After days of trying to revive a dying succulent, it all proves to be fruitless. This is a very common experience, especially if it’s your first time dealing with plants. In this article, I’ll share what has worked for me when dealing with succulents, as well as what you may need to do: 

1. Changing the soil

If you have a store bought plant, one of the most effective ways to revive it may be changing the soil. Many stores that don’t sell succulents predominantly, will pot them with incompatible soil, leading to a multitude of problems. Succulents mainly need loose, rich soil that is able to drain out excess water while providing sufficient nutrients. Because most succulents are not native to Canada, regular backyard soil won’t suffice either. I’d suggest changing it to either “cactus soil” or “succulent soil”, which can be bought at almost any gardening store or local home depot. 

2. Appropriate Watering

Succulents are extremely hearty and don’t need much water. As long as they are consistently watered every couple of weeks, they should be fine. Overwatering on the other hand can be a much more prevalent issue. Unlike taking care of houseplants, they have a low tolerance for large amounts of water, due to their arid origins. To avoid overwatering, check for early symptoms such as swollen and translucent leaves as well as slight browning. Mold and rotting in the roots can also occur after long periods of overwatering, however If not too severe this can be easily reversed. Start by unpotting, rinsing soil off roots, and then carefully cutting any browned or mushy roots.

Tip: If you're worried about overwatering or underwatering, a good way to check to see if it’s time to water is by dipping your finger in the soil. If it’s dry it should be ready whereas it’s wet it still might need some time.

3. Sufficient sunlight

As aesthetically pleasing as a succulent might look in one place, be sure it’s getting enough sunlight. For the most part, sunlight doesn’t need to be monitored as vigorously as water, and is not normally the cause for a dying succulent. However, succulents prefer to be placed near windows or any source of natural light. If it’s in shadow for a prolonged period of time it can start to wither and brown. While too much sunlight is not normally a problem, without enough water it can have similar negative effects. 

4. Repotting 

Knowing when to re-pot a succulent is also important. When pots are too small or cramped, your succulents don’t get enough nutrients. The best way to tell if it’s time to get a bigger pot is if you can see the roots coming out from under the pot or over the pot. This can signal either a lack of space or high soil density, which would indicate it’s time to change the pot or soil. However, repotting may also be the reason why your succulents aren't doing well. It takes a couple weeks to get acclimated to a new pot and environment, which will make your plant “stressed”. The best way to deal with stressed plants would be to hold off on fertilizer and water only when needed. 

How can you salvage an almost dead plant? 

If your succulent is already past the point of no return, there may still be one thing you can do to save it. While the main plant may not be salvageable, as long as you’re able to find one healthy leaf, you can easily regrow it with enough attention and care. Here are steps to propagating a succulent using a leaf:

Note: This may not work with all types of succulents. I’d advise doing supplementary research on your succulent before attempting

1. Find a healthy leaf and pull gently from the stem: The leaf needs to stay completely intact 

2. Let it root by leaving it in shade without watering: This process can up to a week 

3. Once roots are visible and the leaf has dried up, place in a pot and let it grow into it

4. Enjoy! 

Are your succulents actually dying?

Before giving a diagnosis, you first have to ask the question: “is my succulent actually dying?” While uncommon, many people make the mistake of trying to fix a problem that was never there. So here are two common misconceptions:

1. Leaves falling off 

While leaves falling off can be a sign of overwatering or stress, it may be completely natural. Like the way trees lose their leaves or flowers lose their petals, periodically, it’s a sign your succulent is growing. I found when taking care of my succulents, sometimes the bottommost leaves would shrivel up and fall. At first it seemed as if I was either underwatering them or even overwatering them, but as the stem got taller, it became apparent that the succulent was healthy and only losing lower leaves as it aged. As long as your succulent is continuously growing and making room for new growth, most of the time that’s not a problem. However if you’re still worried, or feel as if it is losing leaves abnormally, I wouldn’t leave it up to chance and try some of the suggestions said up above. 

2. Wilting

While it may look like your succulent is drooping, that may not necessarily be a bad thing. Succulents tend to grow towards the light, and depending on where it is placed it may seem like it’s bending over. This is especially apparent when it comes to indoor plants as they don’t have sunlight directly overhead. If your succulent looks healthy otherwise, you should be good to go. If you’re worried about the succulent tipping over, I’d suggest finding a bigger pot, or moving it as close to the sunlight as possible. 

Conclusion

Taking care of plants can seem daunting, with an endless amount of needs and factors to consider. However, once equipped with the right knowledge, the task becomes alot easier. Hopefully now you have some base knowledge on how to take care of a dying succulent, that you can carry into the future.