by Serene Lee
(Singapore)
I bought an Echeveria from the supermart 3 weeks ago.
It had plump waxy leaves, like a multi-tiered rose and planted in a plastic pot.
I had it transfered into a terracotta pot and mixed the original peat soil with small pebbles and garden soil.
Recently, the weather in Singapore is very humid and warm, sometimes around 90 degrees F. The leaves seem deflated and start to look limp. I watered it as the soil was very dry. I have notice that it is not perking up. It has been sitting indoors by the window and gets half a day of sunlight.
Please advise.
Hi Serene, yes, I would say that it’s too humid – just because the leaves look limp on these kinds of plants, it doesn’t mean that they need water – in fact, it is likely that they are protesting the humidity.
Anything over 40% humidity is too high. I don’t really have anything to suggest, because this is not something you can really control, unless you have a dehumidifier in your house.
If you recently repotted it, just leave it alone for a while; the roots are fragile and easily broken, and take a while of being dry to replace themselves.
Make sure that there is always fresh air for the plant, and maybe get a small fan to blow the air around. Don’t water it again, until the soil is actually dry. This means, DRY. Not damp, moist or wet. In your climate, there is a possibility that you will never need to actually water succulent plants.
Unfortunately, this plant was already telling you it was under stress, and was trying to tell you it wasn’t happy in such a climate. It might not make it, just so you know.
Fingers crossed!
Jacki
