I bought an echeveria in March from Ikea and I keep it on the living room windowsill. I water it once every two weeks, but the lower leaves are becoming transparent and soft. I think it's dying, what am I doing wrong?
It's not dying, it's just rotting because you're watering it too much.
Echeveria is a succulent and it stores water in its leaves, so every two weeks is really too frequent - you should only water when the soil is completely dry, maybe once a month or even less in winter.
The transparent, soft leaves are exactly the sign that it has too much moisture, so to save the plant remove the rotted leaves (they come off easily with your fingers), wait at least 3-4 weeks before watering again, and make sure the pot has a drainage hole at the bottom. If you keep it up like this it should bounce back just fine.
The real problem is that the soil isn't drying out enough between waterings! Two weeks is actually too often, but it's not just about frequency - echeveria rots when roots stay wet, not from the water itself. Those transparent, mushy leaves you're seeing are classic root rot, and it means the moisture in the pot isn't evaporating fast enough.
Switch the soil right away to one made for succulents (sand, pumice, perlite mixed well) and make sure the pot has wide drainage holes. When you water, you really need to go all out: soak it thoroughly until water comes out the bottom, then let the plant dry completely before the next time. In summer, with the window and heat, you can easily wait three, four weeks between waterings. Even longer in winter. Stick your finger in the soil - if it's still moist, wait. Echeveria prefers being almost completely dry! Once you've repotted it with the right soil and on this gentler schedule, it should bounce back. If there are a lot of rotting leaves, you can remove them and get them to root again in dry sand - it's easy and quick.
You're watering too much and most importantly, you're not letting the soil dry out between waterings - those translucent, soft leaves are a dead giveaway of root rot.
Try touching the soil deep down before you water: if it's still damp, wait.
A trick that works really well is using very well-draining soil (a mix of sand and potting soil, like 50/50) and a pot with a good-sized drainage hole - there's no point watering less if the water can't drain out anyway. In summer you could easily go three to four weeks between waterings, especially if your window isn't super hot.
What you're seeing is root rot, plain and simple. The transparent, mushy leaves can't be saved, but you can still recover the plant if you act now.
First: take the echeveria out of the pot and check the roots. If they're black or smell bad, cut them away with a clean knife until you reach healthy white tissue. Then let the plant air-dry for a couple of days before repotting it. The soil needs to be really well-draining - not regular all-purpose potting mix, but something specific for succulents with sand or perlite in it. If you can't find that, just add coarse sand to regular soil yourself, roughly 40% of the mix.
From now on, water only when the soil is completely dry, and I mean completely dry. With this plant it's better to underwater than overwater - lots of people water it once a month and that's it. Your living room window is fine if it gets at least a couple of hours of direct sun, but if it's shadier the plant grows slower and uses even less water. While you're waiting for it to bounce back, don't touch the leaves or move it around every other day - just leave it alone.
Transparent and soft leaves on a succulent are always a red flag that rot has already started, unfortunately. I myself nearly killed a houseleek last year because I didn't realize that on my kitchen windowsill - where I kept it - the soil stayed damp much longer than usual because of the moisture rising from the sink. I watered it about every ten days and after two months the plant was in that condition: soft leaves, base that reeked of rot.
What you need to do now is take everything out of the soil and check the roots, which should be white and firm. If they're black, soft, or smell like rot, cut that part off with a clean knife and clean up the plant. Then let it dry completely for at least a week in the open air before putting it in fresh soil - and this is important: it has to be specific for succulents, not regular potting soil, because it drains much better. The pot needs to have a drainage hole, otherwise forget everything I'm saying because it won't help.
As for watering, with echeveria indoors the best method is to wait until the soil is completely dry (like, touch it with your finger, if it's still damp wait more). In summer maybe every three weeks, in winter even once a month is normal. It's counterintuitive compared to what we do with regular plants, but these things store water inside and don't need it often. If the window is in full sun - which I suspect since you keep it in the living room - it helps everything dry faster, so that's good for you.
I had the same problem with succulents on my balcony until I figured something out: the potting soil from Ikea for succulents is often way too compact and holds water like a sponge, so it's better to repot with a mix of universal soil + coarse sand or perlite to improve drainage.
Then water only when the soil is completely dry (I stick my finger in it, and if nothing sticks to it, then it's good), maybe every three weeks or even less in summer.
Everyone's right about the rot, but before you pull the plant out of the pot I'd suggest checking the soil first: if it still feels wet after two weeks, you've got a double problem - you're watering way too often AND using soil that's too dense and doesn't drain. Echeveria need succulent soil (sandy, very well-draining) and you have to wait for it to dry out completely before watering again, like once a month or even less in summer if your window faces north.
Save what you can by detaching the healthy leaves from the soft ones and letting them dry on paper for a few days - they'll root on their own that way.
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