--- title: "I need help. Does this little guy still have a fighting chance? The…" description: "I need help. Does this little guy still have a fighting chance? The app tells me this is a ghost plant. We’ve had it for close to a year and a half. I don’t…" url: "https://getplanta.com/community/vOLjreBcQ-OpqrHIhVSc4w/FspEf9QIFkWLbYdPlAghlS" community: "The Cactus & Succulent Circle" author: "Deetee" published: "2025-07-14T14:07:50.517775Z" language: "en" image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/vYJqs6ZhjMUURAkneyZYt7KdU8hPkN9M4yZeR6IMat4/9JlO6KhmTBSDP2smsgie3g.webp?size=large" --- [Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [The Cactus \& Succulent Circle](https://getplanta.com/community/vOLjreBcQ-OpqrHIhVSc4w.md) # I need help. Does this little guy still have a fighting chance? The… _Posted by Deetee on 2025-07-14_ I need help. Does this little guy still have a fighting chance? The app tells me this is a ghost plant. We’ve had it for close to a year and a half. I don’t really know what to do with it at this point. I’m sure we were overwatering it at some point. Any help is greatly appreciated. ![Attachment 1 of 2](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/vYJqs6ZhjMUURAkneyZYt7KdU8hPkN9M4yZeR6IMat4/9JlO6KhmTBSDP2smsgie3g.webp?size=large) ![Attachment 2 of 2](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/vYJqs6ZhjMUURAkneyZYt7KdU8hPkN9M4yZeR6IMat4/ZRaXJOLqQ0WjGcgihu88og.webp?size=large) ## 14 comments ### LadyTenorJD commented on 2025-07-14 I'd take some of the healthy looking leaves from the top to propogate in case the plant does not survive! Succulents are easy to peopogagr. I have three propagation plates of succulent leaves going right now. First time I'm doing it. I habe one pictured below; that's only a couple of weeks of propagation. If have other plants I propogated when it looked like the mother plant would not survive. I have a tradescantia after I overwatered the mother plant. It died, but my propagation survived and I have a new plant growing well. I have some other props that will soon go into the pot with the thriving plant, and I grew some props and gave to a friend. They all came from the mother plant that I overwatered and killed. ![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/AboacEMzofgMfrznLZzL1c7RSpwY0Jg-cPxrMfXteJ0/Ew8pMIG7QtuQel-5YYRWSQ.webp?size=large) #### Deetee replied on 2025-07-14 Do you just lay them on their side in soil and let them do their thing? You don’t have the worry about burying them into the ground a little? #### Samantha replied on 2025-07-14 I would just lay them on the soil. And don't water them. They'll get all the moisture they need from the leaf until that leaf shrivels and dies. #### Deetee replied on 2025-07-14 Thank you! #### Deetee replied on 2025-07-14 Thanks! I’ll be doing that! ### JenThon🪴🪷 commented on 2025-07-14 You can just cut the top stem off too, about 1.5 below the top bunch, and stick in soil. About an inch down or so. #### Deetee replied on 2025-07-14 Do you think this is the best course of action and gives it the best chance of survival moving forward? #### Phil replied on 2025-07-14 Follow JenThon’s method. I do it all the time. If you had viable lower leaves you could do some leaf props as well, but they don’t look too well. But there are some caveats. Get some, or make some, decent succulent soil and don’t overwater. The soil should be bone dry. You may see some slight wrinkling of the leaves. That’s when you water. And he needs a lot more light. Morning sun would be good. But don’t introduce him to a lot more light till he’s established and well rooted. And maybe do it gradually. Readily available is miracle grow succulent/cactus soil. It’s not good unless you amend it with a lot more grit. Rather than buy soil stuff for one plant, you can usually amend regular houseplant soil with a lot of perlite and gravel or sand. Hope that helps and hopefully you are successful. If not, it’s still a learning and enjoyable experience. One more thing, use a squirt bottle to water your cutting every few days. Just squirt water at the base of the plant. Don’t water the entire pot until it is rooted. Small shallow terracotta pots are best for propping plants in soil. #### Carolinagreenthumb replied on 2025-07-14 I use Miracle Grow Cactus, Palm and Citrus potting mix. It’s pretty coarse, but I have all 34 of my plants in it. From Ivy, spider plant, philodendron, Chinese evergreens, ZZ plants, and snake plants. Just make sure you are on a watering schedule. My ZZ and snake plants only get a little bit a month. I’ve killed a couple of each kind before. 😔 ### JenThon🪴🪷 commented on 2025-07-14 I would think so. #### LadyTenorJD replied on 2025-07-14 I agree! ### LeafyGreenhouse commented on 2025-07-14 Yes I would cut off the top and then propagate it that way ! Where the leafs are still green I have done this before and had been successful! #### LeafyGreenhouse replied on 2025-07-14 Leafs are harder to propagate and take a long time to grow roots ### LadyTenorJD commented on 2025-07-14 I have to water my props as the soil dried out and the mother leaves started to wrinkle from lack of water. I wait until I see wrinkles before watering, and I am careful not to overwater because they are succulents. I didn't set them to propogafe in a pot. Next round I prop, I will, so that I wont have to worry about watering. --- _Source: the Planta community (https://getplanta.com). Reading is open to everyone. To post, comment and like, get the Planta app: https://getplanta.com/download_