Top reasons your succulents are dying- A brief guide!

Some common mishaps lead to damaging your succulents could be the reasons your succulents are dying. Therefore, it is essential to know those reasons to prevent misfortunes in your succulent garden. 

If your plant has been in the same container for several years or months and is not thriving, it is essential to re-pot the succulent in a larger pot. Similarly, there are plenty of other common mistakes that occur unintentionally due to lack of knowledge and they will make you think why are my succulents leaves falling off? In this article, you will discover problems your succulent is facing and how you can prevent your beautiful plants from dying!

Falling Leaves

Discovering the right cause is also essential for the correct treatment, and here in this blog will help you understand your plants better. If you wish to be a successful gardener, the best key is research and observance, that you can read your plants well. It ‘s not like your succulent died overnight, they can talk, only if you can listen and understand their language, you will need to learn about them first to find out the reasons your succulents are dying.

The ten most usual reasons for your succulent died overnight are:

Avoid overwatered succulent 

The majority of the succulents die due to overwatering and clogging. We understand that you want to shower extra care and love to your succulents, but it may not be necessary all the time. Succulents are dry and warm region plants and do not need a lot of water to survive. They can go days without water as they love the sunlight and heat. 

It can be hard to know the symptoms of overwatering but, the main sign is clogging in roots and soggy leaves. It does not mean you should not water your plant at all, but you must know how much to water it. Most probably, people water when the soil looks even a little dry. You can use techniques or the soil meter to measure the moisture level in it, and prevent the situation of overwatered succulent.

Avoid over-watering your succulent

Generally, succulents do not need water more than once or twice a week. However, in off seasons like winter, ensure you water them half as often.

Improper drainage  

Succulents require a container that drains very well. Succulents must have soil that permits water to drain out quickly. If the topsoil holds water for too long, then your succulents will face root rot. The types of vessel you plant your succulent should preferably be ceramic, as the material also matters for their growth and ventilation. Ensure the container has a hole in the bottom to drain the excess water and prevent clogging. Excess water will suffocate the roots and you will end up with a rotting succulent in no time. 

Underwatered succulents

As overwatering succulents is not beneficial for them, similarly, under-watering can also cause severe damage. Most of the succulents are fine with under-watering but, some succulents perish when conditions are too dry.

If you notice dry cracks in the soil or the leaves of your succulent are shrinking and weak. Then it is possibly time to give your succulents an adequate amount of water. Under-watering your plant is not good as well because every plant needs water to survive and prepare food. And this could be one of the common reasons your succulents are dying, as sometimes in this season people completely refrain from watering. 

Under-watering succulent

These plants at most left on their own, thinking they do not require much care. To know more about the water, you can check this video

Give sun exposure to avoid reasons your succulents are dying

Are your plants stems stretching at unusual lengths or strange angles? And are your leaves are spacing out and forming tiny buds, then your succulent is undoubtedly suffering from etiolation. Most of the succulents are native desert plans, and they depend on strong sunlight. 

So, if you live in an area that does not get enough sunlight, planting succulents outside is not feasible. Try to put them in indoor places that have a warm and favorable environment for them. Inadequate sunlight is a major reason behind succulents dying in winter.

Indoor lights have special effects to give plants the light they require. Windowsill plants and office desk succulents look very attractive. But if they do not grow well, try shifting them to a place with little sunlight. So ensure that your succulents get at least 3 to 4 hours of sun each day.

Pests could be the reasons your succulents are dying

There is a diversity of pests that come to feed on your plant, and some of them especially like baby succulents. They are the ones chewing off their soft leaves, leaving you wondered why are my baby succulents dying. Scales, mealybugs, fungus gnats and, spider mites are some of the common pests that attack your succulents. However, they may not immediately affect your succulent health but, over the time cause severe damage and even death. You can prevent the risk of infestation by pests by some techniques, methods, and pesticides.  

Pest Infestation

Some of the pests are removable by wiping them off, like mealybugs and mites. And some of them require the right treatment to be thrown off. Scales are difficult to deal with, but wiping the plant with rubbing alcohol can help. If you are looking for an herbal technique, try using Neem oil for the prevention of scales.

Temperature or environment

It is known by all that succulents like warm environments over cold ones, this maybe the reason behind succulents dying in winter. They also are favorable to little rainfall. Taking care of the surroundings is essential, and if it does not suit them, you can always plant them in indoor places with more heat. However, special care must be taken in winters and continually monitor the temperature so that your plants do not struggle to survive.

Inappropriate soil mix

The soil mix is vital for growth and health. And if you are using the wrong one, you need to bring a change. Succulents adore nutrient-rich soil. In our other blog, you can check how to make the correct soil mix for your plants. The plants get all their nutrients from a rich soil to look healthy and beautiful. Get to your local stores and get the ingredients to make the best soil base for your succulents and get rid of the worry why is my succulent dying at the bottom.

Prepare right soil mix

Too small containers– A common reason for rotting succulents

If your container or flowerpot is too tiny, it will hamper the growth. It may look fancy and unique but will probably not give every succulent enough space for the roots to grow. Similarly, the height must be twice as deep as the roots, and the width must be three times wider than the spread for proper growth. All living things need decent ventilation for a better and longer life. Also small containers will allow higher water content leading to rotting succulents.

Lack of necessary space

If you plant more than one succulent in a container, this may also cause death. A plant must have enough space and territory of its own to survive and not feel compact. There should be enough space in between the plants so that they have sufficient area to grow. So, ensure you pot different succulents in different containers depending on their size.

Using the same container for years

Even after following above-mentioned tips, you may wonder why are my succulent leaves falling off? If your plant has been in one container for many months or years and seems to be suffering, you need to re-pot it into a wider pot. It will not just give your succulents more space to grow but prevent cramping or smothering the roots. The soil loses its nutrients after washing it several times, so, it is essential to change the topsoil frequently. 

Never neglect the reasons your succulents are dying!

After going through the above detail, you probably know the reasons your succulents are dying. These common causes are in every succulent, and so they also need careful attention. Now that you are confident enough, you can precisely treat your plants to prevent them from damaging or rotting. Prepare your tools and say hello to healthy and happy gardening.

To gain more knowledge and understanding about succulents and their common issues, you can check this video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=or_0lF5V3cc

It will provide a better idea of the reasons your succulents are dying

Now you can confidently treat your plants and shower them will the love that they deserve. For more knowledge about succulents, you can check our other blogs. They will give you better insights and successful solutions for your problems. It is essential to perform tasks with surety, and we provide the best solutions and techniques in our blogs that will help you learn how to revive a dead succulent.

dead cactus in a white pot on a wooden background

These tips will also help you to grow the garden you dream of and expand it as much as you want. Know more and enhance your garden even more!