Under-watered or over-watered #crassula #succulents ⚠️💦 Or 🍃 😵💫 🥵?
I need some help troubleshooting my Crassula Springtime & String of Buttons.
Some leaves are very wrinkled and feel deflated and soft.
I would suspect underwatering — however, I recently repotted them in Bonsai Jack Gritty Mix Soil a little over a week ago & watered them 5 days ago (a really good soil soak) - Oh and I made sure they were thrirsty before the repot!
The reason for the repot is that outdoor area I have on my deck is very sunny/hot and they were getting scorched with sunburn as you can see in the pics.
So , I moved them both inside for the summer 1&2 months ago (separately) ... but I became very afraid I would overwater them, so I decided to give it a go with the new gritty Bonsai Jack soil and since they have similar needs I put them together.
For reference, I live in Southern California where it is hot ( 80 to 90°+) and relatively dry. Inside my place it's typically around 74 to 76° and bright!
P. S. The arial roots on the little SOB are from way before the repot!
Thank you in advance! 🙏 ♥ #stringofbuttons #springtimecrassula #succulentsquad #succulentlove #help #wateringwednesday
Some leaves are very wrinkled and feel deflated and soft.
I would suspect underwatering — however, I recently repotted them in Bonsai Jack Gritty Mix Soil a little over a week ago & watered them 5 days ago (a really good soil soak) - Oh and I made sure they were thrirsty before the repot!
The reason for the repot is that outdoor area I have on my deck is very sunny/hot and they were getting scorched with sunburn as you can see in the pics.
So , I moved them both inside for the summer 1&2 months ago (separately) ... but I became very afraid I would overwater them, so I decided to give it a go with the new gritty Bonsai Jack soil and since they have similar needs I put them together.
For reference, I live in Southern California where it is hot ( 80 to 90°+) and relatively dry. Inside my place it's typically around 74 to 76° and bright!
P. S. The arial roots on the little SOB are from way before the repot!
Thank you in advance! 🙏 ♥ #stringofbuttons #springtimecrassula #succulentsquad #succulentlove #help #wateringwednesday
3” pot with drainage
Last watered 2 days ago
14
Best Answer
Thank you for the tag. Usually when succ leaves are flat and wrinkly the plant is telling you it's thirsty. I always check the soil too because it's easy to overwater succs. TBH I water each one of mine individually and butt chug with the amount of water Greg suggests, sometimes they suck it right up others take longer. I also check the soil after watering to ensure they're not too wet or didn't get enough water, I usually butt chug them for about 15 minutes.
@LiquidRose84 yeah repotting a be a challenge. Hoping someone has had a similar experience and can help me out. 🙂 🤞🏼 ♥...
@AlliesTerrarium I would usually think wrinkled = underwatered unless the leaves were wrinkled+ translucent & mushy... But trying to be extra safe given the repot and new soil - Hoping someone else has also used the Bonsai Jack Gritty Mix so they can help me figure it out. From what I understand you have to water about once a week if using that mix...but I'm so hesitant to water for fear of rot. 😕
@AlliesTerrarium I would usually think wrinkled = underwatered unless the leaves were wrinkled+ translucent & mushy... But trying to be extra safe given the repot and new soil - Hoping someone else has also used the Bonsai Jack Gritty Mix so they can help me figure it out. From what I understand you have to water about once a week if using that mix...but I'm so hesitant to water for fear of rot. 😕
@Jana85 @kscape @sarahsalith @Sassylimey @KikiGoldblatt
Have you girls got any words of wisdom? Anyone else used Gritty Mix for indoor plants?
I can add some coco coir soil to her pot soil and leave her outside if that's what it takes to make her happy lol...
FYI I just realized that by clearing off a shelf on my supplies bookcase on my deck I can give some plants only about 2-3 hours of direct Sun Before Sunset when it's less hot. I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Duh.
Have you girls got any words of wisdom? Anyone else used Gritty Mix for indoor plants?
I can add some coco coir soil to her pot soil and leave her outside if that's what it takes to make her happy lol...
FYI I just realized that by clearing off a shelf on my supplies bookcase on my deck I can give some plants only about 2-3 hours of direct Sun Before Sunset when it's less hot. I don't know why I didn't think of it before. Duh.
Thanks @Sassylimey 🤗 The butt chug is a great idea! I may try that tonight... That way she won't take up more than she can handle. Soil is definitely dry but it's hard for me to tell since this is new soil and I'm still getting the hang of this Gritty Mix stuff - you're supposed to look at the color of one of the clay particles in it and check to see if it's a lighter shade. I'm still getting the hang of it... obviously 😂
Thanks so much @kscape - she's been getting sun only though my southern window (about a foot away) which is much less than she got outside before so I think it's probably just the new mix is very dry compared to what she was used to. I'm going to try @Sassylimey 's butt chug method tonight and see how it goes! 😄
Update @Sassylimey @kscape @KikiGoldblatt ... So I don't think the butt chug water works well for the Gritty Mix. (or I'm just really impatient 😜) ...
The pot sat for 15 mins with no uptake and the mix was very dry. So I did a classic shower/soak method with my squeeze bottle being sure to let the gritt mix soil sit in the water for 3-5 mins before draining it completely. I watched some videos on how that works well for gritty Mix to make sure it actually gets a good soak...
So far they look the same, maybe worse? Unsure 🫤... I think I'm definitely losing a couple of the Springtime's leaves - but hoping it's for new growth!
I suspect that these crassula are not a good candidate for the Gritty Mix and need a little organic soil matter added to latch on to water & uptake it..
But... I planted a bunch of Sempervivums in the same Gritty Mix and pot type and put them in the same location inside and have been watering them the same way once per week and they are thriving! 💜 I think they naturally grow in rock crevasses so make sense!
I'll keep you updated but I'm starting to think the Crassula wants a slightly "wetter" soil and is being needy/dramatic with me 🙄😮💨 lol
The pot sat for 15 mins with no uptake and the mix was very dry. So I did a classic shower/soak method with my squeeze bottle being sure to let the gritt mix soil sit in the water for 3-5 mins before draining it completely. I watched some videos on how that works well for gritty Mix to make sure it actually gets a good soak...
So far they look the same, maybe worse? Unsure 🫤... I think I'm definitely losing a couple of the Springtime's leaves - but hoping it's for new growth!
I suspect that these crassula are not a good candidate for the Gritty Mix and need a little organic soil matter added to latch on to water & uptake it..
But... I planted a bunch of Sempervivums in the same Gritty Mix and pot type and put them in the same location inside and have been watering them the same way once per week and they are thriving! 💜 I think they naturally grow in rock crevasses so make sense!
I'll keep you updated but I'm starting to think the Crassula wants a slightly "wetter" soil and is being needy/dramatic with me 🙄😮💨 lol
@roxyvivien I personally have somewhat gritty and aerated soil mix! I have regular potting mix from Walmart and MiracleGro’s perlite! I do two handfuls of soil and one of perlite and mix vigorously.
I water directly into the soil because when I used to overhead water (letting water fall on the leaves) the leaves would become weak after being exposed to bright light. Sometimes they can wrinkle and maybe this may be the issue, but unsure.
This is what my mix looks like and the soil I use! I water every 10-12 days and water until I see it dripping from the drainage hole! 💧
I water directly into the soil because when I used to overhead water (letting water fall on the leaves) the leaves would become weak after being exposed to bright light. Sometimes they can wrinkle and maybe this may be the issue, but unsure.
This is what my mix looks like and the soil I use! I water every 10-12 days and water until I see it dripping from the drainage hole! 💧
@kscape I water directly on the soil too and use a little air blower (my boyfriend's camera lense blower lol) to blow off any stray water droplettes that splashed upward. Normally, I use cooco coir mixed with pumice (or a mix of perlite & pumice/lava rock) 1:2 or 1:3 depending on what I have on hand... But this Gritty Mix is basically soil-less...
"Bonsai Succulent and Cactus Soil Gritty Mix # 111
Ingredients: 33% Pine Coir, 33% 1/4 Bonsai Block(calcined clay) and 33% Monto Clay(1/4 inch)."
In some of my plants I added 3 or 4 parts Gritty mix plus one part Coco Coir and those plants are doing very well (even the stem cuttings) but the Crassula SOB & Springtime and one Echivera that are in pure Gritty Mix are not adapting so well...
I think it was too much of a change for them.
I'm gonna chalk this all up to a learning experience and hope I can save the Crassula. Maybe I'll have to mix in some soil to the pot if they don't recover before the next watering. Not sure yet?
Thanks for being on this plant addict adventure with me❣️ 🤗 🌱💦 [edited for typos]
"Bonsai Succulent and Cactus Soil Gritty Mix # 111
Ingredients: 33% Pine Coir, 33% 1/4 Bonsai Block(calcined clay) and 33% Monto Clay(1/4 inch)."
In some of my plants I added 3 or 4 parts Gritty mix plus one part Coco Coir and those plants are doing very well (even the stem cuttings) but the Crassula SOB & Springtime and one Echivera that are in pure Gritty Mix are not adapting so well...
I think it was too much of a change for them.
I'm gonna chalk this all up to a learning experience and hope I can save the Crassula. Maybe I'll have to mix in some soil to the pot if they don't recover before the next watering. Not sure yet?
Thanks for being on this plant addict adventure with me❣️ 🤗 🌱💦 [edited for typos]
See more content like this
Growing healthy plants can be intimidating, but you’re not in it alone. Get inspired from other Greg users!
Discover the Community