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I bought a Curio Mount Everest from Lidl 1 week back. Since I am in northern Germany, it does not get much sunlight or sun in winter. So, I am watering it only when it is totally dry and I am also keeping it under a growth lamp for 12 hours.

Still, after 2 weeks I am seeing that lower leaves are drying out and when I touch the leaves, it looks like some white powdery substance comes out and also the leaf color changes to green.

Any suggestions on how can I take care of it?

Here are the images of the plant:

Here is the plant

The leaves which upon rubbing lightly turned complete green

Srijani Ghosh
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  • Avoid touching the leaves, Curio are covered in a light film that acts are a sunblock during the summer. When you touch the leaves you remove protection permanently it does not grow back. It will not be a problem in Germany, but in it's native range it would burn without this protection. They also look there best when they have it intact. – GardenGems Jan 14 '20 at 22:15

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You're probably not watering enough - some of the lower leaves have lost their fleshiness and look a bit shrivelled. Water when the surface of the soil feels dry to the touch - water thoroughly, then empty the outer pot after 30 minutes, and again if more collects there. Then wait and follow the same procedure. Allowing all the soil to dry out completely is not necessary.

The change in colour may be due to lack of direct sunlight or underwatering - although these plants are drought resistant when planted outdoors, when first planted, they need watering. The only reason they become so drought resistant is because they can put out longer roots where they like. This is not the case when it is contained in a pot, it's entirely reliant on you for water, though that does not mean you should over water it. Further info https://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-blue-chalk-stick-succulent-68475.html

Bamboo
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