Nature and Gardening

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All things green, outdoors, and nature-y. Whether it's animals in their natural habitat, hiking trails and mountains, or planting a little garden for yourself (and everything in between), you can talk about it here.

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One year timelapse... Brought my plant back to life 🌱 (beehaw.org)

submitted 1 year ago by eclipse to c/greenspace

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Originally, the succulent was the size of my palm. It had been doing great, but after leaving for a few days I came back to find it completely dried out except for the tip which still had a bit of green.

I can't stand when any of my plants die, I feel like I have failed them ☹️. So I took the tip, removed all the dried leaves and placed it in a new pot. The stem was dead too and the plant had zero roots in the middle of summer. I had to spray it with water constantly and be extremely careful until it rehydrated and grew some roots. Took a long time, but I'm glad it's healthy now!

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[–] eclipse 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Anybody else really sensitive about their plants dying? I know they're not sentient, but still...

[–] Plus_a_Grain_of_Salt 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yes, mostly when it's in a pot in my house. Outside plants are at the mercy of the world, plants inside are at the mercy of me. If it dies in here, its dying under my care and protection. If it dies out there, it faced the elements and lost in spite of my efforts.

[–] eclipse 5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I like your reasoning. This was absolutely my fault though, since I left it outside in 40°C degree weather (+100°F for Americans) knowing I wouldn't come back in a few days. I thought it would fare well since it's supposed to be a desert plant and I'd read they don't need to be watered each day. Screw that, from then on I water my succulents everyday in the summer, the weather here is brutal 😭

[–] Plus_a_Grain_of_Salt 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Dang man I'd feel bad too in those conditions lol. It's only when I'm not sure what caused it that I absolve myself, or bunnies, can't stop the bunnies.

[–] eclipse 2 points 1 year ago

I'm lucky my plants never get sick from any disease / pests nor do bunnies feed on them. If they die, it's most likely from my incompetence. We do get the occasional hail storm tho

[–] sean@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So satisfying to bring a plant back from the dead! Congratulations! The color is really pretty in the newest picture. Does it normally change color throughout the year or is the color change a reaction to the stress?

[–] eclipse 1 points 1 year ago

I believe the color change is due to farina. It's a powdery, waxy substance that coats the leaves of succulents:

Farina is responsible for the soft, pastel colors that many succulents are known for.

It serves to protect the plant against external agents like the sun, and it's good indicator of the plant's health.

In the linked article, they actually mention that once farina is removed, it's unlikely to grow back. So I'm glad my plant did eventually get it back! Although I'll admit the green color in the second picture was really pretty too.

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