What happened to my Crassula Rupestris? Why there is no leaf at the bottom part?

What happened to my Crassula Rupestris Var.???

One of our customers sent me a similar photo a few weeks ago. It looks horrible. What happened to this succulent? 

Crassula Rupestris Var. belongs to the genus of Crassula. The leaves are in the shape of a triangle, growing opposite to each other and cluster together. It looks like a little star, also named Baby's Necklace or kebab bush. The stem is thick and has a high degree of lignification, which looks like the wood branch. Crassula Rupestris Var. grows in autumn and rests in summer, so it is cold-resistant and can stand in sub-zero low temperature. The main propagation method is using its stem.

What is wrong with the dark branches at the bottom?

It is quite normal when the lower parts of the necklace turn black, especially in the summer time and if it's an old succulent (all of our Korean Succulents). It is very common in the succulent plants of the genus Crassula, such as Crassula Perforata, Crassula Marnieriana Jade Necklace, Crassula Brevifolia, Crassula Volkensii, Crassula Campfire, etc. We called it “Blight”. The reason is quite complicated, one can consider as normal consumption and the other may be caused by bad ventilation, too much water in the soil or the burn on the leaves.

What should we do if my Crassula Rupestris becomes like this?

If we think about the growth habit and climate condition, the main reason should be lignification of stems and sunburn, as Crassula Rupestris grows in the winter time. If we put them under a high temperature without shade, the sun will cause sunburn and dehydration. Leaf consumption can be very fast, and eventually, the leaves will dry out under this environment.

I suggest moving it to a cool, ventilated place, clean up the dried leaves, keep the good ventilation, and do not put them under the sun. Keep the regular watering (do not over-water to recover it!) Even though it looks ugly now, it will be stunning after autumn! If you do not like this “bald” style, you can cut the stems and try stem-propagation when the weather turns cold. Summer is a hard time for some of the succulents. It will grow back in autumn.)

Combined with Crassula Rupestris growth habit and now the climate conditions, the main consideration is lignification stems and sunburn. For Crassula Rupestris in winter, it is resistant to high temperature because there is no shade in time, plus the sun causes sunburn and dehydration. Also, leaf consumption is very fast, so the leaves dry and there is carbonization phenomenon. It is highly advisable to move it to a cool, ventilated place. To conserve, clean up the dead leaves on the branches a little, and restore normal watering. Crassula Rupestris is cutting varieties, if you don't like the following branches bare feeling, you can also prune some branches for cutting reproduction when the weather turns cool, soon after survival can burst the basin.

Crassula Rupestris like a sunny, warm, and dry environment, but also can withstand partial shading. Do not expose it to the sun in the summer time. Keep the soil moisturized in its growing season except for extreme weather, to prevent the roots from turning black. For the mass growing Crassula Rupestris, you can also transplant them in separate pots in spring, which is conducive to reduce nutrient consumption. Also, keep the plants well ventilated, which is also helpful to reduce the situation of blackening of the branches!