Please help with my new succulents

Use this forum to get advice on growing succulents and keeping them healthy
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Winged
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Nov 11, 2013 7:03 pm
Location: Louisville, KY, USA

Please help with my new succulents

Post by Winged »

Hello, everybody!

I just bought a bunch of succulents from the Lowes clearance rack. They were only 50 cents, and I've wanted succulents for a long time, so I couldn't resist. I've had good luck with nearly all of the clearance plants I've bought there so far (almost all of them suffered from being overwatered), so I have hope for these guys. But I would like some guidance for caring for these. The last time I had succulents (two or three years ago), I ended up losing them due to poorly draining soil.

The plants I bought all came with labels with their names on them. They are:

Argyroderma spp.
Crassula argentea
Crassula argentea cv. 'Gollum'
Echeveria coccinea
Echeveria runyonii cv. 'Topsy Turvy'
Sedum adolphii
Sedum nussbaumerianum
Senecio kleiniiformis
Senecio radicans glauca

The Argyroderma has definitely been overwatered. It has cracks in it and I'm not sure if it's too late to save it. The lower leaves on the Topsy Turvy have wilted and are brown and dead; the upper leaves look okay, I think. The Echeveria coccinea is pretty tall 6"+ with leaves only towards the top. I don't know if that's normal or not. The Sedum nussbaumerianum actually has four plants; the bottom leaves of one of the plants have turned yellow and one of them fell off. The Sedum adolphii has lower leaves doing the same thing. The Senecio radicans glauca already looks happier. I think the rest of them look okay, but since I'm new to this, I could be totally wrong. I will try to post pictures later.

I want to repot them all in better soil. What would be a good soil mix for them? Would it be better to repot them now or wait? If not now, then when? I looked up all the species, and I think I found information on how much water and light they all need. One site said that the Senecio radicans glauca could be kept outside year-round in my zone (zone 6b, Louisville, KY). Is that accurate? I tried to find out when their growing seasons were, but could only find some of them. Do I need to fertilize these plants? If so, how often, when, and what kind of fertilizer would be best?

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

ETA:
They are all in a south facing window. Unfortunately, the window faces are backyard which has some trees in it, so gets a fair amount of shade in the evening. The other window I could put them in is an east facing window, but part of the day, that is shaded by the neighboring house. Which situation would be better? I can also put some in one window and others in the the other window if needed.
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Harriet
Posts: 3965
Joined: Wed May 13, 2009 3:04 pm
Location: Central Florida

Re: Please help with my new succulents

Post by Harriet »

I use a mix of equal parts of NAPA, coir and clean sandy topsoil, same as for my cactus. But I have found that many succulents can handle more organic material in the mix.

Since I live in Florida, repotting at this time of year is not a problem for me, so, I suspect someone closer to your area has better advice for you on that.

As to which window to use, I'd start with the south facing window, but keep an eye out for sun damage. Depending on the time of the year you may be getting more light than you expect.
It’s not the fall that kills you; it’s the sudden stop at the end.
Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)
Winged
Posts: 2
Joined: Mon Nov 11, 2013 7:03 pm
Location: Louisville, KY, USA

Re: Please help with my new succulents

Post by Winged »

What is NAPA?

I'm really nervous about repotting any of them. If they're dormant, I shouldn't repot them right now, right? How can I tell if they're dormant?

I went back to Lowes to pick some up for a friend and ended up bringing home some more for me and a few cacti as well.
Tony
Posts: 10770
Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2005 2:56 am
Location: Chino, Ca, USA (zone 10)
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Re: Please help with my new succulents

Post by Tony »

Napa 8822 can be found at Napa auto parts stores.
If you cant get pumice easily, NAPA floor dry works just as well to loosen up succulent soil.

http://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Catal ... 0178972712" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Forget the dog...Beware of the plants!!!

Tony
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