Gardening/houseplant question

arwo

I need some help with a succulent.

The boutonnieres that the men wore at my wedding contained a tiny succulent plant.
(Here's a picture--sorry it's a little blurry. The succulent in question is the spiky green thing in front of the pink thing.)



The florist told us that we would be able to plant it afterwards, and my husband becamed kind of obsessed with the idea that he could have his wedding succulent forever. So we planted it, and it's managed to stay alive, but honestly it isn't doing very well. It has some new growth, but it's thin and sparse. Yesterday we checked, and found it doesn't even have a root system. From the research I have done online, I suspect we have been overwatering it, but if anyone has any general advice on how to plant a tiny succulent trimming, it would be much appreciated.

bltata

Any of the succulents we've ever had in my house have taken some getting used to.  One thing I've learned is that you're not supposed to use regular potting soil with the fertilizer in it.  Succulents are hearty plants and supposedly it provides too many nutrients.  I think there is actually a soil that is made for cactuses and succulents that large retailers often carry.  Maybe that would be something worth looking into.  Also make sure your pot drains well, and you can even add a little sand to the mix to help it drain. 

arwo

Awesome y'all, thanks.

It's in a big pot, inside. (Tiny plant in a big pot.) I feel like we've been seriously mistreating it. My husband panics everytime it has a leaf turn brown and waters the heck out of it, but from what I've been reading, that often happens as it's putting down roots.

We'll definitely cut back on the watering, and start babying it less. I'll also make sure the drainage is better.

bltata

I also read that they can be finicky in terms of sunlight.  You would think that a species of plant that normally lives in desert atmospheres would love a lot of direct sunlight.  If the leaves are turning brown and you are overwatering, it MIGHT actually be that you are giving it too much sun.  Sometimes the leaves scorch as a way of telling you that you are burning it.  I don't know if that's your particular problem or not, but it's worth looking into.

arwo

It's actually not that big of a pot, it's 2-3 inches. It's just that the plant is really tiny.

The leaves get dried out and brown, not mushy. I did read online somewhere that this happens when the plant finally starts to put roots down, while it lives off of its leaves. More concerning to me is the fact that the plant is getting long and sparse, and not short and plump like it was in the picture.

We didn't have any succulents in our bouquets or centerpieces, just the bouts, sadly. However, here is a pic of a centerpiece for a friend's wedding that has some succulents.

reddy123

Lucy- Celles has some beautiful succulent bouquets/bouts, and Kimhearts does too (I hope I'm remembering right!).

 I looove succulents- and Arwo, we had succulents as favors and my H has the same obsession, but on top of that, so do all of my guests! Every time I go over to someone's house they have to update me on the health of their little plant (usually not good and they want advice from me.)

Drainage! Make sure they have good drainage and don't over-water them. That's all I got.

kimheartsscott

Scotts bout succulent floated in a little bowl  of water in our bathroom for 4 months before the cat drank the water and it died.  It totally thrived just floating in the water with no soil, it was weird.  I wish we got around to planting it before it died though.