If your succulent plant is drooping, there might be a few reasons why this is happening. In this post, you will discover reasons why your succulents are drooping, why succulent leaves are drooping, why a succulent is drooping after repotting, and what to do about it.
The main reasons why a succulent is drooping are overwatering, freezing temperatures, underwatering, rotting. Other reasons for drooping succulents include pests and diseases and sudden temperature changes.
Normal succulents should be plump, firm, not etiolated. Succulent leaves must also be plump, and not discolored or dry.
Reason 1: Freezing
Freezing is one of the reasons why your succulent is drooping. Some succulents, such as the Panda plant, are especially sensitive to colder conditions. This means that you must be careful with leaving them outside in colder conditions.
If your succulent freezes completely, there will be no chance to save it anymore. That’s why it’s important to take it indoors if temperatures drop very low. Minimum temperatures for succulents will vary, but in general – approximately 40 Fahrenheit (4 Celsius) is the lowest most can tolerate comfortably.
If you bring your succulent indoors, make sure to keep it on the sunniest windowsill. This will make the transition to spring/summer much easier. Keep away from hot radiators, and water them only once a month or so (to prevent roots from drying completely).
Having said that, you can keep succulents outdoors through the winter if you only get the slight frost of below freezing temperature for a few hours a day. A horticultural cloth like this will protect from heavy rain (against rot) and frost (will provide around 5-10 F protection).
Unfortunately, most beginner keepers that keep their succulents in the dark area in winter move them to sunny conditions suddenly, when spring comes, and cause sunburns in their plants.
If your succulent is more resistant to cold or if temperatures don’t drop too low, you can keep it outdoors. However, make sure to water your succulent less (or don’t water at all if it’s cold) in winter if kept outdoors. That’s because less water in your succulent will prevent it from freezing and minimize freezing risk.
A succulent that is freezing or freezes fully will be droopy – both leaves and stem will become droopy. It can also develop brown spots on leaves and even root rot if the soil is wet.
If you keep your succulents indoors, don’t shut them behind curtains when it’s cold, especially at night. Cold draught is a serious threat to a succulent’s health.
Reason 2: Overwatering
If you overwater a succulent, it will become droopy, can also become squishy and start rotting. Leaves might become discolored and soft, and start falling out easily.
Also, if you seriously overwater your succulent, the bottom part of the succulent will turn black/brown. In this case, it might be impossible to save the plant. Cutting off the rotting parts of the plant will be required.
Make sure to only water your succulents when the soil is completely dry. There is no specific watering timetable for succulents, but once in 2 weeks is common. Pots with succulents must have drainage holes and a saucer, which you should empty to prevent waterlogged soil.
Reason 3: Underwatering
Droopy leaves can also be caused by underwatering. If you underwater your succulent, it is going to start shriveling instead. Leaves are going to slowly become less plump. If leaves are especially thin, they will turn crispy and start falling off much quicker.
Reason 4: Too much light or heat
While succulents are adapted to bearing high temperatures and dry conditions, they can still get sunburn.
One of the main mistakes is keeping your succulents in low light conditions in winter, and then suddenly introducing them to lots of sunlight. The same can happen if you buy a new plant that is used to different conditions.
If you have kept your succulent in low light conditions in winter (especially if you have colder winters), make sure to introduce your succulent to light gradually.
To do this, you can hang a shade cloth like this or similar in front of the plants to protect them from very bright light. Start removing the cloth gradually over a week or so.
Too much heat can lead to quick drying of the soil, further contributing to underwatering. Make sure to keep your succulents away from hot radiators in winter (if you keep them indoors), and provide them with a dormancy period.
Temperatures of around 86 F (30 Celsius) and over can often be stressful for succulents and lead to scorching, corking and sunburn.
Reason 5: Lack of light
Lack of sunlight is the more common cause of drooping succulents, rather than too much sunlight. Too much sunlight often causes scorching, burns and corking. While due to lack of light, most succulents become etiolated, and start thinning to reach for light.
Succulents love light, and most prefer bright indirect sun to grow beautifully. Due to lack of sunlight, succulents start opening up to receive some light. Over time, a succulent’s leaves will start thinning and plant will become droopy.
Most succulents require around 6 hours of indirect sunlight per day during the growth season. But however, some succulents need a partial shade. If growing indoors, you will often need to put succulents on the brightest windowsill.
If you don’t get much sunlight during the summer period, you can use LED or fluorescent lights with growth spectrum for your succulents like this. A 60 watt bulb, on for around 12-14 hours a day is often sufficient. Place around 1-1.5 feet away from succulents. A grow light with a timer is an advantage.
Reason 6: Pests and diseases
Pests and diseases can also lead to droopy succulents leaves and branches. Some pests and diseases might start as a result of care mistakes or unsuitable growing conditions. With time, you will gain experience that will help avoid such problems.
It’s always best to detect any pests/diseases on your succulent early and fix the issue before it comes fatal for the plant. The most common bugs or pests on succulents are: mealybugs, fungus gnats, vine weevils, spider mites and scale insects.
Mealybugs will look like a white cottony substance on your succulents and on the roots. Spider mites will be small red bugs crawling on your succulent. Vine weevils are black bugs resembling beetles, whose grubs feed on succulents.
Make sure to examine your succulents once in a few weeks. You can also take it out of its pots and examine roots when the soil is dry. Check for any fungus, spots, mold, scabs and more.
Aphids are small green, yellow and sometimes dark bugs, very small in size, that feed on succulent juices and suck out nutrients. Their eggs are quite resistant to cold and warm conditions, so they can continue damaging a plant in different circumstances. Aphid and other bug infestations will lead to succulent deformities and drooping.
You can read more on succulent diseases and pests here.
Reason 7: Sudden temperature changes
Succulents don’t like sudden temperature changes. Moving succulents to a spot where it’s significantly colder or hotter will make the plant droop and wilt.
Avoid keeping your succulents on windowsill where drought is present, or near strong fans/air conditioning. Also avoid placing near heaters and radiators. Don’t move succulents in bud.
Reason 8: Overfeeding
While fertilizing succulents is beneficial and helps them grow and bloom better, it must not be overdone. Fertilizing succulents once a month or so during the growth season is often sufficient. Please make sure to read instructions on your fertilizer.
If you have overfed your succulent, it will start growing much faster. Unfortunately, rapid growth might mean that your succulent will produce soft tissues that are susceptible to diseases and are generally weak. So, over-fertilization can cause drooping succulents.
Make sure to only use fertilizers for succulents, such as this one. Fertilizers for succulents should generally be lower in nitrogen, and balanced in phosphorus and potassium (such as 2-8-8 or 2-7-7). Make sure to read feeding requirements of your specific succulent plant.
Succulent drooping after repotting?
If your succulent is drooping after repotting, you might have made mistakes during repotting, or it might generally be recovering. Repotting causes ‘shock’ in plants, including succulents, and they need time to recover.
For example, you should not water your succulent for a week before and two weeks after repotting. This might make them serious droopy and cause wilting. Only repot before the start of growth season (beginning of March).
When repotting, you should be careful with pruning roots. You should only gently tease the rootball when repotting, and cut brown or old roots.
However, if you cut too many roots, your plant might lose its ability to function and start wilting. In general, most succulents benefit from the root pruning and recover successfully.
What is more, make sure to be careful with succulent leaves and how you generally hold your succulent when repotting. Some succulents are very fragile, and can endure damage when you squeeze them a little too hard. Some might easily love leaves when you repot. However, don’t be afraid to pull and cut old and shriveled leaves and stems.
Always use disinfected scissors or pruning shears when pruning and cutting succulents. Otherwise, you might cause diseases and pests to enter your succulent from stems, roots and leaves.
All of this can cause drooping succulents, so always make sure to examine your succulents for other symptoms.
Thank you for reading this post on why succulents are drooping or wilting! If you would like to learn more about succulent and cacti care, please see this page.