This is Nubs, I'm not sure what kind of succulent he is and I've never taken care of a plant before.
Things were going pretty well for a few weeks, with new leaves(?) growing off the side of the trunk(?). I'm not sure why, but I've found a few of his petal/leaf things falling off over the last few days. They're all along the bottom, with most of them being in pretty good condition aside from one having a chunk taken out of it from some undetermined critter.
I've been watering him approximately every eight days, with a grow light running since my room gets zero direct sunlight.
Is this over watering? Something to do with light?? Bad vibes??? Any advice or an ID would be much appreciated.
by JustSomeCanadianDude
1 Comment
Firstly, welcome to succulent care! (:
A few notes:
1) Soil. In the photo, your soil looks a little too organic. If it is, and if it’s the same all the way through, you’ll need to change the soil mix. A 1:1 ratio of soil to inorganic, non-water-retentive material is a good starting place. You want aerated, well-draining soil for water to drain VERY quickly out of the pot—succulents don’t like their feet wet.
Using coco coir or tree bark isn’t advisable for a beginner; they do retain some water. The rock pieces shouldn’t be too large, or so small that they’re chunky sand. Mine are around 5-7mm in width.
The mix I’m using for mine is an 8:2 ratio of perlite, pumice, river gravel, lava rock and aluminosilicate mineral to peat moss (no actual soil/earth at all) with a pinch of powdered fertilizer stirred in. I’ve had success so far.
2) Watering. The soil looks a little too wet in the photo as well. Don’t water by a set schedule; instead, water when the leaves start to look skinny/wrinkly. You can “test” for if the plant needs water by *gently* squeezing the edges of the leaf between thumb and forefinger. If they wrinkle or fold inward easily, give them a drink. If they don’t, they aren’t thirsty.
Always err on the side of underwatering than overwatering! If you’re not sure if it needs a drink, wait a week and check again. Succulents can survive well enough while thirsty, but too much water is (near) instant death.
There’s info about bottom-watering on this sub’s wiki and FAQ, but I find top watering easier to manage and it’s easier for beginners as well. Get you a gooseneck-spouted squeeze bottle for watering (tons on Amazon for real cheap) and when watering, do so until water runs freely out of the bottom of the pot. Don’t get any on the leaves! Water only the soil.
Your plant may be dropping leaves due to overwatering; it’s trying to save itself from drowning by dumping them. I would advise not watering it at all for two to three weeks and checking again after.
3) Pot type and size is important. Your pot size looks fine for this guy at his current size; but I noticed it appears to be lacquered/glazed ceramic. This retains water, which is again a huge no-no for these arid-climate plants.
Pots that wick water out from the soil are the better choice; terracotta is the best for this. If you don’t like the look of terracotta, you can also use pots made of unglazed ceramic, concrete, or carved pumice.
Another point on pots—they need drainage holes! One, at the very least. More is better, but if there’s only one it needs to be large enough to fit the tip of your pinky finger through.
4) Light needs—you’ll hear a lot of “bright, indirect light” when talking about what succulents need. which sounds like an oxymoron. I was SUPER confused by this for a while. In my experiments on my babies (insert evil laughter here); I’ve realized it usually means bright light without strong heat.
This means either a good, strong LED grow light or morning and golden-hour natural light.
Spending noon and early afternoon outdoors may be too hot for your plants depending on where you are in the world; if your plant is overwatered or in wet soil and sitting out in 30 deg Celsius heat, you will get potted stewed vegetables instead of a happy succulent.
If a succulent doesn’t get enough light, they will begin imitating a high fashion model by getting really tall and willowy-looking; this is called etiolation which means they’re stretching for more light.
A succulent receiving enough light will have a compact form with densely-clustered, upturned leaves.
Hopefully these notes help you and your new friend on your journey!
I definitely recommend ceasing all watering for now and letting his soil dry out; if it doesn’t improve you may want to look into removing him from his pot and airing his roots out a little.
Since this comment is long enough as is—I’ll point you toward the FAQ in this sub; feel free to DM me as well if you have more questions and I’ll do my best to help ♥️