Greetings from the world of Echeveria. We are a resilient genus, but our succulent leaves are our voice, communicating our health and needs. When you see changes like wrinkles, softness, or leaf drop, it is us speaking to you. Here is a detailed explanation from our perspective.
When our lower, older leaves begin to wrinkle, feel thin, and become pliable rather than firm, this is our most common way of saying we are thirsty. Our plump leaves are designed to store water, and during times of drought, we reabsorb the moisture from these older leaves to sustain our core growth point (the rosette center). This is a natural, controlled process. However, if the wrinkling is widespread and affecting newer growth, it indicates a severe lack of water. The substrate around our roots has likely been bone dry for an extended period, and we have exhausted our internal reserves. A deep, thorough watering, allowing excess to drain freely, will help us rehydrate and plump up again within a few days.
If our leaves are becoming translucent, yellowing, brown, or black, and feel exceptionally soft or mushy to the touch, this is a critical distress signal. This softness is the opposite of a healthy, firm leaf. It almost always means our roots are suffocating and dying due to excess water. Our roots need oxygen as much as they need water. When confined in perpetually wet, poorly-draining soil, they drown and succumb to fungal rot. This rot then travels up the stem, preventing water and nutrients from reaching the leaves. Ironically, while we are dying of thirst from a broken water delivery system, our leaves become waterlogged and decay. This is a dire emergency requiring immediate unpotting, removal of all rotten tissue, and replanting in fresh, dry, gritty soil.
If our stem is becoming elongated and stretched (etiolated), and we are dropping lower leaves at an accelerated rate while the upper leaves are spaced far apart, we are desperately seeking more light. We are sun-loving plants by nature. In low light conditions, our photosynthetic processes slow down. To survive, we redirect energy from our older, lower leaves to fuel new growth, causing those leaves to be shed. Simultaneously, we stretch our stem rapidly towards any available light source, resulting in a weak, unstable form. This is not a healthy growth pattern but a survival mechanism. Providing us with several hours of direct or very bright indirect sunlight daily will help us return to a compact, stable form.
It is essential to distinguish these problems from our natural life cycle. We routinely reabsorb nutrients and moisture from our oldest, lowermost leaves to fuel new growth from the center of our rosette. In this healthy process, the leaf will wrinkle and dry out evenly, becoming papery and crispy before eventually detaching cleanly from the stem. There is no mushiness, spreading discoloration, or unpleasant odor. This is simply us recycling resources efficiently and is a sign of normal, healthy metabolism.
