In the summer, succulents can suddenly get sick and look terrible! For example, the leaves appear spotty, mushy, dry, rot, etc. But don't throw succulents away first; the succulents may still have a chance to be revived.
In this blog, we classify the different symptoms that appear on the leaves of succulents and propose factors that affect the health of succulents. Then, we propose a simple and referenceable operation plan for sick succulents to help you revive your sick succulents.
I hope the blog content is helpful to revive for your damage succulents!
Mushy and soft leaves of succulents
If the leaves of your succulents become mushy and fall off quickly, the succulents likely have too much Water.
Damage Succulents are generally accompanied by yellowing leaves, blackening, or stinking of roots or stems.
In the summer, succulents are prone to excessive watering or poor drainage, which causes the roots to breathe poorly, thus infecting black rot or root rot, causing the above-mentioned mushy leaves and other problems.
So, how should we revive our succulents?
1. Causes of succulent plant illness
First, you need to find out the key factors that cause succulent plant illness.
The main reasons for mushy succulents are a. incorrect watering methods and frequency, b. poor drainage of soil or flower pots, or c. closed and unventilated placement. Other reasons include using infected soil, etc.
2. Can succulents be revived?
A single leaf can propagate most succulents, so if your succulent is not completely mushy or rotten, you can try to save it.
3. How to deal with succulents
A. Take the sick succulents out of the soil;
B. Remove all rotten and mushy leaves of the succulents;
C. Apply cinnamon or commercially available fungicide to the wound and dry it in a cool, ventilated place. Generally, this process takes about three days. Wait until the wound scabs over before you can proceed to the next step;
D. You can check the soil ratio suitable for your succulents online and mix it yourself or buy a particular mix. Then, choose a flower pot with drainage holes that is about 10% larger than the succulents and prepare to report the succulents;
E. Generally speaking, moist soil is very suitable for repotting: moist soil is not dry but not too wet. You can feel that moist soil has moisture, but it will not stick to the Water like wet soil; you can make moist soil by spraying Water in dry soil with a sprayer;
F. After repotting, you need to put the plant in a calm and ventilated place; generally, you don't need to water it within two weeks. Before watering, you need to use a wooden stick to check whether the soil is dry;
G. After about two weeks, you can gradually increase the intensity of light to allow succulents to receive stronger sunlight.
4. Preventive measures
A.Water only when the soil of succulents is dry
B. In summer and winter, some succulents will go dormant, so you need to reduce the frequency of watering
C. Check regularly whether the place where the succulents are placed is ventilated and whether it is too airtight; airtight environments are prone to breeding bacteria
D. Check regularly whether the soil of succulents has been used for too long and has become challenging, non-draining, and non-ventilated
E. If no water flows out of the bottom of the flowerpot after watering, check whether the drainage holes of the succulent flowerpot are blocked
Succulent leaves are soft, shriveled, and yellow
If the leaves of your succulents are withered, wrinkled, and yellow, and you last watered them a long time ago, your succulents are likely very short of Water.
1. Reasons why succulents get sick
This may be because you should have watered your succulents on time or less each time.
If you have been using the correct watering method to water your succulents, the problem may be that the soil has too good drainage and poor water retention, and the succulents cannot absorb enough Water from the roots.
2. Can succulents be revived?
If the stems of your succulents are not completely dry, they can still be saved. If the stems and roots are dehydrated, they are likely not saved.
3. How to deal with succulents
A. Water the succulents immediately
B. Check the reasons for water shortage
C. If the watering frequency is not too low, then increase the watering frequency; if the soil has poor water retention, then you need to check the most suitable soil ratio for your succulents online and then replace the soil or add substances with better water retention such as humus to the soil.
4. Preventive measures
A. Due to the environment and climate of succulents, we cannot provide you with an accurate watering plan; you can formulate your watering plan by checking the dryness and wetness of your succulent soil. (Insert a wooden stick into the flowerpot to check if the soil is dry)
B. Check the soil leaf status to check if it is too lack of Water
Brown or black spots and fading on succulent leaves
If prominent brown or black spots appear on the surface of the leaves of your succulents, and the succulents are exposed to direct sunlight, then your succulent leaves are sunburned by strong sunlight.
Succulents sunburned will also appear dry and fragile, and the leaves will fade or lose their luster.
1. Causes of succulent plant diseases
Too strong sunlight is the leading cause of succulent sunburn.
Different succulents have different needs for sunlight. Some varieties, such as hens and chickens, can accept strong sunlight, but jade plants can be easily sunburned under intense sunlight.
2. Can succulents be revived?
If only a few of your succulents' leaves are sunburned, you can pick the affected leaves or wait for the leaves to fall off naturally. Because the spots are irreversible and cannot be restored, you can only remove the harmful leaves without affecting the appearance.
If your succulents have large areas of leaves turning black or brown and many leaves are falling off, then you can observe the condition of the stem.
3. How to deal with succulents
A. Immediately move the succulents to a cool, ventilated place
B. Do not water the succulents immediately: after sunburn, the roots may be dormant or damaged, and sudden large amounts of watering may cause root rot
C. Prune the damaged leaves
D. Some gardening stores offer plant repair sprays to help sunburned plants recover. If not, you can use natural fungicides (such as diluted tea tree oil) to spray the damaged area to prevent further infection gently.
E. After one week, when the succulents gradually recover, check if the soil is dry and then water them.
F. After that, the succulents can be gradually moved to an environment with indirect light to avoid light solid exposure again.
4. Preventive measures
A. Gradually adapt to sunlight: If you want succulents to thrive and receive stronger light, you should gradually increase the light time and intensity instead of suddenly moving from the shade to the intense light. Start with soft light in the morning or evening, and increase it by a few hours daily.
B. Use a shade net or shade cloth: In seasons with extreme sunlight, such as summer, you can use a shade net to provide some shade for succulents.
Succulent leaves fade, fall off, and turn yellow
If your succulents are placed in a dark place with high sunlight, the leaves of the succulents will likely turn yellow or golden. Your succulents are sick because of extreme high temperatures.
1. Reasons why succulents get sick
Due to high temperatures, succulents get stressed, and the leaves of succulents will turn yellow, golden, or even wither and fall off.
Succulents' sensitivity to temperature depends on their species. Succulents native to relaxed environments are likelier to experience stress reactions in high temperatures.
2. Can succulents be revived?
If the symptoms of the succulent are not severe, only some leaves are slightly damaged without damaging the stems and roots; the color and shape of the succulent leaves may return to normal within a few weeks.
3. How to deal with succulents
A. Move the succulents to a relaxed and ventilated environment
B. Reduce watering frequency: Succulents will enter dormancy during high-temperature periods, and their ability to absorb Water will be weakened. Excessive Water will cause root problems
C. Prune severely damaged leaves
4. Preventive measures
A. Control the temperature: Avoid long-term exposure of succulents to temperatures above 30°C; especially in summer, you can cool down by shading and placing them in a cool place;
The above are all diseases that succulents often get in summer. Generally speaking, these factors will affect succulents at the same time. For example, intense light will increase the temperature of succulents so that succulents will get sunburned and heat-stroke.
For the health of your succulents, they need to be shaded as much as possible in summer, watering cycles must be set, and ventilation must be maintained. These three points are critical. You can adjust these factors to revive your sick succulents plant.
Let me recommend you some succulents that are easy to survive in summer. Click here!
