2y ago

Can someone please help me identify this plant?

I received this plant as a gift from my job a few years ago with no additional information. I was only watering it once a week since I thought it was a succulent and that succulents did not need much water; but I recently learned succulents do like water and I'm not sure if this is a succulent anyways.

Can anyone help me identify this plant and the correct care for it? (I apologize if this is a very obvious situation to most.)

12 comments

That's a sedum. It can have water but it needs very good drainage. I can hardly see your pot or soil well but you need a pot with holes in the bottom, and plenty of rocks/grit/sand/ in it. Don't water it if the soil is wet, and don't worry if it goes a while without water. The leaves will get wrinkly if it's thirsty and it can survive like that for a while
- It also needs a lot more light. Stick it in the sunniest spot you have - mine live on my south facing windowsill all year round and that’s just about enough for it (I live in the UK). Mine are potted in lechuza pon which looks a lot like gravel. At the height of summer I water them every 2 weeks max. In winter I water them every month-6 weeks. They’re hardy things. You’re far more likely to kill it by overwatering than under.
  
  That's great to know. I repotted it recently, so it does have a good drainage hole, but I'm using potting soil. I'll have to get something else next time I go to the store.
  I'll definitely be mindful to water it every 1-2 weeks.
  The funny thing (regarding the planter size) is when I repotted it, I didn't really see any roots...
I agree with @NataliePortland that it's a sedum (though some I'm familiar with are classified in Hylotelephium). Their suggestions for the potting mix are solid too. I think the pot looks a little on the small side, from what I can see, and would suggest sizing up a bit if you're able.
@SomeoneElse makes a good point about the amount of sun it's receiving as well. I've seen some sedums look like this from a lack of nitrogen, or from chlorosis - if your plant is already in a sunny spot this may be an avenue to explore to green it up some.
- I think it could be lack of sun, but unfortunately it's I'm the sunniest place I can put it for now.
  Would you recommend putting used coffee grounds in the soil? I've heard it helps with nitrogen, but I'm not exactly an expert.
  
  I've had poor results adding coffee grounds straight to potted plants, and find it better as an addition to compost piles. There's research to suggest that caffeine is a root inhibitor, though I haven't dug too deeply into that. One friend of ours will re-brew spent grounds and use that water, though, for an anecdotal counter to me.
  For solid plant nutrition (as in a well rounded cocktail of nutrients) it's hard to beat urea, though it's best when diluted to prevent salt buildup (this is doubly important for houseplants, for additional reasons). Others that are easy to source include things like kelp meal, blood meal, or pelletized manures. I'm not personally a fan of the stuff but something like osmocote would work as well. Smaller nurseries or landscaping outfits around you may have a supply you could purchase some of if that's your speed.
I also agree it looks like some kind of sedum (in a bit of a sad state), but just wanted to add that sedum is known commonly as stonecrop in some places. In case you're looking around in a garden store or something, they may be called stonecrop there.
https://identify.plantnet.org/ might be able to help, or at least give you some candidates to carefully inspect and rule out!

12 comments