Dead succulent leaves are the most dangerous of all

Some friends who are just getting into succulents will panic and ask everyone they meet when they see the lower leaves drying up and shriveling: What is wrong with my succulent?

Because succulent leaves are thick and juicy, they stay on the plant for a relatively long time,In fact, most succulents go through natural metabolism, apart from a few succulents, and the replacement of old and new leaves in succulents is perfectly normal.

This is especially true of the Crassulaceae, because it is the retirement of the old leaves that gives rise to all kinds of old stems and all kinds of clusters of pups growing at the base.

Leaves drying up means they are dying, and there are two situations with dead, dried old leaves. One is like Pachyphytum and Sedum, whose leaves, being thick, drop off on their own once they have completely shriveled,and when the growing environment changes abruptly at the turn of autumn and summer, even perfectly good leaves will drop right off for you to see.

There is another kind where the leaves gradually shrivel and dry up but still refuse to let go of the mother plant, clinging firmly to the stem. Most Echeveria belong to this category, such as the Echeveria glauca in the picture below

Most people probably know to clean them up; some people, perhaps out of laziness, just cannot be bothered to clean them up...

Some people may think that succulents in their native environment are like this too, that this is fine, and that there is no need to clean them up,In their native environment, these dead leaves at the base may serve to store a small amount of water and sustain the succulent's necessary growth.

But in a home growing environment, especially in the south, these dead leaves are a real trap.

Still the Echeveria glauca, do you see the mealybugs?

Layer upon layer of dead leaves are a breeding ground for scale insects. In the south, because of rain or watering,the accumulated dead leaves easily create a hot, stuffy and humid micro-environment!

Add to that the wounds from scale insect feeding, and the stem easily develops black rot. For something as tenacious as Echeveria glauca, the stem slowly becomes wet, rotten and decayed...

So if your succulents at home have not had their dead leaves cleaned for a long time, clean them up properly before a tragedy is brewing.

When pulling off the dead leavesbe careful to hold the succulent steady before cleaning, so as not to damage the roots, and after cleaning the dead leaves, if you find the succulent cannot stand steadily, you can prop it up with a small object for now, and once the succulent's roots have grown out, it will be steady.

If you unfortunately find scale insects, you can consider washing them off with water first as a temporary fix, then clean them up properly once the weather cools down. If you really cannot stand it,pay attention to the concentration when spraying, and after spraying place the plant in a cool, ventilated environment. Never put it in direct sun, as it is prone to chemical burn.

There is another situation that also causes succulents to have a lot of dead leaves, and that is when the succulent enters its dormant period,typically like Mountain Rose in summer. In this case, by no means pull off the dead leaves, because here the dead leaves play a protective role!

What you should pay attention to is not watering or watering less, and when watering, just water along the edge of the pot. Be sure to avoid the leaves as much as possible, because once the dead leaves hold water, it is a tragedy. We should not disturb a dormant Mountain Rose

There is yet another situation with dead succulent leaves, and that is turning to mush...

Generally it is caused by an abrupt change in environment, along with hot, stuffy and humid conditions, and when you come across leaves turning to mush, do not be soft-hearted. Remove the mushy leaves quickly and it still has a chance to live. If you do not remove them, then you are testing just how tough the succulent is.

Quite apart from the fact that mushy leaves breed pathogens, their very presence already amounts to providing a humid environment, and then the weather is hot too...

Finally, remove the dead leaves that should be removed, and do not cling to false hope, just as those who should leave the stage should leave the stage...