How to Water Succulents

Succulents are a type of plant that retains water in arid or dry conditions. They’re a popular choice of indoor plant because they’re exceptionally easy to take care of and require a small amount of effort when compared to other popular plants. To water a succulent, first check to see if it really needs water by checking to see if the soil is dry or the leaves are softening up. If it does need water, give it enough water to soak the soil without allowing puddles to form on the surface of the dirt. Remember, it’s always better to underwater a succulent than to overwater it, so be conservative when it comes to the amount of water you give your plants.

[Edit]Steps

[Edit]Determining If Succulents Need Water

1. Feel the soil near the base of the plant to see if it’s moist. Overwatering your succulent is more dangerous for the health of the plant than underwatering, so you need to really make sure your plant needs water before soaking it. Start by putting your finger into the soil near the base of the plant. If the soil is totally dry, it may need more water. If it’s even partially moist, you don’t need to water your plant.^[1]
   
2. Squeeze a leaf on your succulent to see if it’s firm. Succulents store their water in the leaves, so you can determine whether a succulent needs water or not based on the thickness and elasticity of the leaves. Gently put your fingers on the tip of a leaf near the top of your plant and give it a soft squeeze. If it feels mostly firm, you’re good. If the leaf feels soft or mushy though, the plant likely needs more water.^[2]
   
   • If you notice discoloration alongside soft and mushy leaves, it is likely very dehydrated and on the verge of dying.
   • If the leaves are shriveling or getting wrinkly, the plant is probably entirely out of water. Give it some water immediately to try and bring it back.
   • Look at the tips of the leaves to see if they’re discolored. On some species with thinner leaves this is a better indicator that the plant needs water.
3. Inspect the succulent’s structure to see if it’s slumping over. Look carefully at the central stem of the plant to see if it’s leaning over. Study the branches to see if they’re starting to droop over or shrink. Shrinking, bending, and leaning are all signs that your plant needs water. If the overall shape and structure of your plant looks solid, it may not need any water.^[3]
   
   • This may be hard to do with smaller succulents where you can’t notice big changes in the shape of the plant.
4. Check your succulents to see if they need water once a week. Succulents usually don’t need water more than once a month. Check your plants weekly to see if the soil is dry, the leaves are healthy, and the structure is solid. If a plant doesn’t look like it needs water, feel free to wait an additional week before checking again.^[4]
   
   • Don’t worry about your plant if it’s 2-3 weeks before it needs water. Some succulents only require water once a month! Even if they do run out of water during the week, most succulents can store water for multiple days before they start to dry out.
   • You may notice some succulents requiring more water in the spring. This is typically the period of the year where succulents grow.

[Edit]Giving Succulents Water

1. Fill a watering can with room-temperature tap water. Take a watering can and rinse it out if it’s dirty. Then, fill it with standard tap water from your sink or a hose. You can distill the water or use rain water if you’d like, but there isn’t a ton of evidence that it makes a big difference for the health of the plant.^[5]
   
   • You won’t need a ton of water, but it doesn’t really hurt anything to fill the watering can up.
   • If you’re watering potted plants indoors, take the plants to the tub or sink so that they can drain without ruining your windowsill.
2. Pour the water around the soil of the plant for 3-4 seconds. Tilt your watering can over and pour water around the base of the plant. Water the soil directly—do not pour the water on top of the succulent—and avoid watering it directly where the stem of the plant meets the soil. Move your watering can’s spout in a circle around the soil for 3-4 seconds and lift it up.^[6]
   
   • Succulents absorb water from the soil, not the leaves. If you pour water over the plant, all you’re doing is making it harder for the plant to breathe.
3. Check the soil to see if it’s still partially dry. After you lift the spout of your watering can, wait 3-5 seconds for the water to soak into the soil. Inspect the top of the soil and put the pad of your finger in a section that you didn’t water directly. Tap the soil lightly with your finger to see if it’s moist. If it is, you’ve given your plant enough water. If it’s still pretty dry, you probably need to give the succulent more water.^[7]
   
   • The soil needs to be thoroughly moist before you can stop watering. Check multiple sections of the soil to confirm that it has received enough water.
   • If your succulents are in the ground, check the soil around the plant.
4. Continue watering the soil for another 2-3 seconds if necessary. If some of the soil is still dry, lean the spout of your watering can over again and continue watering the plant. Give it water for another 2-3 seconds before checking your plant again. Repeat this process as necessary until the soil surrounding the succulent is wet.^[8]
   
   • If you’re watering an indoor succulent, let the plant drain for 10-15 minutes before putting it back on its tray.
5. Place the plant’s base in a tray of water if you’re nervous about overwatering. Some people prefer to water their succulents indirectly to avoid overwatering the roots. To do this, fill a tray bigger than your plant’s container with of water. Set your plant’s container in the tray and leave it for 2-3 minutes. The plant’s soil will absorb the water up through the drainage hole at the bottom of the container.^[9]
   
   • This method is not preferred since it’s impossible to tell whether your plant has received enough water or not.
6. Wait until the soil completely dries out before watering again. There is no standard answer to how often to water mature succulents. This will depend on the plant variety, the soil, the ambient humidity, and other factors. Generally, you should water more often in the summer when the plant is actively growing than in the winter when the plant goes into semi-dormancy with shorter days.
   

[Edit]Reviving a Dying Succulent

1. Stop watering the plant if it’s wilting while the soil is wet. If you notice that the leaves are falling over and wilting when you’ve been watering it regularly, this is a sign that the plant has been overwatered and can’t hold all of the water in the leaves. Stop watering it for 3-4 weeks and see if the succulent recovers at all.^[10]
   
   • If you have a jade plant, the leaves will bloat up and become exceptionally thick if it gets overwatered.
2. Water the plant more frequently and mist the base of the stem if it has dried out. If the leaves on your succulent seem discolored and dried out, your plant isn’t retaining enough water. Give it a thorough watering and use an empty spray bottle to mist the base of the plant where the stem meets the soil to give it a quick influx of water.^[11]
   
   • Check your plant 1-2 days after giving it some emergency water. If the soil has dried back up in this time frame, give it another watering.
3. Give your plant more sunlight if leaves fall off. If the plant’s soil is moist, the plant looks healthy, and you still have leaves falling off, it’s a sign that your succulent isn’t getting enough sun. Move the location of your plant so that it’s closer to a window and see if the problem resolves itself. It may also help to move the plant to an east-facing window so that the plant gets plenty of sunlight in the morning.^[12]
   
4. Move the plant away from the sunlight if it’s developing white and brown specks. If your succulent looks structurally sound but has a bunch of white or brown specks, your plant is getting sunburned! Some tropical succulents are designed to only be in filtered sunlight and will get dried out in a ton of direct sun. Move the plant away from the window and see if the color comes back to your plant over the course of a week.^[13]
   

[Edit]Things You’ll Need

• Watering can
• Water

[Edit]References

[Edit]Quick Summary

1. ↑ https://www.reviewjournal.com/life/home-and-garden/three-clues-indicate-when-succulents-need-watering-214468/?returnUrl=https://www.reviewjournal.com/life/home-and-garden/three-clues-indicate-when-succulents-need-watering-214468/?clearUserState=true&clearUserState=true
2. ↑ https://www.reviewjournal.com/life/home-and-garden/three-clues-indicate-when-succulents-need-watering-214468/?returnUrl=https://www.reviewjournal.com/life/home-and-garden/three-clues-indicate-when-succulents-need-watering-214468/?clearUserState=true&clearUserState=true
3. ↑ https://www.reviewjournal.com/life/home-and-garden/three-clues-indicate-when-succulents-need-watering-214468/?returnUrl=https://www.reviewjournal.com/life/home-and-garden/three-clues-indicate-when-succulents-need-watering-214468/?clearUserState=true&clearUserState=true
4. ↑ https://www.bhg.com/gardening/houseplants/care/how-to-water-succulents/
5. ↑ https://kansashealthyyards.org/component/allvideoshare/video/how-to-water-succulents-and-cacti
6. ↑ https://kansashealthyyards.org/component/allvideoshare/video/how-to-water-succulents-and-cacti
7. ↑ https://kansashealthyyards.org/component/allvideoshare/video/how-to-water-succulents-and-cacti
8. ↑ https://kansashealthyyards.org/component/allvideoshare/video/how-to-water-succulents-and-cacti
9. ↑ https://www.reviewjournal.com/life/home-and-garden/three-clues-indicate-when-succulents-need-watering-214468/?returnUrl=https://www.reviewjournal.com/life/home-and-garden/three-clues-indicate-when-succulents-need-watering-214468/?clearUserState=true&clearUserState=true
10. ↑ https://www.firstforwomen.com/posts/how-to-save-a-dying-succulent-166195
11. ↑ https://www.firstforwomen.com/posts/how-to-save-a-dying-succulent-166195
12. ↑ https://www.firstforwomen.com/posts/how-to-save-a-dying-succulent-166195
13. ↑ https://www.firstforwomen.com/posts/how-to-save-a-dying-succulent-166195

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