Why Is My Succulent Leaning

When they don’t receive enough sunshine, succulents swell out. The succulent will first begin to turn and bend in the direction of the light source.

As it grows, the leaves will spread farther apart, making the plant taller.

The leaves are often smaller and paler in color than usual. The succulent will typically turn green or lose the strength of its original color when it is not exposed to sunshine.

This Echeveria ‘Lola’ is beginning to bend toward the light, and it isn’t quite as colorful as it was when I took the photo for the post about top dressings.

The majority of the time, this will occur when succulents are cultivated indoors, but it can also occur outside when succulents are exposed to too much shadow.

Succulents slant to one side for what reason?

Succulents can be picky; you can be doing well and your plant might be perfect until all of a sudden something goes wrong. Here is a brief explanation of what can be wrong with your succulent and suggestions for fixing it.

Succulent leaves falling off: As soon as you lightly touch or bump your succulent, half of its leaves start to fall off. This is a typical early indicator of overwatering. Check the health of the roots when you remove your plant from the ground. Look for any black or blue patches on the stem. If the roots appear healthy, repot the plant in dry soil that drains well and reduce watering for a period. Rot is indicated by any black or blue patches on the stem. Wound your succulent stem just above the rot, then wait a week for the cut to callus over. After that, you can bury it in some dry dirt, and it should sprout new roots.

The leaves on my succulents are turning yellow and translucent, which is yet another indicator of overwatering. To make sure your plant is healthy, remove any unhealthy leaves and follow the preceding instructions.

Leaves with brown, beige, or white marks: It might be sunburn. Succulents enjoy the light, although the midday sun can scorch their leaves. This may occur, especially if you are relocating plants from indoors to the outdoors after a winter. When transplanting plants outside, you should always do so gradually. Start by exposing them to morning sun for a few hours, then gradually extend their exposure period. If you live somewhere very hot, you might have to keep the majority of your succulents out of the afternoon heat because some succulents are more prone to burning than others. Use shade fabric to assist diffuse the sun’s rays if you are forced to keep them in the afternoon sun. If you grow plants in a greenhouse, you may simply wash the white paint off the glass in the fall. This will provide shade during the hottest months. The burned leaves of your succulent cannot be repaired; nevertheless, they will eventually sprout new leaves, giving your succulent its best appearance once more.

My succulent is slanting to one side: If your succulent doesn’t receive enough light, it might grow toward the light and slant. Rotate the location of your plant in a brighter area to make sure it receives even lighting.

If the white dots or spots on jade plants are easily removed, they are usually salt deposits. If you reside in a region with hard water, your plant will absorb the minerals from the water. Then your Jade eliminates them via their leaves. This is simply decorative and won’t hurt your jade in any way. If it concerns you, you might try watering your plants with rainwater.

My succulent is expanding: Lack of light is the source of this condition, which is known as etiolation; learn how to remedy it here.

My succulents’ leaves are wrinkled; perhaps they aren’t getting enough water. Give your succulent a thorough watering; a quick mist of water won’t cut it.

My succulent has turned mushy: It’s possible that your succulent became frozen and overly chilly. There isn’t much you can do once your plant turns mushy other than learn from it and try again. However, be cautious to inspect the entire plant; if the stem is still sturdy, you might try removing all the damaged leaves to see if the plant will recover.

My succulent’s bottom leaves are curving inward, which may indicate a lack of light or excessive watering. With sempervivums, I frequently observe that semps really enjoy being outside. It is extremely difficult to satisfy their needs indoors.

Bottom leaves turning brown and crispy: It’s very normal for your succulent’s bottom leaves to wither away as it grows. The dead leaves on your succulent can be gently removed to keep it looking healthy.

I sincerely hope that this was helpful to you in troubleshooting these typical succulent issues. If you are having any issues with your succulents and would want some assistance, feel free to comment below or send me an email (please try to include a photo) with your concerns, and I will do my best to assist.

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 much sunlight are required for succulents?

1. Ensure that your succulents receive adequate light. 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.

How is a sagging plant straightened?

The side of the plant that receives the majority of the light will grow rapidly while the side that receives the remaining light will hardly grow at all. Simplest of solutions. Simply give your plant a 90-degree turn every few weeks. This will guarantee equal progress on all fronts.

How can I straighten out my plant?

Plant-by-plant staking is an option for single plants like zinnias or tomatoes. Bamboo, thin rebar, or light plastic stakes are suitable options for plant stakes. All veggies, not just tomatoes, benefit from using tomato cages. To avoid having to force the fragile tomato plant stems through the cage later, plant the cages in the ground when you plant tomatoes. It is simple to support these plants by using tomato cages for pole beans. When you plant bean seeds, stake cages in the ground so that they have support when they sprout.

Stake a single plant by driving a stake into the earth next to it, being careful not to make the stake taller than the plant. Use string, twine, or staking-specific hook-and-loop tape to firmly secure the plant to the stake about two-thirds of the way up the stem. Also helpful are the single-plant stakes or props, which are simply thin metal stakes with a loop on top. Simply direct the plant as it develops through the loop to provide support.

How is a bent plant fixed?

When repairing plant stems, tape is your first line of defense. Use Scotch tape, electrician’s tape, florist tape, or even just regular Scotch tape. Applying tape to the bent flower stem is similar to putting on a cast for a broken leg. It aligns the harmed parts and straightens the stem, allowing the stem to heal.

A splint may also be necessary to repair bent plant stems that are heavy or large, like tomato plants. You’ll require splints of various sizes, depending on the location. You can make use of drinking straws, pencils, skewers, toothpicks, and more.

To reinforce the bent area, tape one or more splints to the plant. If you can’t find the tape, use plastic ties to fasten the splints.

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 can you tell whether your succulent plants need more water?

The appearance of the leaves is the best indicator of whether your succulent is being overwatered or overwatered. While an overwatered plant will have mushy, nearly translucent leaves, an underwatered plant will have wrinkly, shriveled up foliage.

These are the plainly visible warning signals that your succulent is being overwatered or underwatered. However, the signs are frequently difficult to read. A succulent that has been submerged in water may act similarly to a plant that has been overwatered.

And here is the part where most folks are perplexed. Other indicators can help you determine whether you are indeed overwatering or underwatering your plants.

How frequently should a succulent be watered?

During the months that are not winter, when the temperature is above 40 degrees, you should water your succulents every other week. You should only water your succulent once a month in the winter (when the temperature falls below 40 degrees), as it goes dormant at this period.

A few situations constitute an exception to this rule. Because their tiny leaves can’t hold as much water as other varieties with larger leaves, some varieties of succulents need to be watered more frequently. In the non-winter months, feel free to give these small leaf succulents a water if they appear to be thirsty. When they are thirsty, succulents generally exhibit a wrinkled appearance. But always keep in mind that being underwater is preferable to being overwater.

Do succulents tolerate total shade?

Succulents like burro’s tail or string of pearls hanging in planters beneath a covered patio or porch are unusual to observe. Even though these types typically only receive filtered light, they will nevertheless thrive. Succulents that can tolerate shade do occur, albeit they are uncommon. There are a few species that are larger, but the majority of them are smaller.

Building a bridge between two worlds is necessary to create a succulent shade garden. Most of our common succulents require all day sun to avoid becoming leggy and not blooming. Ideally, plants in shade should receive at least six hours a day of dappled light. The benefit of low light is that plants that cannot withstand intense sunshine can rest during the warmest portion of the day. In addition to protecting the plant’s color, this will assist avoid scald.

Succulents that grow in the shadow outside will use less water, making them ideal xeriscape plants.

Succulents can survive without water for how long?

In general, succulents that are grown indoors or outdoors during the cooler months will need less water. They can go without water for one to three months.

Indoor succulents will be less exposed to the weather outside because the soil dries out more quickly outside than it does indoors due to the wind and sunlight.

The soil remains moist for extended periods of time in milder climes, typically fall and winter.

To avoid overwatering indoor plants during the cooler months, read more about our toothpick test here.

To avoid root rot, it’s crucial to examine the soil before watering indoor succulent plants and to make sure it is completely dry between waterings.