When to water succulent plants?

Succulents are one of the most beautiful jewels that we can find in nurseries. Many of them take such elegant and curious forms that it seems that they are works made by the hand of a great artist. Having them at home is always a source of pride, but ... no artwork would look pretty if it wasn't taken care of.

When we acquire them, we have to know when to water succulent plants so they look like the first day: healthy on the outside, but also on the inside.

When to water succulent plants?

It is known as »crass plant» to that type of non-cactus plant that has turned its leaves and / or stems into its water store. In doing so, these parts have become fleshy due to the accumulation of the precious liquid. Thus, we might think that they are very resistant to drought, but the truth is that they are not.

All plants need water, otherwise they could not survive, not even succulents. In fact, they are called succulents for precisely that reason, because they have large reserves of water that their leaves or their fleshy bodies absorb through the pores on their surface. But this food has to come from somewhere.

In habitat, it is from the dew and the rains that the seasonal monsoons bring. In our home it has to be irrigation. However, When do you have to water them? 

It will depend a lot on the season of the year in which we are and the climate in our area, but there is something that can make the task much easier and that is wait for the soil to dry completely before watering again. Thus, during the summer we may water three times a week, and in winter every seven to ten days, but if we pay attention to the humidity of the earth, we can be sure that the succulents are not going to rot 😉.

To check the humidity of the substrate we can do several things:

• Insert a thin wooden stick to the bottom: if it comes out with little adhering soil, it will mean that the substrate is practically dry and, therefore, we can water.
• Using a digital moisture meter: when entering it, it will indicate the degree of humidity of the earth. It is highly recommended to introduce it in different areas (closer to the plant, closer to the edge of the pot, etc.) to make it more reliable.
• Weigh the pot once watered and again after a few days: wet soil weighs more than dry soil, so we can keep that difference in weight, which will be very useful to know when we have to water the plants again.

Beware of watering in winter

Succulents usually do not grow in winter unless temperatures are kept high. If we live in an area where frosts usually occur, we have to space the waterings even more, since if we did not do it, the roots could freeze. To avoid it, it is very, very important that we water them little, every 15 or 20 days.

If we live in a place where there are very intense frosts, of more than -5ºC, during those days we will have the land completely dry, and We will add a few drops as soon as the temperatures recover.

Also, we have to bear in mind that it is not good to have them dry for months, unless the humidity is high. The plants would become so weak that they would quickly fall ill and could die in a matter of days.

If you have any doubts, don't leave them out. Question 🙂.