do not actually injure the plant, but they do leave a permanent mark on the leaves, which is unsightly but not harmful. The leaves will ultimately fall off as new growth appears, but these spots won’t fade away. More sensitive to sunlight than mature plants are little baby plants or newly produced plants.

If you notice that the plant is getting burnt, move it to a more shaded area or give it some shade. If you intend to leave your plant in a position that receives direct sunlight all day, acclimate it to the heat by gradually increasing its sun exposure. Remember that during a severe heatwave, even a mature plant that has become accustomed to full sun might still get burnt.

When a severe heatwave is predicted, move the plant or offer shade to avoid this from happening. Never leave young plants, plants without roots, or leaves that you are propagating outside in the direct light. Always give protection from the sun to prevent them from becoming completely cooked.

While solar damage is the most frequent cause of dark leaves on succulent plants, there are generally additional factors at play. While the majority of them may be resolved quickly and easily, some are trickier to resolve than others.

Do I need to trim the brown leaf tips?

It is safe to remove a leaf as soon as it turns totally brown and dead. If not, start by evaluating the extent of the damage. Trimming back leaves that are less than 50% damaged or those only have browned tips will still result in their survival.

You can remove the entire leaf if you don’t like how half-trimmed leaves look. Just be sure to trim it off gently with scissors (see advice below) and never remove more than one-third of a house plant’s living leaves at once.

Naturally, you don’t have to get rid of shriveled or brown leaves. They can be left on until they spontaneously stop. While removing dead leaves enhances the health and attractiveness of your plant, it is not vital for its survival. The only exception is if you have a disease or pest problem, in which case you should promptly remove the diseased leaves.

Can brown leaves revert to green?

Typically, underwatering, sunburn, or overwatering are the causes of browning leaves.

The soil possibly grew too dry for an extended period of time between waterings if the leaf tips are turning brown and hard. The plant may lose leaves as a result of this. This does not necessarily imply that you are regularly underwatering because the browning may have only occurred once. Although the brown leaf tips won’t turn green again, you can trim the brown margins to restore the plant’s healthy appearance. Go here to learn more.

It may also be a symptom of overwatering if you see brown patches all over the leaves. You’ll typically notice some yellowing of the leaves as well when the plant is overwatered. Go here to learn more.

If you see brown stains in the middle of the leaves, it may be because the leaves are receiving too much direct sunshine. Some plants are readily burned by direct sunlight and are sensitive to it. If this is the case, try shifting your plant to a spot where it won’t be exposed to the sun’s glare.

– If you move your plants from indoors to outdoors in the summer without acclimating them to direct sunshine, this is usually what happens.