Black Spots On My Starfish Succulent

Question

Hi, I’ve had this starfish succulent for a year now and it has always been outside under a gazebo that gets the morning and early afternoon sun. I coveted it together with my other plants during winter when the temperature goes below 40 degrees F. Because I want them to have some rain I placed it in the open and now has some black spots on some of its leaves. Is it over watered? The soil is slightly moist but not drenched. What’s causing the black spots? Im moving it back under the gazebo now but want to know how to better care for it and how to make it bloom, please. Thank you.

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Answer 1

It could be stem rot. The article below should help. I read the plant should not go below 50 degrees F. You are in USDA zone 9 and I see some sources that say carrion plant/starfish flower is only hardy in zones 10 and 11. It depends on the species whether it needs dry or moist soil. Since yours is getting too much water, you may have the kind that should dry out well between waterings. The soil should be very well draining.

You may have an insect problem, too, where you see those white spots. Try spraying those areas with Neem oil. These articles should help:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/scgen/stem-rot-of-cactus.htm

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/cacti-succulents/starfish-flower/growing-starfish-flowers.htm

https://cales.arizona.edu/yavapai/anr/hort/byg/archive/stapelia.html

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/stapelia-hirsuta/