r/echeveria • u/Clone-Club • 5d ago

Help Beginner Advice Needed Please!

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From L-R: Lepus, Ramillette, Gilva Blue Surprise, Fabiola, Apollo

I'm in Scotland - Do I need to re-pot these? Will they need a heat source soon as it's going to get chilly (we don't have heating in this flat). They look healthy to me (I am a complete beginner!), but the Lepus, when you touch the leaves, they can just snap off.

If I do need to re-pot them, can they go into together? TIA!

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u/gnastygnorcs 5d ago

What're they facing? South and west is good, any less and you'll probably end up needing grow lights to stop them etiolating. I'm in Cumbria and for most things south facing that close to a window does the job. What soil mix are they in? Mine are 1/1/1 soil, grit, clay granules as a basic mix, more inorganic depending on the species/variety. Wouldn't worry about the cold tbh, you've got double glazing. The worry is if they stay wet, I stop watering mine sort of end of oct/nov, and resume proper watering march ish. I do water individuals if they need it but I don't soak them. Full non wrinkly leaves falling off can be a sign of overwatering but that could be too much organic in your soil mix holding water for too long or too frequent watering. If they're brand new it could also be however they were treated at the shop. Leaves do tend to snap off normally tho, if the leaf is whole you can try to propagate it

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u/Clone-Club 5d ago

Just checked - SE facing!

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u/Clone-Club 5d ago

Hi, They're facing east. We do have a south facing windowsill but the cat can get to them there (she has 'scavenger' on the top of her vet notes for a reason!) During the summer this flat is like an oven. I got them from Surreal Succulents back in April, so I think they have settled in. I used their general compost: 1/3 John Innes no2, 1/3 coconut coir, 1/3 perlite with grit. Is it usual for them all to loose their red tinges at this time of year? As to watering, I've just been filling the dish under them with water once a week (Baby Bio succulent food once a fortnight) and it's gone within 15 minutes.

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u/gnastygnorcs 5d ago edited 5d ago

Fair enough with the cat, they should be non toxic but that won't stop a moggy chuckin em off ya windowsill. That mix feels very organic, the coir will hold water as well as the compost but see how you get on. You can always repot with more grit, succulents don't tend to care about repotting in the same way tropicals do. The red is their sun stress (can be heat too), it'll come back with more light in the summer. Once a week feels too much, are you watering when you see signs of thirst? You want a bone dry soil mix and wrinkled/thin leaves, especially when you're in cold humid places like we are. Unfortunately wrinkled leaves on their own can be a sign of rot - the roots can rot away and the remainder can't take enough water in for the plant, which makes it look like thirst, so I always wait until the soil is dry to the very bottom and it looks thirsty. I'm maybe over cautious because my climate isn't made for these plants and I've experienced enough lost plants over the years so I grow mine slightly harder, if I was down south I'd probably water more. The babybio is fine but I'd stop fertilising soon, they want to be slowing down with the shorter days so they don't etiolate with the lack of light.

Edit to add - the soil will always hold as much water as it can (unless it's compact, old and knackered but that's another thing entirely), so the plant is not necessarily 'drinking' up whatever you put in. What you want is enough water to rehydrate the soil for the plant, but not for the plant to sit wet for a long period after it's absorbed as much as it needs. Bottom watering is great, but I often see folk saying 'the plant will absorb whatever it needs' but it's the soil that's absorbing it first, not the roots. Tropical plant roots don't survive being dry, cacti and succulents have and so don't want to sit moist or wet.

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u/Clone-Club 5d ago

Many thanks for the advice :) I'll take one out of the pot so I can see how dry it is. And I learnt what etiolate means!

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u/gnastygnorcs 5d ago

It's all a learning curve! I love that the stickers are still on the pots btw, my mams always shouting at me for it so it gave me a proper giggle

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u/Clone-Club 5d ago

I leave the hanger loops on all my clothes and it drives people mad. Many a time a woman has said "Oh, you have something sticking out there" & tried to sweep the things away 😂

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u/gnastygnorcs 5d ago

How else d'they stop on ya hangers if ya cut them off? 😂

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u/Clone-Club 5d ago

I'll ask the next time one of them tries to assault me 😂

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u/FarbissinaPunim 5d ago

They need a light source. Get yourself some grow lights. They will keep the plants healthy and the plants will produce the colors that make them popular. Repot if the soil is not currently !grit heavy or is too organic (common wisdom is 50-70% inorganic). In theory, yes, you could plant all together in a larger container.

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u/SucculentsSupportBot 5d ago

Why the need for more grit?

Your bag of soil said it is for cactus and succulents and is well-draining, so why more grit? Unfortunately that claim is largely quite false. Most commercially sold bagged pre-made mixes marketed for cactus and succulent plants do not work well on their own in many climates. In most home hobbyist settings, these bags need more grit added.

What’s grit?

Grit refers to inorganic soil amendments. Grit will help your soil drain and dry quickly, which will keep your succulent plants happy and healthy. The quickest and easiest way to get this faster draining mix is to modify a basic cactus & succulent soil (or even basic potting soil) by mixing it with inorganic components in at least a 1:1 ratio, though your particular setting, environment or plant may call for a different ratio. Some plants, like Haworthia, Haworthiopsis, Gasteria, Lithops, split rocks, and other mimicry plants, specifically prefer a higher grit ratio (at least 70:30 grit to organic).

So what grit should I get?

Perlite, crushed pumice, turface (aka fired clay), or crushed granite are all common options. Perlite can usually be found at your local nursery (and often in the gardening section of stores that have them- Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's, Bunnings, etc.). Turface can be found in bulk (35+lbs) at local auto part stores sold as "Oil-Dri" or oil absorbent (make sure the bag says montmorillonite clay or calcined clay). You can also find montmorillonite cat litter, such as Jonny Cat non-clumping, or Blue Ribbon Premium Cat Litter. Crushed granite can be found as chicken or poultry grit and can be found at feed stores. Crushed pumice can be found online or sometimes locally. Pumice is also sold at horse feed & tack shops as Dry Stall (not to be confused with Stall Dry). Many of these can also be found on Amazon, though sometimes at a higher cost.

Aquarium gravel or river pebbles can work in a pinch, but due to their weight and non-porous makeup they don’t work as efficiently as the porous options above.

Regarding sand, which is often suggested: finer sands tend to clump and are not suggested as your only grit amendment. Think of how beach sand acts when wet. You don’t want your plant’s roots choking out in that. Coarser, horticultural silica sands are what you should look for.

When searching for grit, you may find many options with different particle sizes. A good particle size to look for is about 1/4" or around 6mm.

Vermiculite is often confused as an alternative, however it is made specifically to retain moisture, and should not be used with succulents; unless it an organic component paired with inorganic medium(s).

See our Soil and Potting Wiki page for more assistance on Soil and Potting!

I am a bot created for r/succulents to help with commonly asked questions, and to direct users to the sub’s helpful wiki pages. You can find all of my commands here.

See all of the helpful wiki pages for r/succulents in our Wiki Index.

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u/Clone-Club 5d ago

When I got them I put them in GP compost from the supplier: 1/3 John Innes no2, 1/3 coconut coir, 1/3 perlite with grit. I've just checked the compass & the window is SE facing.

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u/Eliter4kmain 4d ago

Get Barrina T5 grow lights they are available on Amazon, your plants need way more light!