Hi there!
I'm relatively new to gardening and I've been having some trouble with my succulents turning pink, which I understand to be a sign of stress.
They used to be in a backyard with full evening sun, but I moved recently and now they are all squeezed onto a (very small) third floor patio. The patio gets hours of morning sun, and since I live in Austin, TX, I make sure to water them regularly. I'm not over watering them, as far as I know, and I've positioned them so each gets as much sun as possible. Some of them have been pink for a while but most only turned pink after the move. Only two out of three of my aloe plants seem to be actually suffering, as some of the leaves are starting to turn grey. The one in the small white pot is dying, I'm pretty sure. The other succulents seem to be ok, but I'm still concerned.
Besides repotting some of them into bigger pots, the only thing I have done to them is sprinkle some rose food on the top layer of soil. I needed the rose food for a few of my other plants and I put the rest on the succulents just because I didn't have a place to store it and I didn't want it to go to waste. Maybe that was my mistake? I can't find much online about the effects of giving food like that to succulents. I see now that I should be buying food specially formulated for succulents and cacti, which is what I will do I the future.
My mind is spinning with the possibilities: More sun? Less sun? More water? Less water? Fertilizer? Bigger pots? I've included some pictures to illustrate what I'm talking about. My babies need help!
Thanks!
Stressed succulents
The plant in the third picture is showing stress from the sun or the heat but this is often considered desirable. I like how it looks so I would probably just watch it, enjoy it, and leave it alone.
I noticed the the plant in the first picture and the one in the fourth picture are in the same big planter. Does the planter have drainage holes to get rid of excess water? They could be too wet if there's no drainage. Plus, there's a lot of soil volume in that planter, so the soil could be holding more moisture than your plants want.
Make sure you have excellent drainage when the pot is so big, as in, the water just goes right through and out the bottom, never sitting with wet feet.
I don't know about rose fertilizer and succulents - that might be a problem. Definitely don't fertilize them more at this point. Maybe re-pot them in fresh potting soil if too much/incorrect fertilizer might be the problem.
Last, check for heat on your patio. I don't know if reflected heat from the wall and absorbed heat on the floor of the patio could be cooking any of your plants. I lived in Texas (Dallas/Lubbock) for 10 years and I know surfaces can get hot hot hot.
Trying to get this unstuck from my watched threads.
Post a Reply to this Thread
More Ask-a-Dave's-Gardener Threads
-
Boston fern
started by Texas001
last post by Texas001Apr 11, 20252Apr 11, 2025 -
What\'s going on with this coleus plant?
started by LAS14
last post by LAS14Apr 17, 20251Apr 17, 2025 -
Water Vine identification
started by Kat6214
last post by Kat6214Apr 18, 20250Apr 18, 2025 -
ID loooong taproot plant in my garden
started by Veggiemuffin
last post by VeggiemuffinJul 11, 20251Jul 11, 2025 -
Golden Full Moon Japanese Maple Soil Mix
started by travish413
last post by travish413Jan 15, 20262Jan 15, 2026
