My boyfriend went on a trip to Big Sur, CA and thoughtfully brought me back a succulent he found on the coast. It had a very little root and he said it was in extremely hard rocky soil, so I made sure the soil I used to plant it in was very well drained. I have been watching it closely for change, but it only seems to stay the same size and now it has been getting these 'scars' on it like the one in the picture on the upper right leaf. I had it in full sun (he said it was on a cliff in full sun) but it seemed to be burning (what I first thought was causing the 'scars'), so I moved it to only get full sun until about 11am and than it is shaded but still exposed to bright light. He also said that salt water was spraying it and so I was wondering if anyone has had success with misty wild costal succulents with 'sea water' to mimic the ocean spray? I really want it to live and I couldn't identify it so I'm not sure if it is just during its dormant season, or if I am killing it. Attached are the picture of the one at my home, plus two pictures of the succulents at Big Sur. Thank you!
I don't know much about coastal succulents but I'd be surprised if it suffered from too much sun as most cacti and succulents like as much sun as you can give them but I'm sure someone else will know what caused the 'scars'. I wouldn't spray the plant, as without coastal winds to dry the plant off as it had in its natural environment, the spray will probably promote leaf/stem rot, which you definitely don't want! I wouldn't worry about it being slow growing many succulents are like that when you try to grow cuttings. One of my aeoniums got beheaded months ago, new growth is happening but very slowly, when it settles down I'm sure it'll take off! Good luck with your plant!
it's some type of echevaria, i think. since it was found in rocky conditions, i'd try to duplicate that as much as possible. repot in small rock bits (small stones or uncolored gravel for aquariums) mixed with a bit of the cactus soil you have it in now. and put it in full sun - they do like full sun.
I believe it is a Dudleya...found on the coast. I haven't had much luck with those I own, so I won't give any advice in caring for them. I forget, but I think someone told me they should be drier in the summer. They do tend to get ratty looking at times. At least, with this name, you should be able to research for proper care tips.
Thanks everyone! I have been not been watering it and when I got back home this weekend after a few days, it seems to be slightly improved... maybe I was over watering it. If it is a Dudleya, than I was giving it too much water since they are winter growers. Thanks again... I'm going to do my best!
A good rule of thumb with these plants (like most succulents) is "When in doubt, don't water". There are a lot of Dudleya around here, and I notice that the main areas where I see them are right on the coast where they get frequent fog but also a lot of wind, or rocky inland areas that don't get the moisturizing fog but also don't have that constant, dessicating wind. Moisture control is key with this genus, it seems. You will probably need to water your plant once every few weeks or less in the summer, especially if the plant is indoors. I recently went to a beach and "rescued" a couple Dudleya that had fallen off their cliff and were nearly buried in the sun-baked sand. Their leaves were soft and a bit damaged, but they had healthy rhizomes (no roots, unsurprisingly), so I took them home to try and grow them. I'm treating them pretty much the same as my Haworthias and Gasterias, which basically consists of just leaving them outside year round and letting them do their own thing. The leaves of the Dudleya have become a bit firmer than when I first got them, and they no longer feel loose in their soil, so I think their condition is improving. I got them in early July, and I've watered them just once since I've planted them. I am somewhat worried about what appears to be large scars on their leaves, similar to the scarring on your plant. For all I know they could be healing injuries if the plant was thrown against the rocks by the tide before I got them. I'm hoping they're just scars and not some sort of illness... I wouldn't know how to tell the difference.
