Fix Echeveria Dropping Leaves | Succulent Turn Yellow

Are echeveria dropping leaves and turning yellow, and the bottom of the leaf started to die? This is one of the known common issues. After reading this blog post, you can easily recover the echeveria leaf wilting issue. These symptoms are not good, and you have to take action immediately.

Echeveria is natively growing in a semi-desert region. Commonly we can find it in Central America and Mexico regions. This plant has rose-shaped leaves. Echeveria succulent has different verities and diverse colors.

Like other succulents plants, they need a proper well-drain soil mix. Even if they tolerate in a cold environment, they cannot survive in a moisture-rich growing medium. This is a non-hardy succulent that cannot survive in freezing temperatures.  Hence,  in the winter or cold days, you have to move the plant indoor places.

While care Echeveria plant indoors and outdoor, it requires a controlled watering pattern, good lighting, and excellent drain pot. Like other plants, this plant does not like sudden temperature changes.

Why Echeveria Dropping Leaves, Wilting, and Turning Yellow

The main reason for echeveria leaves falling off, and turning yellow is overwatering. When the soil continuously kept a high level of moisture, start rotting the plant roots and stem. This may be due to regular watering or the presence of high levels of water repellent in the soil mixture, or there are not enough drainage holes, or they may be blocked. 

Like other succulent plants, echeveria thrives in well-draining soil with less moisture. Not only that, it prefers light and well-aerated soil. While making soil for the echeveria plant, you cannot use water-holding materials like peat moss, coco peat.

How Can We Save Rotting Echeveria?

The first sign for echeveria dying is turning the leaves yellow, and then you can see rotten stems and leaves. You can see a black leaf at the bottom of the plant (A.K.A. black echeveria rot) in some situations. Therefore you have to respond quickly to save the dying echeveria plant. Immediately follow these steps to recover the dying echeveria plant.

• First, immediately change the watering pattern. – That is the quick and fast response you can do when you see Echeveria bottom leaves turning yellow. If the pot does not have enough drain wall change the pot.
• Change the potting soil:- Succulent essential sandy and fast drain soil mix. Use gritty aggregate/coarse 40%, organic potting mix 30% (not contain peat moss), Perlite, pumice, activated charcoal 20%, and pebble or rock chip 10% soil mix. Furthermore, water absorbs materials like activated charcoal, pumice, and perlite layer to the pot’s bottom.
• Provide good light. – Move the plant to the bright light area, and if it keeps indoors, move the pot to a south-facing window.
• Increase the temperature. – If you are living in a cooler region or winter season, provide the warmer temperature. This will increase soil moisture evaporation. If there is an indoor greenhouse, better move the rotten echeveria plant. This plant cannot survive in sudden temperature fluctuations. Therefore increase the temperature gradually.
• Add more Activated charcoal. – This will prevent root rot and save the plant.
• Alternatively, you can cut several leaves for propagating to grow new plants. In case if the mother plant dies, you can use new baby plants.

Best Echeveria Soil mix Recipe.

Like other succulents, this flowing succulent needs fast water drain soil mix. Their native environment is a sandy semi-desert. The best soil recipe for echeveria succulents is well-drained sandy soil without lots of nutrients. When making soil for echeveria, mix more small rock chips or pebbles to enhance the soil aeration. To recover your rotting echeveria plant, never use water to repel materials like peat moss, coco coir. Then will increase the moisture level and increase fungus activities, and speed up the root rot. Activated charcoal can prevent root rot. Therefore if you can increase the activated charcoal portion, it is beneficial to the plant to keep alive.

Soil Recipe Ingredients List.

• Gritty aggregate/coarse 40%.
• Organic potting mix 30% (not contain peat moss, coco coir, etc.).
• Perlite, pumice, and activated charcoal 20%.
• Pebble or rock chip 10%.

How to mix the ingredients.

Add all the ingredients into a single basket or bucket. Then well, mix everything using a trowel, hand rake, or by hand. Adding pebbles and rock chips improves soil looseness and aeration. Adding organic potting mix provides few nutrients to the plant. Hence regular fertilizing is not required.

How to use Echeveria Soil to Prevent Rotting.

To recover echeveria rotting stem or leave falling, you must use the prepared soil mix correctly in containers. When pouring the potting soil into the container, you have to maintain proper drainage. Even if you use well drain soil recipe, it is useless if you block the drainage holes. In some situations, you can plant succulents and cactus on no drainage hole pots. In such circumstances, you have to use special methods to keep the plant alive.

• Select a pot that has good drainage holes.
• Add a small mesh at the top of the container drainage hole.
• Then add a layer of gritty aggregate/coarse at the bottom of the container. This will ensure quick drainage.
• Next, add mixed potting mix 3/4 of the pot.
• Place the plant a cover it root bowl with the remaining soil.

Common Q&A.

Is my Echeveria dying?

There are several ways to identify a drying echeveria plant easily. Before the plant started ending its life, it shows several early symptoms. Most of the time, overwatering or sudden temperature changes cause kill the plant. Below is a common early symptom.

• First, check the leaves turning yellow. This is the most common symptom of over-watering.
• The bottom of the leaves turns to black color (also known as black echeveria rot).
• Leaves falling off.
• Leaves and or stems started rotting.

Once you identify one of these early symptoms, immediately follow the above recovery methods to save the succulent plants.

How often do you water Echeveria succulents?

Echeveria watering depends on the environment temperature, humidity level. This is one of the well-known harsh environment plants that do not require regular watering. In high-temperature areas (e.g., tropical climate), water it every 4 to 5 days. In cooler regions, water every 15-20 days. Read more about it here.

Before watering the echeveria plant, check the surface soil dryness. Using this method, we can easily prevent overwatering and under-watering.

Why are my succulent leaves turning black?

Echeveria succulents’ bottom of the leaves dried out and turning black is a normal situation. While the plant is growing, it is older leaves getting die. Generally, succulents older leaves dying very slowly. Usually, it dies one leaf at once. Whenever you identified any significant changes (more and more leaves turning black and dry), it is a sign of overwatering and started succulent rotting from the root.