I'm killing my succulent! Can someone green-fingered help?

[MyFingersArentGreenAtAll]

I know absolutely nothing about plants.

I was given this succulent about a month ago and it was green and lovely. I watered it a tiny amount when I was first given it.

The label on it said to water it once a month, and also said that it would be normal for the bottom leaves to shrivel up.

After a week or so, the bottom leaves did start shrivelling up and turning yellow, which i thought was normal. But then more and more of the leaves did, so I watered it after 2 weeks another tiny amount.

The leaves have continued to turn yellow/shrivel and now, one month later, the succulent looks like this.

What do I need to do? Can anyone tell from the photos if I'm underwatering, overwatering or not giving it another sunlight? Because I've got no idea!

Someone save my succulent, please!

If that is green, live miss around the base I think it's over watered. Do you have it in full direct sunlight? House leeks need lots of light.

I also think it looks overwatered, and perhaps needs repotting in a bigger pot.

Most houseplant problems are own to overwatering. Especially with succulents!

Disclaimer, not green-fingered but I do have a few succulents. I mostly ignore them. My verdict is overwatering! It will have been watered just before you received it. So, you have watered it twice without it being needed and it would need just a drop or two - it gets humidity from the air. I don't know if you can rescue it! I would take a healthy leaf and replant just the leaf in a pot of almost-dry compost (I replant bits of mine, it works. I don't know if one leaf would. Worth a try?) You could also try drying out the roots but I reckon they are already rotten. Mine are alternately in the shade or sunshine depending on the time of day, it seems to suit them.

@riversandhills

Most houseplant problems are own to overwatering. Especially with succulents!

*down

Not an expert but an enthusiast here! I’d say too much water, not enough sun. When it’s really hot and dry, I put my succulents out to sunbathe for the day. Given the current gloomy climate I would dry that one out inside. Can you put it in a warm airing cupboard for the day? Just the one day though and then back on your sunniest windowsill. Fingers crossed

The black tips mean its rotting from the root up. When the soil has totally dried up, leave it a week and then water with rain water not tap.

Take it out of the pot
put it on its side with the rosette facing into the sun
on a south facing windowsill
let it bake and dry right out
when the soil is bone dry (a week or so)
put it back in its pot still south facing
a week later give it enough water to run through the pot
leave NONE in the tray
a week later do the same
then it should recover
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Echeveria

You are all angels, thank you!

If I (hopefully successfully) dry my lovely succulent out and bring him back from the brink of death, how much water should I give the succulent when I do water it once a month? Is it like 5ml? 10ml? 50ml? And is once a month too often or the right amount?
Thanks all!

I love succulents but they are fussy wankers! I barely water mine, give them lots of sun and food but they still turn black and die. Fuckers.

I was nervous about under/overwatering. Not sure this will be of much help or work with those type of succulents as I'm not massively green fingered and haven't managed keep any plants alive until this year lol

I have a bog standard hairy type cactus. It's due a re-pot but I have left it in the pot I bought it in and sat it on top of a plastic tub, topped up with water without it coming into contact with the underside of the pot. A large root branch grew down into the water and it sits there happy as Larry. I've had it about 8 months and use water from a cheap water filter jug changing it about every month or so. I've used a diluted bit of baby bio with the water every 3 months or so to keep it fed and so far it seems ok with that. It's happy and even grown some more neighbours so at the moment I'm winning!

Succulents like Awkwards thrive on benign neglect
one of my best ones has been on its side half out of its pot for ten years

myfingers
its less about the amount of water than the feel of the soil
they are succulent because they store water
because where they come from rain is a rarity

the soil needs to be kept dry most of the time
and they need LOTS of light
if any moss or weeds are surviving in the pot with them
they are too damp

See I don't understand this watering thing, my house leeks growing on a stone were happily neglected outdoors (1st pic) but one of them is now growing huge and even happier in a crack underneath a gutter leak. And my indoor succulents that I moved outside are thriving in the recent rain. I guess they don't like to sit in water AT ALL and tolerate drought, but do enjoy water when it's about?

scrapthat
they do not like to have wet feet
they store enough to tide themselves over in their succulent leaves

Do you have hard water? Mine hate it so I use rain or bottled water. Fussy things.

@grassynoel hard water! I had no idea they were fussy!
@nythbran2 shamefully, no I didn't have it in direct sunlight! I have one other plant which is a cactus which has been thriving for a year thanks to the fact I mainly ignore it, so I (foolishly) assumed that cacti and succulents could both just live in the dark! I have moved the succulent to dry out in the sunlight.
This thread has taught me so much.

One last question whilst I'm asking silly questions - a couple of you were suggesting that the succulent might need reporting - how do you know when you need to repot a plant? Even sillier - WHY do we repot plants? Is it to put it into a bigger pot so that the roots have more space to spread?

Also a couple of you mentioned about moss being a bad sign- it arrived with the moss on top of the soil! Should I be hoping the moss dies away?

grassy
Carnivorous plants do not like tap water
but many cacti and succulents grow on chalk to are entirely happy with it

myfingers
succulents do not need repotting until they break / climb out of the pot
I've got a sanseveria that broke its pot and has been growing in just a tray - for the last 20 years - its inflower at the moment

Forest cacti like the dark
all other cacti will be much much happier in bright sunlight

I don't water mine at all from October to April then water a small amount once a week through the summer

I dont water mine at all until the leaves are visibly wrinkled.

I water it every three or 4 months or so, into the tray at the bottom so the soil can suck the water up, and whenever I water it it goes bonkers and flowers because it thinks its rainy season :D

"mine" are mainly DHs
and we have hundreds of them

if you are interested, look out for BCSS shows
society.bcss.org.uk/index.php/calendar-of-events.html
they are mad but lovely people

You are all brilliant people. Thanks so much for the great advice! I feel so much more like I know what I'm doing now!

Most houseplant problems are own to overwatering. Especially with succulents!

Hmmmmm, I'm just eyeing up my poorly looking snake plant. I'm guessing that's a succulent?

user
Snake plant = sanseveria
see what I said up thread about mine that's not been in a pot for a decade or two !!!

Yes, I just saw your post. Jesus, I didn't know they could last that long! So next to no watering ? It's started to go black - can it be saved?