Hens and chicks (I think) nearly dead? Still hanging on?
I was gifted this succulent and the ID feature here called it a Hens and chicks from the photo attached, after getting it. but the leaves started “melting” and then the ones that hadn’t fallen off shriveled, and there is one little leaf left 😅 it was a slow decline. is this plant worth trying to bring back or is it hopeless? The attached photo is just after getting it a few months ago and the plant photo (hopefully y’all can see it) is from yesterday (it was repotted when still seeming healthy) I don’t have a lot of experience with succulents other than “don’t over water them” so I’m open to all thoughts/ideas/opinions 🌱 #HensAndChicks #SucculentSquad
3” pot with drainage
Last watered 2 years ago
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Yea, succulents tend to rot and can pretty fast if watering is too frequent and too much at once. They do not like to sit in water (I always struggle with them, too). I tend to probably go a little overboard and dry them out before a good soak through, they seem to do okay with that. Probably not the best approach but I kept an aloe alive for 5 years that way (she only does because we moved and changed climates…she suffered major shock and ultimately died 😭)
@Charli3Plant @Sowilo so this is the plant after getting most soil off of it, I think it is root rot because with gentle nudging a lot of the finer roots just fell off with the soil (and were dark brown) the light brown roots are hollow, and just the top section of the stem feels solid… unless it feasible to cut from the little red mark down idk if I can save it (unless the lighter hollow roots are ok to keep?). I’m leaving it out to dry for now before I do anything else
@Charli3Plant yeah that’s fair, I think it was just struggling for too long. I’ll give that a shot and see what happens, thanks anyway for the advice/help 💚
@SvelteKingfern I moved it from a window that I thought was sunny (but later learned was mostly indirect sunlight) to under a plant grow light when I noticed it struggling to try and boost it. I think a housemate may have watered it without telling me and that could be why it developed root rot (or it was me, or soil, or lack of sun not drying it fast enough…who knows). I’m seeing if the last little leaf will survive, but will use all this info and the other posts I’ve seen to help me if I ever get a new succulent!
You’ll need a well draining soil like Bonsai Jack gritty mix. For my outdoor plants I use almost all gritty mix with a bit of regular soil mixed in. But since you can’t control the rainfall the water has to be able to run right through the pot and out the drainage hole. They love full sun all year long and they can even be snowed on. Here are some of my outdoor pots.
@theplantymammy no this plant was inside the whole time. When I repotted it from the gifted pot I used a succulent/cactus soil that is well draining. Currently the last little leaf is in a tiny pot after getting a hydrogen peroxide treatment. It’s still inside under a grow light so it gets as much sun as possible to see if it can survive. I won’t give up hope on it! And I hadn’t thought to keep it outside but if I have any in future I’ll try that!
@LeafSprite I’m sorry! If you’re in the continental United States, I’d be happy to send you a couple new chicks from my hens (😁)
@theplantymammy omg really??? All your pots look so cool! I am indeed in the continental states so I’ll shoot you an email 💚
@LeafSprite definitely! I have an abundance of succulents and I recently started a new job that’s basically in-office all week so I feel like I’m neglectful to my babies. I love to give them away. 😀
@SvelteKingfern @Charli3Plant @Sowilo @theplantymammy we have new roots! 3 little baby roots! I feel bad for disturbing her to check but am glad to know for sure now, and that I can ask: is it safe to replant as she was (leaf above the soil, new roots below) and give her a good soak? It’s a teeny terracotta pot and well draining soil, I’ve only been misting the soil every now and then to get to this stage, but I’m so excited!!!
Okay cool! And yup! I’ve got a little stick I’ve been using to check soil moisture and this little pot is bone dry at the moment. I’ll check often 👀 since it’s a small pot but I’ll be extra careful not to over water! That’s what got me into this LOL 🌱