I was told its a succulent but,could be wrong

I got this as a gift and it was beautiful, brown-purple dark leaves that curled so it formed a circular shape. It used to be 3 times the size but Its been slowly dying and looks completely different. Im not sure how to care for it properly


Drought Smart Plants reply;

Oh, the poor thing. It definitely is a succulent, and looks to be some kind of Echeveria, possibly Echeveria defractans x carnicolor or Echeveria atropurpurea 'Brown Sugar'.

These plants require bright light and have low water requirements, meaning that you water them once a month, or less. The soil absolutely must dry out almost completely between watering.

The pale color of the center of it, and it's long gangly leg indicate that it needs much more light. Don't immediately put it into full blazing sun, as once they get to this point, they'll get sunburned, probably finishing it off.

Here's what I would do:

Bear with me, as if you're not familiar with succulent plants, you'll think this is incredibly cruel. It's not really, as they are fully adapted to this type of thing.

First, take a sharp knife, and I mean sharp,not just a paring knife or other kitchen knife. Use a scalpel if you can get it, or a new straight razor blade.

Cut the whole top rosette off, just under the bottom leaves. It's okay! Breathe! You haven't killed it.

Now, this is the most important part - follow these instructions to the letter:

Take some DRY potting soil, preferably sterilized cactus soil, or other houseplant soil that has been mixed with half gravel or perlite.

Put the rosette on the top of the soil.

DON'T water it.

Put it in a bright, east window if you have it, or a south window shaded with a sheer curtain (not in full bright sun). If you don't have a window, get a small grow light.

Leave it alone - I mean, completely ignore it for at least a week, or even two.

Okay, you can look now. You may notice that there is resistance when you gently tug on it, which means that it has rooted! If there are little pink roots coming out, then you can water it with TEPID water - don't use water that has run through any kind of softening unit.
Happy Succulent Growing!
Jacki


Now look at these pages for more on how to care for your hopefully recovering Echeveria:


Echeveria

How to Grow Echeveria

Succulent Care

Succulent Plant Propagation

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