BCSS - Forum

Hello, I'm not sure if I have posted this in the right forum but it seemed the most appropriate place.

I have a 5 year old wax agave. When I bought it, it was about 3 inches wide. It grew massive, super healthy, to about 5 inches wide and I repotted it about 2 years ago, which it handled fine.

Recently, one of my rabbits got to it and chewed about 7 or 8 leaves. The Agave then dropped about 3/4 of its leaves and reduced back down to a diameter of 2.75 inches roughly (pictures attached). With it dropping it's leaves, which were soft and squishy, it has been left with a bare stalk and tough leaves (I know the stiff leaves are a good sign, so I'm hoping the plant will be okay). I have taken it out of the bigger pot to repot into it's original, smaller pot with a cactus soil I bought and some sand to mix through.

Does anyone have any advice for saving/helping this plant? The stalk is now really long with roots at the bottom and it just doesn't look healthy.

I hope this is okay to post. I feel really guilty about the state of this plant, and I'm pretty attached to it having had it for so long. It was doing so well until recently.

Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated.

P.S Don't worry about the water in the glass. I'm in the middle of repotting.

It is an Echeveria agavoides cultivar and looks in rude health to me, so don't worry about it. Pot in good new compost and it will grow nice fresh leaves. When the stalk gets too long, it can be decapitated and the top bit rerooted, the bottom bit might then throw some offsets for you. However, I think the stem needs to be much longer before considering surgery.

Terry S. wrote: ↑Tue Jul 09, 2019 2:03 pm It is an Echeveria agavoides cultivar and looks in rude health to me, so don't worry about it. Pot in good new compost and it will grow nice fresh leaves. When the stalk gets too long, it can be decapitated and the top bit rerooted, the bottom bit might then throw some offsets for you. However, I think the stem needs to be much longer before considering surgery.

I agree with Terry - and it definitely is not dying.

I also agree with Terry and Rod, but I am a bit concerned about what your pot, which seems to be glass and might not have drainage holes. If that's so, then this is not a good idea. Echeverias and all succulent plants need good drainage, so suggest you use one with holes. Also you mention using sand, which is OK as long as it is horticultural sand, not builders' sand.
Don't worry about asking questions, we all had to start sometime!

juster wrote: ↑Tue Jul 09, 2019 4:25 pm I also agree with Terry and Rod, but I am a bit concerned about what your pot, which seems to be glass and might not have drainage holes. If that's so, then this is not a good idea. Echeverias and all succulent plants need good drainage, so suggest you use one with holes. Also you mention using sand, which is OK as long as it is horticultural sand, not builders' sand.
Don't worry about asking questions, we all had to start sometime!

Don't worry! The glass isn't the pot. I was just using it to clean off the roots. The plant actually lives in a shallow-ish ceramic pot

jesari1701 wrote: ↑Tue Jul 09, 2019 4:50 pm

juster wrote: ↑Tue Jul 09, 2019 4:25 pm I also agree with Terry and Rod, but I am a bit concerned about what your pot, which seems to be glass and might not have drainage holes. If that's so, then this is not a good idea. Echeverias and all succulent plants need good drainage, so suggest you use one with holes. Also you mention using sand, which is OK as long as it is horticultural sand, not builders' sand.
Don't worry about asking questions, we all had to start sometime!

Don't worry! The glass isn't the pot. I was just using it to clean off the roots. The plant actually lives in a shallow-ish ceramic pot

Thank you everyone for your help

I was seriously worried. I have never had a plant drop so many leaves in such a short space of times.

I'm pleased it is in good health! It used to be a really bright green so the change in colour to a darker green with the pink worried me a little.

The picture attached it how it looked before my bunnies got a hold of it.

Your echeveria is now more the colour it should be. The earlier photo shows a plant that is not getting quite as much light as it really needs. This is indicated by the bright green colour and raised centre.

Looks good, how I wish there was cure for over watering them. :roll

With time I'm sure you'll get some good stem growth.

Wayne

WayneM wrote: ↑Wed Jul 10, 2019 1:27 pm Looks good, how I wish there was cure for over watering them. :roll

With time I'm sure you'll get some good stem growth.

Wayne

Is my Echeveria over-watered?