Please help! P. nelli going soft and rotting?

[lilacsofthedead]

Please help!

I've all but neglected my Pleiospilos nelii living stones, haven't watered them once since I got them, but they've gone kind of soft and flaccid to the touch, like they're starting to overripen or something? One 'leaf' on one of them has already withered and rotted - I say that because it was still... juicy, to the touch :/ ill

I have them on a southwest-facing windowsill, but they are next to another plant which in contrast needs daily watering (not misting, though, which is why I thought it'd be okay) - is it possible that just having the other plant in it's boggy pot is making it too humid for the Pleiospilos?

[iann]

You've never watered them and they're going soft? Well I wouldn't panic just yet A photo would help with the diagnosis, since I don't even know how many leaves your plant has. You might want to water it once in a while, or even lightly and frequently in summer. It isn't an actual rock and can't live on fresh air.

If one leaf out of a single pair has badly collapsed it is either dead or drastically thirsty. Either way not much to lose by watering it. If it has a nice healthy central pair of leaves and some really horrible looking outer leaves then that's just fine.

[lilacsofthedead]

Ah, sorry, I should have been more clear about that - I mean I watered it a couple of times when I first got it, a few weeks ago, but then I was told that they could suffer more if overwatered and kind of stopped?

I think it's a few plants jammed into the same pot, but I haven't yet got around to repotting them to check. I'll post a pic in the morning.

[iann]

Ah, sorry, I should have been more clear about that - I mean I watered it a couple of times when I first got it, a few weeks ago, but then I was told that they could suffer more if overwatered and kind of stopped?

I think it's a few plants jammed into the same pot, but I haven't yet got around to repotting them to check. I'll post a pic in the morning.

Get it out of the pot. It will be easier to see what you have and it needs to go in a better soil anyway. The stuff they ship these things from the factory in is useless in the real world.

A photo of the unpotted plants would also be helpful to assess the health of the roots. Several seedlings of about the same size could go back in one pot but spread out more. Or it is easier to manage them in separate pots, but don't put them in a pot much larger than the roots. Read up on soil mixes, but at a minimum you'll need to add lots of a porous material like perlite.

[Gallo]

Similar my plants have been getting soft-

(I'm new this is my first post.)
Just today broke up the root ball and removed the water holding Peat from my plants.

(Thinking the roots would simply grow out is dangerous with succulents. I got the plants from Loews and found they come potted in peat moss.)

When I removed "Tiger Jaws" from the planter - root ball attached. the peat was still wet in the middle. (The plant had gotten progressively soft.) The surrounding soil was dry as can be.
(I hope it recovers along with my "Hen and Chicks" plus three other small plants. )

So I was watering my plants when seeing the soil dry yet the root ball directly under the plant was holding water.

I will no longer transplant by leaving the same soil on the roots and stuffing it in a bigger pot with more soil.

I think rot is more a possibility than damaging the roots by handling them.

[iann]

Yes, sticking a rootball of one soil type into a completely different soil type is almost guaranteed death. You need to remove the old soil even if it means removing most of the roots, although transplanting into exactly the same soil I try to disturb the roots as little as possible.

[Gallo]

If the plant is taken out of the wet soil I guess it could continue to get soft like a banana, or hopefully firm up?

[Rod Smith]

If the plant is taken out of the wet soil I guess it could continue to get soft like a banana, or hopefully firm up?

The best bet might be to remove all soil and leave the plant in a dry place (greenhouse, warm room) for a day or two. The plant won't suffer for a while in no soil. Then when roots are completely dry, see whether the plant is still soft. If it is it may be rotting. If not, you can pot it in decent compost.

[srboisvert]

I had a p. nelli rubra that rotted out from under me that I bought from Home Depot. The two outer leaves turned to mush overnight and I took the plant out and the roots were rotten as well. So I cut above the rot and had just the about two thirds of the new leaves and let that dry out and tried rooting it. It did nothing all summer long and then just turned to mush. Oh well.

I feel like the plants the big box stores are selling are over grown to start with - plus they water them weekly even inside the store where they get no light. Sometimes I feel a duty to save plants from them. Or at least that is what I tell my wife.

[cjdavies4]

nelli rotten.jpg (71.85 KiB) Viewed 4083 times

16667390_10155158128787847_1668552331_o.jpg (89.75 KiB) Viewed 4082 times

I can upload more pictures if it is not clear enough
I'm hoping this is still in the early stages and I can prevent any further damage
So this is the second pleiopilos nelli I've tried to keep at my desk. Unfortunately I'm stuck in a room without windows, so I have to rely on fluorescent office lighting (which I know is less than ideal). But anyways my last lil fella began rotting from the bottom like this guy, eventually losing every head. I haven't waters this one yet as I know they need very little water. I really love this species and would like to keep this one alive, is it most likely a light issue? I don't think it's a watering issue as the soil pretty dry.

[Aiko]

No way to prevent it, but to try to save the other one. Take the soft one out of the pot immediately. It cannot be saved. It will rot further, and it will rot fast. Sorry. It is my experience. You might try to reroot the new leave pair of the rotting plant, if they are still safe from rot.

[C And D]

I left my Pleiospilos in the rain this winter, and they never looked better
We've had 20 inches of rain so far.
Fat and rigid now, they seemed to suffer more when I watered them infrequently.

But you need to get them established first with a season or 2 before this kind of treatment.