purpleinopp said:A west window is as much natural light as possible through a window.

That is not necessarily true (an east window gets exactly the same exposure) and especially during the early winter, when a southerly-facing window will get far more light than a window facing any other direction. (Here in the Northern hemisphere, the difference depending on the latitude.) My preferred windowsill faces SW.

In any case I would recommend watching carefully where the sunlight actually hits inside your house over the course of the day, rather than assuming a particular direction is best. In many cases the orientation is less important than what kind of trees, structures, or other obstacles outside may be blocking the flow of light.

In my experience with these plants you basically cannot provide too much sun indoors, given good air flow and moderate temperatures. Seek out the window with the most light, and put the plant right next to that window.

The issue relating to the health of the plant may have to do with the small unglazed clay container, which dries out extremely fast because the water can exit through the sides as well as the top. Be careful when using these containers with succulents because you may have to water them more often, especially in any kind of sun. They are useful in very hot places (like the desert) because the evaporation cools the pot, and in very wet places (like Florida) because they mitigate problems with rot. Once you learn the rhythm, they can work just fine anywhere. But otherwise I would recommend a regular plastic pot or a glazed pot instead. If you like the clay look you can nestle a smaller pot inside and achieve the same effect.

Baja_Costero said:

That is not necessarily true (an east window gets exactly the same exposure) and especially during the early winter, when a southerly-facing window will get far more light than a window facing any other direction. (Here in the Northern hemisphere, the difference depending on the latitude.) My preferred windowsill faces SW.

In any case I would recommend watching carefully where the sunlight actually hits inside your house over the course of the day, rather than assuming a particular direction is best. In many cases the orientation is less important than what kind of trees, structures, or other obstacles outside may be blocking the flow of light.

In my experience with these plants you basically cannot provide too much sun indoors, given good air flow and moderate temperatures. Seek out the window with the most light, and put the plant right next to that window.

The issue relating to the health of the plant may have to do with the small unglazed clay container, which dries out extremely fast because the water can exit through the sides as well as the top. Be careful when using these containers with succulents because you may have to water them more often, especially in any kind of sun. They are useful in very hot places (like the desert) because the evaporation cools the pot, and in very wet places (like Florida) because they mitigate problems with rot. Once you learn the rhythm, they can work just fine anywhere. But otherwise I would recommend a regular plastic pot or a glazed pot instead. If you like the clay look you can nestle a smaller pot inside and achieve the same effect.

Thanks for your comprehensive reply. I leave it next to the sunniest window I have. Another west-facing window I have has a tree in front of it, blocking sun. So yes, it's very important to consider environmental conditions, and often saying "put your plant in this direction" may not be the best place.

Before I re-pot the plant, I notice that the stem is turning black. The soil doesn't appear to be drenched either, so could it be some sort of disease that is destroying the plant from the inside out?

The stem should not be turning black. Is it soft? Is there damage that you can see on the outside? Inspect carefully so you know if you have to take action.

This could be a sign of rot which you can basically only solve through surgery (remove the black rotten parts and/or try to restart the healthy rosette that's left). Usually when you cut through the stem with a sharp knife (if this is necessary) you can see very clearly the line between healthy tissue and diseased tissue. Try to rinse off the blade in water and/or wipe it clean with alcohol between cuts, so that you don't spread the organisms that cause the problem.

Baja_Costero said:The stem should not be turning black. Is it soft? Is there damage that you can see on the outside? Inspect carefully so you know if you have to take action.

This could be a sign of rot which you can basically only solve through surgery (remove the black rotten parts and/or try to restart the healthy rosette that's left). Usually when you cut through the stem with a sharp knife (if this is necessary) you can see very clearly the line between healthy tissue and diseased tissue. Try to rinse off the blade in water and/or wipe it clean with alcohol between cuts, so that you don't spread the organisms that cause the problem.

The stem is softer than the healthy part. The stem is rotting from the bottom-up and very dark black around the stems. Maybe I have to cut off the top part, but I can't remember what to do with it.

You can certainly behead the plant if the top part is still healthy. Use a sharp knife and be sure to leave a reasonable margin above the rotten part when you cut. If the terminal rosette is healthy at the stem level then it should be able to make it through.

Allow the cutting to heal for a few days out of the sun, then pot it up with a half an inch of stem below the rosette ideally poking into the soil. Use a nice fast draining mix with maybe half rock (pumice, perlite or equivalent). Don't water for a week or more. Then resume normal care (watering when the soil is dry or almost dry) and provide strong light. You will need to be patient. When the cutting grows roots there will be a visible change on top as it rejuvenates and begins to sprout new leaves. At that point you know you are out of the woods. I would guess you have less than even odds for recovery but I love to prove these sorts of predictions wrong.

Baja_Costero said:You can certainly behead the plant if the top part is still healthy. Use a sharp knife and be sure to leave a reasonable margin above the rotten part when you cut. If the terminal rosette is healthy at the stem level then it should be able to make it through.

Allow the cutting to heal for a few days out of the sun, then pot it up with a half an inch of stem below the rosette ideally poking into the soil. Use a nice fast draining mix with maybe half rock (pumice, perlite or equivalent). Don't water for a week or more. Then resume normal care (watering when the soil is dry or almost dry) and provide strong light. You will need to be patient. When the cutting grows roots there will be a visible change on top as it rejuvenates and begins to sprout new leaves. At that point you know you are out of the woods. I would guess you have less than even odds for recovery but I love to prove these sorts of predictions wrong.

I don't have any soil like that right now. Is it a bad idea to reuse the soil from the container?

I wouldn't.

I've sent the plant to the guillotine. The stem is rotting from the inside as shown in the photo. How many days should I let the top part dry up before I put it in soil?

It doesn't really matter, a few days. You want the open wound to heal a bit. The main thing is not to water for a week or more.

Baja_Costero said:It doesn't really matter, a few days. You want the open wound to heal a bit. The main thing is not to water for a week or more.

I notice the infection is growing back in the top I cut off. It started from where one of the leaves fell off. Is it possible just to use a leaf?

I had one of these and it HATED me, so I whacked off the top and am growing it again, and it's doing great! Maybe you should give it a try?

bwv998 said:I notice the infection is growing back in the top I cut off. It started from where one of the leaves fell off. Is it possible just to use a leaf?

Yes you can try growing from a leaf. Put the leaf on top of the soil and water like normal. If all goes well, roots and a new rosette will sprout from the base of the leaf.

You need to cut all the rotten parts away from the top to have any hope of rooting it... try cutting it back so that there is only healthy tissue.

Baja_Costero said:

Yes you can try growing from a leaf. Put the leaf on top of the soil and water like normal. If all goes well, roots and a new rosette will sprout from the base of the leaf.

You need to cut all the rotten parts away from the top to have any hope of rooting it... try cutting it back so that there is only healthy tissue.

Rotting too much. Will have to use the leaves. Do I put them in to the soil right away, and what direction do I put them in?

Put the leaves on top of the soil, not into the soil. The orientation does not matter as long as some part of the base is touching the soil. The roots will find their way down from there and anchor the leaves.

Baja_Costero said:Put the leaves on top of the soil, not into the soil. The orientation does not matter as long as some part of the base is touching the soil. The roots will find their way down from there and anchor the leaves.

Thanks! Do I need to water them?

Water well when the soil goes dry. When the baby plants are very young you don't want the soil going bone dry for too long.

Baja_Costero said:Water well when the soil goes dry. When the baby plants are very young you don't want the soil going bone dry for too long.

Soil is dry now. I put the leaves on the soil today. So, I should water them right?

bwv998 said:Soil is dry now. I put the leaves on the soil today. So, I should water them right?

Sure. Within a few days. It doesn't matter. You might water once a week in good light. Everybody has their own rituals with these things, and some people might like to mist or water lightly, more often to favor the development of new roots, but I treat my leaf propagations like stem propagations. Which is to say watering them carefully until the soil is saturated, then allowing the soil to go dry or almost dry before repeating. Leaf propagations are not as reliable as offsets, and there is a certain failure rate involved (different depending on the plant) that I have come to accept and expect.

Baja_Costero said:

Sure. Within a few days. It doesn't matter. You might water once a week in good light. Everybody has their own rituals with these things, and some people might like to mist or water lightly, more often to favor the development of new roots, but I treat my leaf propagations like stem propagations. Which is to say watering them carefully until the soil is saturated, then allowing the soil to go dry or almost dry before repeating. Leaf propagations are not as reliable as offsets, and there is a certain failure rate involved (different depending on the plant) that I have come to accept and expect.

@Baja_Costero

All of the leaves except ONE have died. The final one has developed a funny looking point on the actual leaf (opposite of where it grows from the stem). A sign of hope...

I would give up, actually. By all means keep the course to see what your funny looking point does, but the new rosettes sprout from the area of connection with the stem. For the record, leaf propagations are always iffy, especially when the leaf is not "pumped up" to start with. I like to look at it as a good surprise when they actually work.