Sad, forgotten succulents

by Megan
(Southern CA)

I found all these behind my moms shed and I have no idea how long they have been there. They don't get much sun, couple of hours in the late afternoon is the most they get. The roots are out of control and tangled together, I can't even get them off the palate, can I move them without hurting them? I would like to pot some of them together if possible.

Anything you can tell me about these poor plants will be very much appreciated.


Drought Smart Plants reply:

Oh, Megan, lucky you! What a find!

Here's what I recommend: don't even worry about the roots, simply cut the tops off each of them and then set them on top of the soil in either new pots filled with potting soil, or what I've done with great success is to group them together as tightly as possible on the top of a large container of soil.

Leave them dry for a week or so, then start to water them. The roots will start to find the soil. You might find that some take longer than others, but anytime plants like this have been abandoned they respond very well to a little tender loving care.

Oh, and don't be too quick to discard the stems that you cut the tops off, as they most likely will make even more growth. Succulents are amazingly resilient.

Look at the pages here to find out more:

Succulent Care

Succulent Plant Propagation

Succulent Planter

I've also named the most obvious ones in the captions of the pictures for you.

Happy Succulent Gardening!

Jacki