One fine day I was having a look at all of my succulents and suddenly I noticed one of my cute Bear Paw succulent leaves was falling off. I was terrified by the idea of losing this cute plant and I had no idea what I should do? That’s when I did some research about it and spoke to many expert gardeners. They all indicated a few mistakes that we as a beginner would do while growing up Bear paw succulent.
The reason for Bear Paw leaves falling off is that the plant is being overwatered or it has fungal infections or due to insects. These are the most common reasons that cause this problem and must be taken care of immediately.
Bear Paws (Cotyledon tomentosa) needs more attention as compared to the other plants and is very fragile. It has some special requirements that need to be fulfilled in order to survive. In this article, I will walk you through my own experience of dealing with Bear Paw succulents and taking care of them.
Why do Bear Paw leaves fall off?
As I have mentioned earlier the common problem for falling leaves is overwatering. You should understand one thing that these are desert plants and they do great with less water. If you overwater the succulents then soil holds moisture and roots start to get damp.
Then that is an invitation to the fungus and slowly the infection starts to spread throughout the plant and starts to damage your beautiful succulents. Another reason for leaves falling off is the insects. Insects are the worst nightmare to our plants especially mealybugs.
If you see white cotton-like stuff on your succulents then those are mealybugs. If you want to know more about them visit How to get rid of Mealybugs?
How to prevent Bear Paw leaves from falling off?
Bear Paws are beautiful and very attractive succulents and it’s quite tempting to have one in your garden. But it also needs some special care and attention to avoid them from falling off leaves. Here are a few preventive measures that you should take to help them grow healthy.
1. Overwatering
As you already know that overwatering is very harmful to succulents. It is an invitation to many other problems. Try to give them water once every week or you can try my very own soak and dry method. In this method what you should do is just wait for the soil to get dry before watering. This works like a magic tri it!
2. Avoid Rainwater
Whenever you plan to plant a Bear Paw make sure that you plant indoor or in a pot not outdoors. If you still wish to plant them outdoors make sure that water will not accumulate in its surrounding as that will eventually lead to overwatering.
3. Protect them from direct sunlight
Bear paws do not like the direct sun they love a shade of light and grow beautifully in this atmosphere. It is advised to keep this plant in the greenhouse (the plastic greenhouse is mostly preferred) as that is the type of climate they love and a plastic greenhouse will protect the bear paws from harmful UV rays.
If you cannot afford a greenhouse then there is an alternative to it. Keep the Bear paws in outside and make a cloth shade over it. This is a perfect greenhouse alternative and whenever it rains bring them indoors.
4. Repotting with care
Bear Paws are very fragile it is very important to re-pot them with proper care. Do not touch the leaves to the soil while repotting them as that will make leaves fall off.
How to take care of Bear Paw succulents?
Bear paw needs a little more care and attention compared to the other succulents. They are fragile and comes with the label of “Handle with care”. Many beginners make a mistake by not taking care of the plant properly. Here are a few tips that will be more than enough to care for your Bear paws.
1. Where to plant Bear Paws
Bear paws are the type of succulents that do not love direct sunlight. They do love to get bright exposure but direct sun harms the plant. It is always good to plant them indoors.
If you still wish to plant Bear paws outdoors then choose the type of area where they will get the shade of light, well-drained soil, and where there is no accumulation of rainwater.
2. Keep them safe during Winter
Bear Paws do not like freezing cold they hardly thrive in such a climate. If you live in such a region where it’s always cold and the temperature is below 35°F then keep these Bear Paws indoors.
3. Keep them in a greenhouse
As mentioned earlier in this article greenhouse is the perfect atmosphere for the Bear paws. By keeping them in it your plant will grow very beautiful and healthy.
Greenhouse avoids direct sun exposure to the plant and also harmful UV rays.
4. Fertilize them
Bear Paws are cute little plants and are very attractive so to keep them healthy it is very important to add fertilizer once a month. Fertilizers are essential for any plant’s healthy growth as they provide extra nutrients to it which soil cannot provide.
There is one thing to take note of that do not use fertilizers during winters as the growth slows during the winters. Add fertilizers mainly during fall and spring as it is the growing season for Bear Paws.
Pests are one of the worst enemies to Bear Paws they are slow poison eventually they will eat up the plant. Bear Paws are most likely to get attacked by caterpillars, snails, spider mites.
Mealybugs are very less likely to attract this plant but if you have placed Bear Paws near any other plant that has mealybugs on it then they will definitely attack it.
To avoid pests it is important to check the pant frequently and if you spot pests then consider spraying fungicides to protect these cute Bear Paws.
Potting soil is one of the most important ingredients for the healthy growth of Bear paws. Always have a potting mix that is well-drained and is of good quality also pH of the soil should be around six.
If you want to make your own potting soil using perlite, coco peat, and soil then make sure to visit How to grow succulent from seed?
How often do you water Bear Paw succulent?
These all are succulents and are desert plants they do great with less water. You should water them once or twice a week. You can use the soak and dry method which I personally use for watering my plants.
Water thoroughly so that soil gets wet completely then either wet for the soil to get dry before the second watering schedule or water them once or twice a week. But do not overwater the plant.
Bear Paw succulent leaf propagation?
Bear Paws are capable tp propagate through leaves. For leaf propagation what you should do is to cut the leaves of well-grown Bear Paw. Then let the cuttings heal for a day.
Once you notice that the healing is taking place on the leaves get a pot and potting soil. Potting soil should be of good quality. Now place the cuttings inside a new pot. By following this method you shouldn’t face any problems.
Is Bear Paw Succulent toxic?
Bear Paws are non-toxic succulents and generally are considered safe for pets (cat, bearded dragons) but there have been cases where few pets have suffered a mild reaction after consumption of the plant.
Therefore my personal advice is to “prevention is better than cure”. Keep this plant out of reach from pets.
Final Words on Bear Paw succulent Leaves falling off
Bear Paws are beautiful succulents and it is devasting to see the plant having infections or leaves falling. To avoid these problems make sure to care for the plant and help them grow beautifully. Do proper checkups frequently and if you notice a flaw immediately take action.
Finally, I hope this article was helpful and you have git all the answers you were looking for. If you have any query please make sure to leave a comment below I will get back to you as soon as possible.
