Easy-care plants like potted succulents are often loved to death. They are so charming and sweet that walking past them with a full watering can is hard. But overwatering kills them outright!
The good news is you can just let the plant dry out, and it won’t take long before it’s back to its old self. But in extreme cases, the plant can be saved so long as there’s a single healthy leaf. Whichever the case, this guide will give you the step-by-step on how you can save your overwatered succulents.
1 Dry the Overwatered Succulents Remove and discard dead leaves and pop the little patient in a warm, well-lit spot. The soil should dry out enough for the plant to recover in a couple of days.
Assist the plant by removing the entire plant from its pot and removing the soggy soil. Once you’ve cleared the roots, lay the plant on a tarp or sheet of newspaper and inspect the roots. Leave the remaining plant – roots and all – uncovered in a cool, dry area away from bright light. After a day or two, you can move on to repotting.
Leave the entire remaining plant – roots and all – uncovered in a cool, dry area away from bright light. After a day or two, you can move on to repotting.
2 Repot the Overwatered Succulents You’ll need to get those roots into well-draining soil with many inorganic elements. Don’t fret if your roots are totally gone. Succulent growers will dust the base of rootless plants with a synthetic rooting hormone or even powdered cinnamon.
Use an equal mix of good-quality potting soil, coarse sand, and perlite in your potting soil blend. This gives a light, airy succulent mix that drains well while holding enough water to encourage growth. Avoid fine-particle sand and moisture-retaining mediums like peat moss.
Porous materials like terra cotta, unglazed ceramics, or concrete are perfect. They wick excess moisture from the soil and help prevent areas of stagnancy from developing inside the soil.
3 Propagate Overwatered Succulents from Healthy Leaf Cuttings If you’ve got more dead leaves than healthy plants, your best bet is to propagate.
To propagate a single succulent leaf, you’ll need a shallow pan or tray of potting medium in addition to your leaf. Fill the tray to about a depth of an inch or two and moisten it gently with clean water. The leaf cutting must be free from any sign of fungal diseases, like brown or black spots, are best discarded.
You can propagate stems, too. In fact, they’re even easier. Once the tip is dry, you can plant the lot a few inches into a pot of new soil. It won’t take a long time at all until it has new roots.
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