Hello, I was wondering why my succulent has this odd white color on it. It didn’t when I first got it. Normally it would sit in sunlight in my window, but I’ve tried keeping it in less sunlight but that didn’t seem to make it any better. I’m wondering if this is normal or if there is something I should be doing to make it not have this white on it?
Comments for Odd white coloring
Dec 12, 2014
There are a couple of reasons…
by: Jacki
Succulents like this one are extremely intolerant of over watering. They hate too much water, and if the soil is the least bit quick to hold water, it can be the death of many of these kinds of plants.
Stir the soil a bit on the surface with a toothpick and see what the composition of it is. If it’s very small sand, with compost or peat, this is exactly the opposite of what they need. They require a free draining very gravelly soil, with little to no organic matter in it
While you’re at it, poke gently at the discoloration and see if that part of the plant is rotten. This can set in if the plant gets sunburned by being too close to the window, which this is what it looks like to me. The intensity of the sunlight is duplicated just like as if it was through a magnifying glass and can burn the tissues.
Alternately, if neither of these is the case, the simple process of aging can cause the base of the stem to become more woody, and just like with trees as they age, the bark gets thicker.
Meanwhile keep the plant in the brightest area you can while not allowing it to be too close to the window, and let the soil dry out almost completely before watering again. This is crucial for the winter if you’re in the northern hemisphere.
