How often to water succulents?
The Best Thing You Can Do For Your Plants!

Introduction

Succulents are so forgiving and sweet that they become a part of your family. Therefore, it becomes your duty to give them whatever they need to thrive. It is overwhelming to figure out how often a succulent needs water, but if you garner an understanding about the plant, you will know what is best for it.

Succulents usually need to be watered once every week. This frequency increases or decreases due to factors like humidity, the season and the plant species. If humidity is too high, the plant may need to be watered after 2 weeks. In the growing season, watering frequency is higher than otherwise.

How often do succulents need water?

Succulents usually need water once a week. However, at times it may need water once in a fortnight. During a plant’s growing season the frequency increases but in the dormant season the frequency declines. Humidity is another factor that impacts how often succulents may need to be watered.

Succulents can beautify any space without much ado. If you have succulents in your home, you may want to take care of them. However, it is often unclear how often a plant needs to be watered. These special plants are extremely forgiving as they store water within parts like stems, leaves and roots. They don’t need a lot of water, but they do need some.

One of the silliest mistakes a succulent owner can make is overwatering their succulent. It is easy to make this mistake because of overenthusiasm. These plants originate from areas where water is scarce so they don’t need a lot of it consistently to thrive. It is best for you to be careful unless you want to lose your plant forever.

Warning

The worst thing you can do for your plant is overwater it. Doing so puts the plant at risk for death. If you want to lose your plant, overwater it and see the results yourself.

Before finalizing the watering schedule, here are some things you need to think about:

What are the signs that show your succulent needs water?

Symptoms of a dehydrated succulent include shriveled leaves and ariel roots. Also, check the soil, because if it is too dry, the plant is also low on water and needs more. If you notice any of these signs, it is about time that you hydrate the plant!

Regularly checking your succulents can save them from being underwatered. Don’t overlook these signs whenever you notice them:

1. Shriveled leaves

Like every other plant, succulent leaves begin to wrinkle when they are dehydrated. The brownish color starts to appear on the top of the leaves, and that’s a clear sign you should water your succulent immediately.

Warning

If you ignore the leaves for too long and they are shriveling, you risk losing your plant completely. It is not a good idea to ignore your plant completely as this means the plant will certainly die! Don't ignore it!

2. Dried Soil

When you water other plants, you don’t have to ensure the soil is dry, but when it comes to succulents you do. If the soil is dry, the plant needs more water.

You can check if the soil is ready for more water with a finger test.

Pro-Tip

Finger moisture test

If you don't know whether the soil is dry, you can check the moisture by putting your finger two inches into the soil. If it moist, the plant doesn't need more water.

If you want an even more effective way of checking the soil moisture, I recommend purchasing the soil moisture tester.

3. Aerial roots

When succulents get dehydrated, small aerial antennas originate from their stem and sometimes from their roots to absorb moisture from the air. This is the worst-case scenario. Such aerial roots only form when the plant has been dehydrated for too long, and you need to do something about it!

Warning!

Do not overwater your succulent. An underwatered succulent can be saved, but an overwatered one will probably die.

If you notice these signs in your succulent, you have to start watering it again. Tend it back to health; otherwise, you will lose the plant.

How can climate change affect succulent’s watering schedule?

Like many other plants, most succulents also grow and bloom in the spring season. The produce new leaves and stems in this season and hence need extra energy. Their watering requirement increases, and so you need to water them more often, like once or twice a week.

If the plant is placed outdoors, it is exposed to more sunlight and will lose moisture to evaporation. So outdoor succulents need water more often than those placed indoors.

An experiment conducted on some succulents species shows that by increasing the watering frequency, some succulent’s mortality rate increased while others remained the same. Succulents also performed better in partial shade than when placed in sunlight.

Succulent Pots:

The type of pot you place your succulents in can impact how often you need to water them.

If the pot is too large, it will retain a larger amount of water that the plant can consume. Therefore, the succulent can absorb more water for an extended period from the soil, which helps its growth.

Selecting the right pot is a crucial factor for healthy succulent. It would be best if you chose a pot compatible with your succulent size. An analysis made from 65 studies has proven that big pots help in boosting the growth of succulents. Therefore, a succulent transported into a big pot compatible with its size has better growth.

When to Water Plants?

Now keeping in mind all the factors, you need to set your succulent watering schedule as it’s not quite the same throughout the year. When your succulent grows and produces new leaves in the spring season, you need to water it twice a week. On the other hand, when their growth almost stops in the winter season, you need to water your succulent once or twice during the entire season.

If you’re not a pro, you can check whether the soil is dry with the finger test before watering. It’s better to keep an eye on your succulents to notice the early symptoms of dehydration rather than letting your plant suffer for no reason. Then, all you have to do is water the plant when it is dehydrated.

If you are a beginner and worried about how to care for your succulents. This beginner’s guidebook will surely help you know all about your succulents and maintain them the right way.

Conclusion

The way you water your succulents can differ depending on the succulent type, pot size, climate, and soil dryness. Generally, you water a plant once in a week or two. However, this figure can change depending on the circumstance.

The best way to know whether your plant needs to be watered is by keeping an eye out for signs. If you see shriveled leaves or dry topsoil, it is time for watering the plant again. If you also see aerial roots, be severe and hydrate the plant, or else it can die!

If you’re new to all of this and wish to learn more, I think you should read more about succulents. I recommend this post about the best time to water plants!

Posted in: Watering Tips Gardening Tips Low-Maintenance Plants Beginner Succulents