Irrigation

Who said that cacti, succulents, and caudex plants don't need water? Surely more than once we have heard and even said it. I was convinced of it myself until I started cultivating them. Initially I had only one copy, which of course did not water much (rather nothing, or when I remembered), and soon after it became so wrinkled that I lost it.

Taking care of succulents is not as easy as they make us believe, and it is that Whether we give them a lot or a little water, we will not be doing them any good. What's more, I know someone who would tell you that they need almost as much as those from the garden, and whoever has ever cultivated these types of plants will know that they 'drink' a lot and daily.

If the substrate or soil in which your roots grow is well drained, irrigation has to be more or less regular. The specimens that we buy in the nursery are usually in very small pots, about 5,5cm in diameter or perhaps something more, and not content with that they water them too often. Thus, it is not surprising that when we see them they have 'swollen' and apparently healthy leaves or bodies.

But when we take them to our patio or terrace and we start to take care of them, it is normal that we have many doubts on when to water, how to do it, what type of water to use, whether or not it is good to leave a dish underneath and what problems can arise if we do it… In short, it is not easy to control the watering of succulents. The roots are not prepared to be in permanent contact with water, but neither to withstand long periods of drought.

In their places of origin It is true that almost nothing rains except during the monsoon season (they are seasonal rains that carry a lot of water), but they do not always drink from the rain, but rather the one that contains the morning breeze. That is the one that keeps them alive. If not, where would the adult saguaro get its two thousand liters of liquid that helps it survive 2 years of drought? If animals knew how to get to that precious water, they would not hesitate to do so.

But not, that does not mean that we have to water them the substrate of the pot or the ground. Once it rains a lot, for example, nothing will happen. What's more, my garden and patio are in an area where it floods easily when it rains heavily, and on two occasions my cacti were under water for a few minutes, and nothing happened to them. As time went by, the moisture in the substrate was lost, and I did not have to regret a single loss. But do not abuse.

For succulents to be well, to be healthy and to have good growth and development, you have to water them every time you touch, no more, no less. But how often exactly? We are going to talk about everything related to the irrigation of these plants in this section., in which you will also find many tips so you do not have to worry about anything.