My stapelia was in healthy condition for a long time. I thought of repotting it many times as I suspected the drainage holes were blocked somehow. But I was busy with my other plants and did not give much attention to this lovely plant. A month ago, the bottom part of the stapelia started turning yellow.
Note: If you notice the tip or top part of your succulent stapelia turning yellow, it's due to nutrient deficiency. If the bottom part of the stapelia (from just above the soil) turns yellow, it's because of overwatering or water sitting in the soil for a long time.
In my case, it was due to watering in cooler months.
What to do if the tips of the stapelia turning yellow?
I already said the top portion of stapelia yellowing indicates that there is a lack of nutrients in the soil.
So what to do? Apply any balanced, diluted succulent fertilizer to the soil. Do not overfeed it. Begin feeding your Stapelia with a small amount of fertilizer. Then increase it in the next month. You should notice improvements within 20 days.
If the plant is less exposed to light, place it near a window where it can get a good amount of natural light.
You must know stapelia is drought-tolerant. But do not leave the soil dry for a long time. Water a bit and wait for the improvement. ( Listen carefully, do not water if the bottom part of the stapelia is yellowing)
Avoid giving your plant sudden stress like exposing it to too much cold or too much warm.
How to cure if the bottom part of the stapelia is turning yellow?
Overwatering or waterlogging can be the major reason for this. You can easily tell the reason as stapelia will start to turn yellow just from the next day or watering. Stapelia is too much sensitive to overwatering. Too much watering can kill your plant in a few days. The plant will look like this:
You can touch the bottom part of your plant. You can feel the stem of your stapelia starts to rot. If you try to pull or remove the plant from the ground, it will break off easily.
Your plant can survive for a long time without water but can't survive if overwatered.
To be honest, there is no remedy to save your plant if stem rot starts.
What to do when stem rot already started
Choose a healthy stem from your stapelia. You can take out any healthy stem that is still fresh and green.
Now, you can plant it in the cactus soil mix. Water sparingly and you will get a new plant. To be on the safe side, avoid taking any yellow part for the propagation.
