any gardeners here?? i need help
Posted by Sariea on Jan 05, 2008 · Member since Feb 2007 · 845 posts
my BF bought me a cactus (Echeveria glauca) last summer and it is looking so sad like it's dying, i can post a pic later but i have to run to work now for 4 hours
but every time i look at it, i get so sad. it's drooping so much, when i first got it the leaves were pointing upwards, now they're all sagging down. i've tried everything. repotting it with a bigger pot, letting it dry out, watering it, making sure all the dead leaves come off so they dont take away from the bigger plant...
the only thing i can think of is to take all the little plants off and repot those so they don't take away from the bigger plant..
i'll post a pic around 12pm when i get home.. i just dont know what to do... i dont want it to die
Well, if nothing else, repot the little ones so that you can still have a cactus if this one dies! I'm notorious for killing houseplants, despite my successes with plants outside, so I quite like succulents b/c they're so easy to make cuttings (try, try again!).
Is it getting enough sun? Is your house warm enough? Certain hot-weather plants don't do very well in the winter, even in houses because the ambient temperature isn't high enough. Other than that, it sounds like you know what you're doing-- you've done pretty much everything else I'd suggest.
i would say if its near a window during the day for sun, move it to the middle of the house for night because the window gets drafty. i dont know too much about plants though.
i think thats what i'm going to do then.. try and repot the little ones. it makes me so sad, because it used to be so incredibly beautiful and now its just bleh..
we have it against the wall in the dining room so it does get some sun but not a lot. even if it was near the window (it used to be) it would be looking the same, because its very overcast in NY now. and we keep our house at about 68-70 so.. i dunno. hopefully it can be saved but i'm not holding my breath... :-[
i included a pic anyway
Now that I've seen the pic, I would def. say that your little ones need to be re-homed. I don't know what kind of fertiliser you can use on this type of succulent but it might need some. I don't know if these get "pot-bound" either, but that's the first thought I had when I saw it. It just looks stretched to its limits.
Put it in the warmest part of your house and talk to it. Good vibes coming! My mother had a sansevaria that lived to be about 33 years old that I know of. You do get attached! She thought it had died, couldn't bring herself to throw it out and then discovered a tiny little leaf pushing its way into the world.
I highly recommend a little Mozart. I am not kidding. Or Handel's "Water Music." Plants seem to like them.
Now that I've seen the pic, I would def. say that your little ones need to be re-homed. I don't know what kind of fertiliser you can use on this type of succulent but it might need some. I don't know if these get "pot-bound" either, but that's the first thought I had when I saw it. It just looks stretched to its limits.
Put it in the warmest part of your house and talk to it. Good vibes coming! My mother had a sansevaria that lived to be about 33 years old that I know of. You do get attached! She thought it had died, couldn't bring herself to throw it out and then discovered a tiny little leaf pushing its way into the world.
I highly recommend a little Mozart. I am not kidding. Or Handel's "Water Music." Plants seem to like them.
Heehee, that reminds me of an episode of Mythbusters wherein they tried classical music / death metal / talking nasty / talking nice / saying nothing to plants in little separate greenhouses, to see which had positive/negative effects on growth. Results were somewhat inconclusive, but it was entertaining interesting. ;D :D
when you repot it, you should use a soil mix esp. for cactus ...its lighter and better draining.
dont overwater! they really dont need it often. you can put water in the saucer underneath, it might also be good to put some rocks in there too, and the ceramic pot will suck up the water as needed, then just check it once in awhile. the soil should ALWAYS be dry to the touch.
keep it as warm as possible (think: warm, dry, desert-like conditions)...by a heater/radiator is good, if possible. and give it as much sun as possible, if worse comes to worse, you can get a uv light bulb/heat lamp and leave it on for a few hrs each day, at least in the winter.