What to Do When Succulent Leaves Go Soft? Find the Cause in One Second with the Process of Elimination

Almost every succulent grower runs into this problem: the leaves of a succulent plant go all soft and floppy. So why do succulent leaves soften, and what causes it? When succulent leaves go soft, how do fellow growers deal with it?

When it comes to the reasons succulent plants go soft, here are 6 points for you. If you run into soft leaves on your succulents, you can go through these six points one by one and rule them out, finding the "cause" in one second so you can solve the problem more effectively.

1. A newly potted succulent's leaves go soft. If this is the case, there is no need to worry, because the succulent has just been potted and its new roots have not grown out yet, so the plant itself cannot effectively absorb water and can only consume its own leaves to stay alive. This consumption is what causes the leaves to soften and dry up, until they fall off.

At this point, succulent growers can patiently wait for the succulent plant to grow new roots. But note: if it stays in this state for a long time, or the lower leaves dry up severely, it is advisable to check whether the roots have gone bad or whether old roots that were not trimmed thoroughly have rotted, then repot and wait for new roots to grow.

2. The potting soil is too wet, and the succulent develops black rot and turns to mush, causing the leaves to go soft. If this happens, be sure to promptly remove the leaves that have turned to mush, and cut away the black rot promptly too, then apply carbendazim to the wounds, and only plant it again after they have healed.

3. Normal metabolism can also cause leaves to go soft, because as a succulent plant grows, its metabolism needs to consume the bottom leaves first. When the nutrients and water are all used up, the leaves soften, dry up and fall off on their own. This is normal metabolism; just promptly remove the fallen dead leaves.

4. During a succulent plant's dormancy, the leaves close up and go soft. When a succulent plant is dormant, it can also show soft leaves, dried-up leaves, or even leaf drop. For example, the relatively familiar mountain rose (Greenovia aurea) closes up completely as soon as dormancy arrives, and Aeonium succulents lose almost all their leaves in summer. These are all normal phenomena. At this time we should reduce watering, or cut off water temporarily, and be sure to increase ventilation!

5. Lack of water causes a succulent plant's leaves to go soft. A succulent that has not been watered for a long time will develop soft, wrinkled leaves. At this point, just replenish water in time and watch how it recovers.

6. Sunburn (or frostbite) on a succulent plant causes the leaves to go soft, turn to mush and black rot. The treatment is the same as point two above.

The points above are the most common reasons succulent plant leaves go soft and the ways to handle them. I wonder what situation your succulents are in.