Ailing Echeveria Imbricata!

by Adrienne
(Phoenix, AZ)

Hi,
I live in Phoenix, Arizona and it's August. So we get really HOT, dry weather here (except for the recent monsoons and haboobs). I think we're in zone 9-10.

I bought an Echeveria Imbricata from a home improvement store several weeks ago, and I'm afraid I didn't do my homework until AFTER it started looking ill. :-(

I put it on a table that doesn't get direct sunlight and probably gave it a little too much water. Then, as I was researching echeveria, I found that it was doing exactly what all the sites said it would do if it didn't get enough light, namely stretching out. So, I moved it to a spot outside that gets morning sunlight and didn't give it any more water.

As I was carefully trying to pick out some of the bottom leaves that were dried out when I bought it, A LOT of the green leaves dropped off with very light touching. It looks very bad now.
I've read a lot about beheading succulents. So, I'm wondering if that's what I need to do with this one. But is it even big enough to behead?

We're no longer in spring and heading toward the end of summer, should I wait until next year to see what it does and then behead it? There were two off-shoots under the leaves when I bought the plant, and they don't look as bad as the mother plant. Can they be saved? What should I do? What would give the plant its best chance at survival?

I've included pictures from several angles. It's still in the grower's pot that I bought it in.
Thanks for your help,
Adrienne

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Aug 24, 2016

Touch and Go
by: Jacki

It is a toss up as to whether this guy will give up the ghost, or pick it up and recover.

It needs to be left alone to gather its strength now, so no more messing around with it. If you want to cut off the lower leaves uses a sharp pair of scissors so you don't disturb the plant at all. This is what I would do, because when leaves look like that, the rot can spread.

If the two little bits that are still healthy can come back they will need the perfect conditions. Bright indirect light, no watering! At least until they show signs of starting to grow, and only if the soil is dry. That means, DRY. Not damp. Spray a tiny amount close to the stem only, not on the plant at all.

Don't try to behead them, they won't make it. Just wait until they have more strength to make it through that kind of stressful event.

There is more about how to grow Echeveria here. Hope that helps get your plant back on track - it's got a long road ahead of it to look like it did originally.

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