Why Do My Succulents Keep Dying?

If you are reading this post, than you have probably killed some plants before. So, if you are really struggling with succulents, but you absolutely love the way they look and make your home or garden feel, then stick around for a possible diagnosis to your issues. I myself have never actually killed a succulent, but I have had some leaves go brown on me. However, the most probable reason is that I open and close my blinds often and they sometimes rip leaves off of my plants. Anyway, enough about my carelessness, let’s get into some real issues.

Over Watering

This may sound strange, but succulents can easily get too much water. The rule I stick to when watering is to make sure the soil is completely dried out before watering again. Most succulents can go a couple of weeks before needing water, so often times the issue is not lack of water, but instead, too much.

Bad Drainage

In order for roots to not rot, succulent pots need to have proper drainage. You may notice that the plastic containers plants come in have holes in the bottom and so do the basic terracotta pots. This is because drainage is necessary to make sure your plants' roots do not rot. Another thing that helps with drainage is having the proper soil. Succulent soil should be different from the average soil. You can easily learn how to make your own succulent soil here.

Lack of Sunlight

I think succulents sometimes get the misconception that they can survive anywhere, but not all can. Just think about cacti. Cacti naturally lives in the desert, so lack of water and high sunlight are essential to successful life. Succulents are known to be easy to care for because their leaves or the plant in entirety store water. This doesn’t mean they can survive anywhere, just that they can go a longer amount of time with no active care.

Mishandling

Like I mentioned earlier, I lose leaves due to my blinds rubbing against my plants. This specific example may not be very common, and is so easily fixable, but other similar issues may come up. Maybe the plant rubs against the side of the pot, or maybe your dog likes to nibble on your plants. Whatever the issue, succulents should be left alone and not handled too harshly.

Hopefully with these possibilities, you can perform successful autopsies on your succulents and hopefully stop killing them in the future. You might be thinking, “Wow, succulents are so much more work than I thought!” But don’t let that discourage you! With the right tools and information, succulents are easy. I promise.