I'm the founder the Succulent Lovers Club and creator of Succulents and Sunshine. www.succulentsandsunshine.com/yt-club
My adventure with succulents began when I planted three small ones on the window sill of my basement apartment. In less than a year, I’d propagated all three of those plants - and bought a whole lot more, growing into a total of more than 100 succulents!
Along the way, I made a lot of mistakes. I’ve accidentally drowned, burned, frozen, and starved more succulents than I care to remember. That’s why I created this site: so you can save your succulents from the same mistakes I did with mine - or help them recover, if necessary.
But for every succulent I’ve unintentionally hurt, I’ve kept hundreds more alive and thriving - and I know you can do it, too!
Be sure to subscribe to see new videos with succulent tips and tricks each week!
Thanks for showing us the whole story of your rescue mission. Sometimes despite our best intentions, things don't always work out. Your honesty throughout this story is what keeps us coming back. RIP little cactus.
Awww that made me feel sad.😢 I liked the progression shots though as it made it look like a short film montage. lol A trick I’ve learned thanks to a few groups & RU-vid videos with dehydrated succulents is to soak them in their pot into a bowl or tub of water. I use a little liquid seaweed fertiliser too. They love it and plump back up quickly. I’m not sure if cacti are the same in that regard though, as I’ve never owned any but looking at the roots on yours I would say they look similar to other species of succulents root systems so technically a light fertiliser soak should also work. Sometimes I neglect my succulents too because I forget I put some in different areas around my home outside. So far no deaths, just stressed succulents. 🤣 Every year I say no more succulents but end up adding about 3-5 more. 🫢😂😬
It's interesting you mentioned soaking for a while. I actually have two different videos I'm working on showing that exact thing. By the time I realized what was happening here though it was too late. It should still work with cactus in general though. And actually, I got an email from someone who watched the video and I'm about 90% sure this cactus had root knot nematodes which were causing the orange inside and out. If you're adding 3-5 plants per year, I'd say you have great restraint! It could easily be 10-20 or even more 😉
Thank you Vicky! I have to say I debated with this video because the end result was a dead plant, but it's something most people experience at some point.
They don't go through dormancy as much as some other succulents, as such they are often labeled as both summer and winter dormant. It seems there is a little bit more likelihood they are winter dormant.
Sometimes unhealthy roots do more harm than good. Succulents are very resilient and can easily grow new roots. Sometimes I leave the roots and sometimes I cut them off, it just depends on the situation.
The Succulent Tracker doesn't identify plants, it allows you to record information and photos, as well as set reminders. I have found that most apps aren't especially accurate for succulents. I'd use them as a starting point, but then do some checking after. Here's my approach for identification: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ih8e4Gsnx7U.htmlsi=aPV_KHMK0TGALh_H
Great info, thank you. Question… I’m guilty of the comments about Burple lights. I’ve been using 3 big ones this year. But, it appears I need to switch. However, I don’t see Jades in your trays. Would you say this light rule is true for these Sucs too? I’m considering 7000L strip lights at 6500K.
The blurple lights aren't inherently bad. I know people who use them and they've worked. My experience is just that white lights are often brighter and cheaper for a similar setup. If yours is working, I wouldn't switch. You could also try leaving them on longer or moving them closer to the plants.
Great information,I wanted to ask u about Lava Rock 1-3inch bigger chunks u had talked about in one of your u tube video,I purchased Lava Rocks and forgot the purpose of it and your video as well , could you please tell me how to use Lava Rocks no im not talking about pumice for succulent pots
I don't typically use anything in the 1-3" size. Even with my top dressings (succulentsandsunshine.com/yt-topdressing) I try to keep everything to a quarter inch size. But I do know some people like using larger rocks on top. Every once in a while I'll use a larger rock as a watering stone -- somewhere to pour water onto so I don't mess up the soil. Maybe that was it? For those I prefer a smooth stone rather than lava rock though. Laura Eubanks, Design for Serenity, uses a lot of larger lava rock (probably the size you mentioned) in her landscape designs to create unique patterns and ribbons of color.
@@Succulentsandsunshine Highly obliged whenever I receive reply from your Channel ,Keep Growing keep inspiring us , 👍🙏 All the V Best Succulent and Sunshine
Hace you ever used Seasol or a seaweed solution to mix with the water? It helps with root shock and helps the roots recover quicker after the plant has been repoted. It always works well with me. Just a suggestion.
Get the Succulent Tracker App to help you keep your succulents happy! Store important information, get watering reminders, keep a photo history, and more! Search for "Succulent Tracker" in the app store, or click the link below. Available on Apple and Android devices. succulenttracker.com/platform
Thank you for mentioning that jade plants can take more frequent waterings because I discovered that my Gollum jade, which is now 6 years old likes water every 3-4 days during our Perth summer heatwaves where the temperatures get to 37 degrees ( celsius) and above for weeks on end. It was stressed for the first 2 years of its life when I watered it once a week and discovered the leaves were wrinkling up and sometimes drying up completely and falling off so watering it about 3 times a week seems to make it happy when it’s hot. It’s outside and only gets morning sun.
Yes! The more I grow succulents the more I notice how different the watering frequency is for each plant, a lot of it based on the genus/species. Being able to "read" your succulent makes a huge difference in getting the schedule right.
I recently bought some succulents, and it seems the roots have dried up (brown and shriveled). What are some tips for encouraging healthy rooting and or what to do in cases of this ?
I recommend pulling off all of the dead roots. I've found the plant is more likely to grow new roots faster with none, rather than unhealthy roots. Once the roots are pulled off, let it dry for a day then plant it up in a gritty soil and water every 2-4 days until roots start to grow, then cut back and follow the "soak and dry" method for watering.
My mother had a Hoya since the 1960’s We have propagated numerous children from here. we named her mother. She now lives in my sister’s home since my mother passed in 2022.
What is the mixture 1 part peroxide to 10 parts water for powdery mildew? I have seen this starting on my Kalanchoe humilis I just purchased and was told to spray a mixture of whole milk and water.
I'm not sure I'd use milk... But I added a few tablespoons of peroxide to a gallon of water. I saw ratios as high as 6 parts water to 1 part peroxide, but most people didn't say what percentage peroxide they were using. I've actually wondered if 3% peroxide from the grocery store doesn't need to be diluted, but I still just added a few tablespoons to a gallon of water. If the mildew pops up again, I'm going to use the 3% peroxide as-is from the bottle and see what happens.
@@Succulentsandsunshine Yeah I'm not sure I want to mess with the milk. The peroxide would be easier. As for that gross plant you have growing in the concrete, I don't like to use these for planters for they dry out too quickly. Also when I'm repotting, I use a the chopstick you get with the Jack's gritty mix. Thanks for your help.
I'm confused by how often you water a cutting without roots. I don't grow jades, mostly echeverias. I also put damp coconut coir on top of Jack's gritty mix and place the cutting on top of that. Then I wait a week before checking to see if there are any roots. If not, I may dampen the soil on the side of the pot, away from the cutting, to encourage root growth but not rot. Once roots appear I start to water the roots directly. Do you water echeveria cuttings just as much as the jade cutting?
I typically keep the soil around the stem damp for a few days and then do a "pull test". If there are roots, I start reducing my watering frequency. I don't have a set rule per se, but I typically follow the same process for any type of cutting, except maybe a thick cactus. While this process works for me, I know many people don't like to water that often and/or that frequency is too much in their climate.
Yeah, there's a lot of personal preference here and it depends a lot on how healthy the cutting is. Something that was cut off a rotted plant I would wait much longer before watering. I've had things rot occasionally with this approach, but I've also had them shrivel up if I don't water that frequency. Overall, watering more frequently has had better results for me.
@@Succulentsandsunshine Yesterday I happened to watch this video which agrees with you completely: nru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GjnLiu2AXyg.html
I have my grandmother’s Christmas cactus. It was over 20 yrs old and she passed away 32 yrs ago. So it was old. I didn’t realize it had not drained and I almost lost the whole plant I have save a few pieces. I’m still mad at myself 8 months later.I baby one of my succulents I put them out this spring and we didn’t have rain for weeks were finally getting rain. They’re loving the outdoors but I live in the Mtns of Ga. So when it starts getting cool I’ll bring them in and put them back under grow lights. Enjoy your videos ❤️
Coconut what?? Also, a couple of years ago, I had a cutting of a jade plant given to me by one of my more elderly friends & sadly, it eventually DIED 🥺 And I’m still not quite over it 😢😞
I know the feeling. I'm still not over the loss of my plants during the winter in New England when our heat went out. One of the plants I lost was 10 yo and 5ft tall, all my plants are grown from nursery pots.
Coconut coir. It helps hold water. That's why she only used a small amount. It's available online. When I bought it, it came in brick form that I just had to add water to and break apart. Sorry to hear about your plant. All of us plant lovers know that feeling.
It's definitely sad when we lose plants! In the video I'm using coconut coir on top of the gritty mix. Here's a link to the kind I use: amzn.to/3WvOoqM
Wow! This is sooo helpful. I didn't realize you could use a regular led light. I thought it had to be a special "grow light". Thank you so much for posting this.!
This was a very educational and interesting video. Thanks so much for posting. Can you share the succulent app you use? I'd like to get a free one, as I don't have as many succulents to track but like the idea of tracking watering, repotting and fertilization.
I'm glad the video helped! The app I use is called Succulent Tracker. You can download it for Android or Apple phones here: succulenttracker.com/platform
Yes! That's my starting point if I'm not sure what kind I have. I actually shared a video about my process here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ih8e4Gsnx7U.htmlsi=bEi4AX9Dlu-cxhNT
I have a few different lights I used in the video you watched. They're all between 2500 and 5000 lumens per lighting strip and most have two lights per shelf. This video below details one of the setups that I'm still using: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Z6gQFSf8ax8.htmlsi=7UCow-53iiizq3sH I usually recommend keeping the lights about 8-12" above the top of the plants. You can adjust the height and amount of time they're on if the plants are getting too much or too little light. More details here: succulentsandsunshine.com/yt-growlight And lights I use or recommend here: www.amazon.com/shop/succulentsandsunshine/list/19ODR5PWMPI0H?ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_m
I have this, a rescue from Lowe's it had three fairly tall pups growing on the side of it half as tall as the actual plants itself and today upon inspection one of them was extremely mushy and literally just pulled away from the plant the other one seemed to be fine an the plant itself seems to be okay what should I do. After bringing home a repotted it in a mixture of cactus potting soil and perlite I waited a week after repotting it to give it water and Have not watered it since do you think perhaps the roots on that pup were damaged during the repotting or perhaps a sign of overwatering
It does sound like it was over watered. Repotting in better draining soil is a great start. I'd wait at least 2 weeks before watering. Keep an eye on the leaves to see if they're "telling you" they need more or less. If you're not sure what that looks like, this cheat sheet should help: succulentsandsunshine.com/yt-succsneedwater
Yes! I've learned there's a number of reasons why they come un-labeled these days. While I don't think you have to know the exact cultivar of each plant you own, it's helpful to at least figure out the genus.
Succulents that attract your attention, by their attractiveness or colour are the only succulents I keep. When I had the the boring dull greenish grey succulents mixed with my nicer ones, it destracted the beauty of my faves. Unless you grow them to make money by selling them, then there is no point propogating the sort that are dull to the eyes.
And I love that you have a mix that works for you! I think so many new succulent growers tend to water too frequently so the gritty mix works well. I've used it for so long I know how my plants will respond to it and what I need to do. But it's definitely not the only way!
I thought I saw powdery mildew on the last baby haworthia 😬 I’d also like to see an update video for these. Love repotting videos 😊 Also the purple one looks amazing in the purple pot! ETA: love seeing how you use the app as well
Thank you! Thankfully I haven't seen any powdery mildew on my Haworthias, but I'm keeping a very close eye on things. I think I finally got rid of it (knock on wood) but don't want to ease up my inspections until it's been a few weeks.
I’m so glad I came across this video, I got some succulents from Etsy last month and brought in the mildewy stuff(?) white powdery circles… I’m new to this but finally had to pitch 3 or 4 but the other ones it spread to thank god I got rid of it. What a nightmare!!! 💔 I watched a video and they said to use alcohol, so that’s what I did. I just sprayed them with alcohol and left them sit out overnight and then put them back in my greenhouse the next day and I also took off all the leaves that had mildew on them, (mine all were on the bottom) enjoyed your video!!
It sounds like you took the right approach. Throwing away the worst infected plants ended up being the best solution for me as well. It's a tough one to eliminate!
The white fuzzy balls are saprophytic fungi, and usually do not directly harm the plant. Because the soil is highly organic, and the rock material is likely holding in the moisture that it is wicking out of the soil, that's probably why the fungus grew in there.
That's what my research led me to as well. I've typically only used well draining soils and pots with drainage holes so I hadn't encountered it before. Always something new to learn!
Hi Cassidy! Those Haworthia look great. I tend to kill off all the roots every winter, unfortunately. The powdery mildew (Almost definitely Erysiphe sedi) is a real nasty one. It can spread through water droplets.
Ugh, powdery mildew feels worse than any other infestation. Definitely tricky to get rid of it completely before it spreads to other plants. It felt like a game of whack a mole!
@@Succulentsandsunshine Oh, yea, definitely. I got a case of it over the winter and it kept coming up in random places. The entire issue disappeared when I moved all my succulents outside for the spring.
Thank you! I bought them a few years ago from Mountain Crest Gardens. Someone local to them made the pots, but they haven't carried them for a while. They're really fun though!
