I recently took on the task of rehabbing my friends SoD. She was watering about once a week and had this leggy girl outside in full sun. The current soil seems pretty dense so I expect to repot with a succulent mix, perlite and sand. Half of her legs no longer have dolphins but seem health otherwise.
Should I cut and propagate the legs that are missing dolphins? She probably won't meet her light requirements inside so I'm open to placing her under a plant light but I don't want to leave her outside since it's been raining frequently where I am.
I'm not very well adversed in succulents or string of plants so all recommendations are welcomed to rehab this beauty!
by Struglingchicken
3 Comments
Based on the fourth picture they look like string of needles?
Watering once a week seems too often. Look at the epidermal windows, they look like translucent slits in each leaf. If you can see a thick window, it’s not time to water yet. Wait until it “shrinks” and sort of shrivels closed, it kind of looks like it’s puckering up. That’s when you know it’s time to water.
I’m guessing you overwatered especially since you mentioned the soil was dense.
You can definitely try to chop and prop the stems with surviving leaves. Cut below where you see a node (you should feel small bumps along the stems) and lay on top of a thin layer of wet perlite or soil. I’ve had success propagating in a small tube of water but sometimes it can rot. Just be very patient because it can take a while to root.
Definitely give it as much outdoor light as possible. I had a string of dolphins that I thought was happy inside but it slowly turns into a string of pancakes.. haha. Essentially they flattened out because it was trying to take in more light by increasing surface area. I put it outside where it gets west-facing afternoon sun and they’ve reverted back to dolphins! Natural light is always best if possible.
Ok, I don’t have a SoD, but I have a handful of other “string of” plants. This is what I would do..
That pot looks too big/tall for what you will end up with. Small and shallow are the way to go for a while.
New soil, absolutely. Any kind of cactus mix will work. Chop and prop all you can/want. I personally would put all trimmings w dolphins attached in dirt, maybe try the empty strings in something else as an experiment. Idk your space and patience, lol. I don’t soak the plant at this stage. Watch it, and keep moist, not dripping. She needs to work on her roots for a while. It’s very important to bring soil level in pot to the absolute top of pot and give as much inside light as you can. A grow light would be a great idea. When starting props, I also cover in plastic loosely. Keep an eye from a distance, let it do its thing. Good luck!
Pretty sure that’s not SoD, the leaves would look like dolphins jumping out of the water. It looks like string of fishhooks. I would trim some of the sparse strings & root in water. Once the roots start, you can fill in the bare spots in your repotted plant.