How to Revive Dying Succulents: Reasons, Treatment, and Solutions

In indoor plants, succulents have emerged as a favorite due to their diverse shapes, vibrant colors, and remarkable durability. However, like all living things, they can still fall prey to improper care and environmental changes, leading to their decline.

Knowing what a dying succulent looks like and understanding how to revive succulents indoors can mean the difference between a thriving indoor oasis and a fading garden. Here we learn the reasons for succulent deterioration and provide treatment solutions to help you restore the health of your green companions.

How to Revive Dying Succulents

Reasons Why Succulents Start to Wilt

Succulents are known for their hardy nature, but certain factors can lead to their decline. Identifying these reasons is crucial in the successful revival of your plants. The reasons can range from watering issues to seasonal changes, which could cause succulents to suffer during winter. A common reason succulents start to decline is overwatering. Succulents are desert plants adapted to survive in environments with infrequent rainfall.

Hence, they have evolved to store water in their leaves, stems, and roots, which allows them to survive long periods of drought. Therefore, when succulents are watered too frequently, their roots can become waterlogged and oxygen-starved, leading to root rot. Overwatered succulents often display mushy, discolored leaves and stem, indicating the plant struggles to survive. Another reason for the declining health of succulents is inadequate light. Succulents need a good amount of sunlight to thrive.

When they don’t receive enough light, they may stretch or become leggy to reach for more sunlight, a process known as etiolation. This can result in weak, elongated stems and faded leaf color. The change in seasons can also impact succulent health. Many succulents enter a dormant phase during winter, requiring less water and are more susceptible to cold damage. If you’re wondering why your succulents are dying in the winter, the cause could be exposure to temperatures below their tolerance level or overwatering during this dormancy period.

Solutions to Revive Dying Succulents

Knowing how to revive a dying succulent plant can give you hope and achievement as you see your withered green companions spring back to life. One of the first steps is to assess whether the succulent is dying from the bottom up. This is often a sign of root rot, a result of overwatering. First, gently remove the succulent from its pot and examine the roots to address overwatering. If they’re dark and mushy, they’ve likely developed root rot. In this case, trim away the rotted parts using clean, sharp scissors.

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After trimming, allow the plant to air dry for a few days to let the cut areas callous over. This helps prevent further infection when the plant is repotted. How to revive a succulent that was overwatered involves repotting the plant in fresh, well-draining soil. Select a pot slightly bigger than the root ball with enough drainage holes to avoid water pooling. Add gravel or pebbles at the pot’s base for better drainage.

Plant the succulent by covering the roots with soil, making sure not to bury the stem or leaves. Light is crucial to succulent health, and providing sufficient light is essential in reviving ailing succulents. Place your succulents near a south or east-facing window to ensure they receive plenty of indirect sunlight.

However, be careful to avoid harsh direct sunlight as this can scorch the leaves, causing them to turn brown or white. Gradually expose the succulent to more light over weeks to prevent sudden shock. For succulents struggling in winter, it’s important to adjust care routines. Reduce watering frequency during the colder months and provide a warmer indoor environment. Move the succulents to a brighter location to compensate for shorter daylight hours.

Propagating Dying Succulents

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, the main succulent plant may not recover. However, this does not mean all hope is lost. If a succulent is too far gone, you can still save parts of the plant through propagation. Learning how to propagate a dying succulent can open up a new path to maintaining your succulent garden.

Propagation involves taking a healthy leaf or stem cut from a dying succulent to grow a new plant. To do this, select a healthy, firm leaf or stem from the succulent. Gently twist the leaf from the stem, ensuring it snaps off cleanly without leaving any residual part on it. Alternatively, cut a piece of the stem using clean, sharp scissors.

After acquiring the leaf or stem cutting, let it dry out for a few days in a shady spot until a callous form over the cut end. This helps protect the cutting from potential diseases and rot when planted. Once the cutting has formed a callous, place it on top of well-draining succulent soil in a pot. It’s important not to bury the cutting in the soil but to let it sit on top.

Addressing Leaf Drop in Succulents

Another common issue when reviving succulents is dealing with leaf drops. If you’ve been wondering why my succulent leaves are falling off, several reasons could be at play. Overwatering, underwatering, inadequate light, extreme temperature changes, or transplant shock can all cause succulent leaves to drop. Understanding the cause can guide you in how to address the problem. To address overwatering, water less often and make sure the plant is in well-drained soil with a pot that has good drainage.

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If the succulent is not getting enough light, move it to a brighter location, but do so gradually to avoid sunburn. Similarly, sudden changes in temperature or humidity can cause leaf drop. To avoid this, try to keep your succulents in a stable environment. If you’ve recently repotted or moved your succulent, it might be experiencing transplant shock. In this case, give it time to adjust to its new environment, ensuring it has the right conditions to recover and thrive.

Conclusion

Reviving dying succulents might seem daunting, but with patience and the right knowledge, it’s an achievable task. By understanding the symptoms of a dying succulent and identifying potential issues, you can take steps to bring your succulent back to health or propagate it to give life to a new plant.

How to Revive Dying Succulents: Reasons, Treatment, and Solutions