Succulent leaves turning black can be caused by a variety of reasons such as pests, sunburn, overwatering and frost damage. These causes can all be prevented, but they can also be fixed when action is taken promptly.
Below you will see in detail which of these causes could be the reason for black leaves on a succulent and what you can do about it today.
Overwatering Your Succulent Causing Black Leaves
If you have been caring for succulents for some time then you most certainly know that overwatering is not a good thing to practice.
In fact, overwatering will be one of the most likely causes in a succulent turning black, especially the leaves themselves.
This is because by overwatering or having bad drainage in general, you can cause root rot to occur which will spread from the roots to the leaves.
This can cause the leaves to turn black, feel soft, mushy or just general unhealthy and unsightly looking.
If the leaves of your succulent have turned brown or black combined with being softer than normal then it’s time to have a look at the roots.
When checking the roots, if you see the roots are also black or mushy then you have rot and will have to act quickly to save your succulent.
Solution: Remove all dark mushy roots, keep all firm white roots as these are the healthy ones, rinse the remaining roots that you saved and repot your succulent in some dry fresh soil.
If you’re looking for some good quality well draining soil then I recommend this soil.
You could also try to propagate your succulent when rot occurs but I would say it’s better to go ahead and try to save the original plant if you still have healthy roots remaining under the soil.
Sunburn Causing Black Leaves On Succulent
Next we have sunburn as a common cause for a succulent’s leaves turning black, especially the tips of the leaves.
You may notice that your succulent leaves turn white at first but will eventually turn brown or black once the sun damage gets severe and the tips of the leaves can become crispy.
Unfortunately, once sunburn has occurred, especially once the leaves have turned black, you cannot undo the damage and will have to remove these leaves or just wait for new growth to take over after some time has passed.
The best thing you can do is prevention.
Always keep an eye on your succulents and make sure they are getting the right type of light for your specific type of succulent as some will favor bright indirect light and others may prefer full sun.
Getting this wrong can certainly cause scorching of your succulent and then the damage will already be done.
If you notice any type of discoloration, especially if the succulent has started to turn white, this is usually the beginning phase of sunburn.
You will want to immediately move your succulent indoors or find a spot with some shade if growing outdoors to prevent direct sun from damaging your plant.
That’s really all there is to that.
Frost damage Causing Black Succulent Leaves
Most succulents are not very cold hardy and can only grow well in warmer temperatures, this of course depends on your type of succulent but in general most prefer warm growing conditions.
When temperatures drop below freezing or even close to it, if your succulent is left outdoors it has a good chance to turn black at the very least and will not survive for very long.
Similar to sun damage, the leaves will not return to their normal color until new growth takes over so you will want to remove these leaves from the plant when the damage has been done.
So if you expect a cold front or if winter is just around the corner then I suggest you bring your succulents indoors for the time being to prevent the leaves from turning black and crispy or worse, your succulent dying.
Also keep in mind when growing indoors you will also want to make sure your succulent is not actually touching the window it’s by since even coming into contact with a freezing window can cause the same type of damage.
Just a small not so well known tip I thought I’d throw in here.
Scale bugs Causing Black Leaves
Like a lot of other pests, scale bugs can cover your entire succulent if they get out of hand and they can be dark colored as well making it seem you have black bumps on your succulent.
These scale bugs can cause a ton of damage to your plants by feeding on the plant which will drain the nutrients right out of the leaves and by leaving behind black sooty mold which can affect your succulents ability to grow right.
If you notice black bumps or a lot of black dots on your succulent then you may have a scale bug infestation and will need to isolate this succulent from other plants immediately.
Solution: After isolating your succulent from other plants, use a cotton swab and some rubbing alcohol to remove all of these bugs by hand and then spray the plant with some neem oil at night at least once a week.
Or you could just use the neem oil by itself, especially in the early stages of the infestation since this time is easier to get rid of scales than it is when they have been there for some time and have matured.
I recommend this neem oil spray by the way, just be sure to only use it at night and let it dry before letting your plant back in the sun.
That’s really all there is to it.
Scales and other pests are also a major cause for succulent leaves curling by the way.
Conclusion
So there you have it, the most common reasons why your Succulent leaves are turning black and what you can do about it today!
As always I hope you have found the culprit to this issue so you can get back to growing a healthy succulent for many years to come.
So enjoy the process and happy gardening!