Good morning, everyone! I am new to this site, and am looking forward to all the knowledge I can get my hands on. Right now, I have a problem :( I currently have a small 5 x 7" succulent garden containing baby toes, split rocks, and another succulent (I am unaware of its name). A few weeks ago, I noticed one of the baby toes' leaves had split open horizontally about a third of the way down, as if it had been freshly cut. I thought it probably happened inadvertently while opening the blinds and a corner cut through it. I didn't think much of it until a few days later when I saw another one split open in the same fashion. Since then, another leaf seems to split every 4-5 days. I am perplexed as to why this is happening. All the succulents in my mini-garden have seemed healthy and happy otherwise. There are no other signs of pests, injury, or fungus. All the leaves of each succulent are a bright green, except for where the baby toes are split. The baby toes have even budded and flowered. The garden sits indoors on a sunny windowsill (where it always has), but the sun is not harsh where it sits. I have not disturbed its soil or rock layer since planting it back in April. I water it every few weeks with room temperature tap water, and fertilize it once every month or so with a liquid cactus fertilizer. All three plants are firmly rooted, and there is no sign of root rot. The split always happens horizontally a third of the way down the leaf, and it is not limited to one side of the plant. Nothing has changed about how I have cared for the garden or its environment (as we live in a cul-de-sac next to the woods), except for the temperature. Our summers are hot and humid. As winter approached, we have been getting some temps near freezing. We usually keep our window open slightly at night because we like it cooler while sleeping. The nighttime temp in our room usually runs between 50 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit. As you can see in the pictures, a few of the baby toes are trying to recover from splitting. The split does not seem to affect the rest of the leaf or plant in any way, but it is not very attractive. I have not seen this same issue in any other pictures I have viewed on the internet. I would like to know the possible cause, as well as any remedy you might suggest. Thank you in advance for any help you can offer!
Hello, Mine do the same thing from time to time. I do not know why they do it, but it never seems to affect them. I know that they do not like direct sun and like to be wetter than others. Your Stone won't like the more water, plus the Toes glow outward pretty large. Mine are approx 12inches across. They go through dieing stages, at least mine do. I think that the splitting is caused by to much water. I know that Cacti do this because they will swell up, then split. I used to have mine to where they got morning sun for 5 hours, but they started to have issues, so now they are in complete shade and are doing better. When it's hot, I water two times a week, not a lot, but around a 1/2 cup or so. Winter, about once a week. Yours has flowered, so it is happy :)
Thank you! When I water, I normally give the soil a soaking and allow the excess to drip out of the drain holes since I only do it every few weeks. Guess I will try reducing the amount of water I give them. The only problem is that if I wait longer between waterings, the baby toes start to lay flat and shrivel.
