Hey, I bought a batch of small succulents from Carrefour a few months ago and put them in a corner of my kitchen near the sink. They're starting to get soft and the leaves are falling off. I think it's because I'm watering them too often, like twice a week. Is there a way to save them or are they done for?
Stop watering twice a week - that's basically killing your succulents. Let them dry out completely between waterings, like once a month max, and keep them away from the sink. Ambient humidity is what's destroying these plants. For the ones that are already rotting, cut off the soft parts with something clean, let the cuttings dry for two or three days, then replant them in really well-draining soil (add sand or perlite if you can). They'll probably bounce back as long as the rot hasn't hit the roots.
The problem isn't just watering, it's the combination of watering plus the ambient humidity in your kitchen that's killing your succulents. Twice a week is way too much, but what's really making things worse is that near a sink you've got constant humidity - the plants aren't transpiring fast enough to dry out, so the roots stay wet and that creates perfect conditions for rot. I had the same issue at my place: I put some small succulents on a kitchen shelf, and even without watering them much, they were getting mushy because the room itself was too humid.
The thing is, at this stage, if the leaves are already dropping and the stems are soft, you need to act fast. Get the plants out of the kitchen immediately and put them somewhere dry - ideally a windowsill in your living room or bedroom with lots of light but not humid. Stop watering them completely for a good while, even if it feels counterintuitive. Succulents store water in their tissues so they can go a long time without drinking.
If the rot's really taken hold, you can try saving them: take them out of their pots, let the roots air dry for a few days somewhere dry, then replant them in a really well-draining soil mix (cactus soil plus perlite for example). Once they're established, water very sparingly - like once every two or three weeks in summer, even less in winter. Watering is just when the soil is completely dry.
It's the kitchen humidity that's killing them way more than you think - the area near the sink is a trap! I had exactly the same situation, my succulents were slowly rotting in a corner of the counter, and as soon as I moved them to the living room away from any water vapor, they started to recover. So you really need to get them out of there as a priority, put them somewhere dry even if it's less convenient, and stop watering regularly - your plants need you to basically forget about them, like once a month when the soil is completely dry!
For the ones that are already soft, try repotting them in well-draining soil with lots of perlite or coarse sand, removing the parts that are really rotted, but honestly if the stems are getting soft all over it's harder to save. The leaves that fall off can potentially generate new plants if you let them dry for a few days then place them on dry soil - it's not guaranteed but it's worth a shot!
To save your plants it's simple: put them somewhere dry and bright away from the kitchen, like near a window without drafts! sink humidity is really enemy number one, even more than frequent watering. What nobody mentioned is that you can also repot right away in a terracotta pot (it's porous and breathes better) with cactus or succulent soil mixed with perlite or coarse sand to drain super fast - that gives your rotting leaves a second chance.
Log into answer.
