Hello Everyone, this is Fenil and in this article, we are learning how and when it is the best time to water succulents the right way. About 93% of succulent deaths are due to overwatering. There are also some very important tricks on how to water succulents in pots without drainage holes. So, read until the end of this article to keep those succulents alive and healthy.
Also read How to take care of Succulents indoors [5 Best Tips]
10 important tips on how to water your succulents
1. Do not water Succulents very often
So Tip Number 1, is that your succulents do not like to be watered very often. In fact, it’s about once a week in the summer and hardly any in the winter, or probably about only once or twice in the entire winter months, especially if you live in an area where it doesn’t snow.
And if you have snow in the winter and you have to bring them indoors, once every two or 3 weeks is fine, depending on how high you set your thermostat and how strong your grow lights are.
2. A good amount of watering
When you see some leaves drying up from the base, but the middle part is plump and not wrinkled, then that is not because they lack water. They just need to get rid of some of their leaves so that they can push forth roots and pups.
If you are in doubt whether they need water or not, postpone watering for about 3 to 5 days more.
One tool that helps a lot is the moisture meter. It’s time to water them only about 5 days after the moisture meter reads one or dry everywhere in the pot.
Let me show you how my moisture meter works. A good amount of watering is when the moisture meter reads about 8 to 10.
Another way is to feel the soil in the pot, but you have feel deep, which is not always an option.
3. Try Misting to water your succulents
Although misting is a great way to water your succulent leaf propagation, since it is so convenient, do consider this. If you would mist your propagation with hard water, real soon, you will see white hard water deposits on their leaves.
Once you start seeing leaves sprouting on your leaf propagations, you want them to be perfect and without a spot, so you might want to start using a syringe to avoid watering the tiny succulent leaves and direct water to the roots.
This is also true for your grown succulents, which leads me to Tip Number 4.
4. Avoid the leaves when watering your grown succulents
Watering the leaves directly could leave water stains. You may not be able to completely avoid it, but I suggest that you try your best if you want your beauties to be perfect.
I would use a garden hose and set it to the weakest drip, or a syringe for small containers. I also use a watering can, especially when it is time for their plant food.
Later in this article, I will also discuss how the size of your pot plays a huge role in your watering schedule.
5. Give succulents a good amount of soaking
When it’s time to water them, give them a good amount of soaking, as long as their pot has drainage holes on them. They are properly soaked if the moisture meter reads about 6 to 10.
I totally love my moisture meter, especially when I was just starting, ‘cause I was too scared to over-water at first that my succulents were looking so dry and they couldn’t stand the heat. I thought misting was enough water for them. It turned out that when it’s time to water these succulents, getting them soaked is the way to go.
Again, just make sure that there are drainage holes. I have a separate tip for watering succulent pots without drainage holes in a bit.
6. Use rainwater to water your succulents
Tip no. 6 on how to water your succulents is to use rainwater! Rainwater does not have harmful chemicals that make water hard, like calcium and magnesium.
Also read How to grow and care for a snake plant [4 Steps Guide]
7. Use pots and containers without drainage holes
You can use pots and containers without drainage holes, but you have to use a bit of imagination to water your succulents with this. Because of gravity, water goes down to the bottom of your pot.
You have to make a guess as to how much water will go down and how much will evaporate. What you don’t want to happen is that all the water that you are putting in the container will stay too long at the base that will cause root rot.
8. Be mindful of the weather!
This one, I learned the hard way in the middle of last winter. I have been growing succulents in these containers until I have put them out so that they can get some rain. And sure enough, they got some rain.
I assumed that it will not rain through the night, but it did! And they got so drenched and the glass jar got so full. I had to repot them in dry soil immediately, or else they would die.
So, since rain is the best water for them, please make sure that they have drainage holes, or don’t even take those pots without drainage holes out in the rain.
9. How to water your succulent wreath arrangement
We would just put water in wreath keeper and put about 10 spritzes of succulent plant food and soak this succulent wreath for about 3 to 4 hours and let it drip after.
10. Use a Succulent Plant Food
I suggest that you use a Succulent Plant Food of your choice and use it every other watering to keep your succulents happy and healthy.
And here’s the bonus tip which I think, is so important is keeping your succulents alive. We need to take note that shallower and smaller pots dry faster than bigger and deeper pots, which means you will have to postpone watering for some of them.
Thank you for reading this article! Hope you really liked these 10 important tips on how to water your succulents. Make sure you do not forget to implement these tips so that you can keep your succulents alive and healthy.
