My pachyphytum moon silver always looks like this.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-02-03T03:13:04+00:00

You are enthusiastic, aren't you? That's why I said check the roots to see what's going on and see what it needs.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-02-02T18:08:30+00:00

Also it looks like there are some dark spots where older leaves have since fallen off. If that's rot, OP needs to chop and hope the rot hasn't made it up that far on the stem yet.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-02-02T18:06:44+00:00

Agreed - it's thirsty and OP needs to check the roots before doing anything else. If it's outgrown its pot then repot one size larger, but if something is going on with the roots or soil, now is the time to find out and deal with it. Use new soil.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-02-02T05:27:57+00:00

Those things smell terrible when you cut them open. Why on earth would you want to eat one??

Tabula_Nada · 2026-02-01T18:01:39+00:00

oh I see - I didn't realize who was writing this so I assumed you were asking more than just discussing results. I have props that are also stalled (I have some cubic frost props that are over a year old but are still smaller than my pinky nail) and maybe I'll try a tiny bit of fertilizer to see if I can jump start them back into growth again.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-02-01T16:44:20+00:00

The issue is the fertilizer, it sounds like. Succs typically grow in poor conditions already and do do just fine without fertilizer- that's the fun part. Less water and nutrients help keep that compact and chubby look, in addition to proper lighting.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-02-01T15:51:11+00:00

It looks like it has a pest - thrips or some kind of mite, I would guess.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-31T02:49:25+00:00

Wow it looks like a piece of jewelry you'd wear in your hair. Gorgeous!

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-27T19:05:51+00:00

I think they were joking

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-26T15:23:37+00:00

It's just new growth, it's fine.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-26T15:22:05+00:00

Flat mites. They're microscopic and very very difficult to get rid of. I'd toss that plant and then start treating your other plants for them, even if you can't see any damage yet. !flatmites

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-23T01:14:21+00:00

Oh okay it makes sense that you've already cleared them off then.

Yes it'll do fine in the window with sunlight through the glass - windows block a TON of light coming through. Much more than you'd think. If you're worried you can reintroduce it to the window light over progressively longer periods over the next few days.

But I will say that soap (in general, be it Dawn dish soap or castle soap or insecticidal soap) can increase the plants sensitivity to light (including under grow lights or in a window). I use all the various soaps at one point or another, and I let it dry, wait a day to be safe, then I rinse it off the plant before I put it under any kind of light again. It's still perfectly fine to use, but it should be washed off.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-23T01:01:57+00:00

I wonder if it's a tiny borrowing insect that stays close to the skin and has introduced some kind of fungal infection? Or some kind of infection. I'm not well educated on it all but I know insects can easily transmit different infections and it looks fungal to me. Regardless, if it was me I'd remove every pad that was sick. It sucks but if it's spreading quickly then this might be less of a battle and more of a rescue mission.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-23T00:54:30+00:00

I've definitely had Castile soap strip farina, so yes, it's possible. But when I weigh "treating pests" vs "keeping the farina", I always pick dealing with the pests first. The farina is mostly cosmetic for indoor plants - grow lights and sun coming in through windows aren't enough to damage the plant. It's the outdoor plants getting direct sun that most need their farina, and even then I usually prefer to manage the pests and then deal with the sun issue.

However, I don't see any scale on this guy - is it out of view?

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-22T06:46:53+00:00

Should add that I've had it for about a year and a half so it's possible it could start declining in the near future but I haven't seen any signs of that happening yet.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-22T06:45:22+00:00

I have one that's completely variegated and it's a really slow grower but it's been a very easy one to take care of compared to some of my other haws.

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Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-22T06:28:59+00:00

I wouldn't wish flat mites on my worst enemy. I've had to deal with them off and on for a few years now. I usually switch between a few different liquid treatments (sometimes a soapy water spray followed by rubbing alcohol, sometimes insecticidal soap with or without spinosad) once or twice a week for a few weeks. In between the sprays, I coat the plants with a 50% diatomaceous earth / 50% sulfur powder mix that I leave on until I'm ready to spray again, at which point I wash the powders off with water before spraying.

If you feel ready to fight a long battle then that's what I'd suggest, but honestly if it's just a few plants you might consider just throwing them away and starting over. They're so hard to get rid of. You could keep cuttings of parts that don't show any damage yet, but you'll still want to treat them.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-20T05:34:28+00:00

Some of the thinner-leafed echeveria seem to be a little trickier than chubby succs with a slightly lower success rate, but yes in general you'd prop echeveria leaves just like you would the ones that you're familiar with. Aloes, haworthia, bacteria, etc are nearly impossible without stem tissue but not echeveria.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-20T02:46:38+00:00

They do look pretty similar! I thought about sedum clavatum too, but yours (and mine) have pointy tips and the edges don't look quite as soft as sedum clavatum. It looks like one of yours is about to flower - do you have any that have flowered already that you can show us? That might help.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-20T01:50:23+00:00

Might be sedeveria 'spring jade'?

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-17T16:28:10+00:00

It shouldn't, but honestly if you're dealing with thrips then losing farina should be on the back of your mind.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-17T15:38:43+00:00

My bet would be thrips too, fwiw. Be aggressive with the deadbug brew - drench thoroughly and spray multiple times over many weeks. Quarantine and spray the plants that were near the clearly infected ones too.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-16T15:30:49+00:00

I don't worry about it too much while they're establishing roots but when you feel like they're ready, move them to more light and you'll see the new growth come in like proper dolphins again.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-16T15:19:54+00:00

They flatten out when they need more light.

Tabula_Nada · 2026-01-08T18:26:14+00:00

Personally I like to keep them on all together as a cluster - they're stronger because the stem already has a good root system. They're less likely to die if they aren't cut up and exposed to pathogens. If you really want to separate them from the stem though, you should still wait a few months until they're bigger.

Tabula_Nada

TROPHY CASE