How Often to Water Succulents

Soak, then let it dry

Succulents store water in fleshy leaves or stems, which is how they survive drought in the wild. That changes how you water them. Small, frequent sips keep the soil damp without ever giving the plant a proper drink. A thorough soak followed by a dry spell is closer to what they evolved for.

In practice:

1. Water slowly until water runs out of the drainage hole.
2. Let it drain completely. The RHS says succulents should never be left standing in water.
3. Leave the pot alone until the soil has dried.
4. Check before watering again.

The sources agree on the soak. They differ a little on how dry is dry enough:

• RHS: in spring and summer, water once the surface of the compost feels dry to the touch, and try not to let it dry out excessively during the growing period.
• Missouri Botanical Garden: let the pot dry out thoroughly between waterings.
• Oklahoma State University Extension: let cacti and other succulents stay dry for a few days even after the top of the mix is dry to the touch.

So there is a range. A cautious middle path is to wait until the top few centimetres are dry and the pot feels clearly lighter, then water. If you lean toward one end, lean toward drier. The Missouri Botanical Garden names overwatering as the most frequent cause of problems with cacti.

How to check

The Missouri Botanical Garden's fact sheet suggests sticking an index finger into the soil. If it is dry, soil particles should not cling to your finger. It also suggests learning the weight of the pot when the mix is dry and using that as your gauge. For small succulents in light pots, the weight test is often the quickest.

Plants in full sun dry faster than those in filtered light, according to the same fact sheet. Two identical pots on different windowsills will not need water on the same day.

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Plant Care accepts any interval of one day or more, so a succulent can sit on a long interval, two or three weeks in summer and longer in winter if that suits your pots. When the reminder arrives, check the soil first and water only if it has dried.

Why a fixed weekly day fails

A weekly watering day is the most common way succulents get killed indoors. Here is why it does not fit:

• The plant's needs change through the year. Growth and water use are highest from March to October, per the Missouri Botanical Garden's fact sheet, and drop sharply in winter.
• Pots dry at different speeds. Small pots dry faster, and Clemson Extension notes porous clay dries faster than glazed or plastic. A sunny south window dries faster than a north one.
• Weekly is often too often. If the soil is still damp on watering day, adding more water just keeps the roots wet.

A schedule is fine as a reminder to look. It is a poor rule for when to pour. Our guide on watering on a schedule versus checking the soil goes into this for all houseplants.

Winter rest

Most desert succulents slow down in winter and benefit from a rest. The two main sources put it slightly differently:

Both point the same way. Water much less, keep the light as bright as you can, and let the plant rest. If your home is warm all winter, the plant will use a little more water than in a cool room, so check rather than assume. More on seasonal changes is in do indoor plants need less water in winter.

The big exception. Jungle cacti such as Christmas cactus come from tropical forests, not deserts. The RHS says Christmas cactus needs warmth and regular watering in winter, with its rest in summer instead. The Missouri Botanical Garden suggests keeping jungle cacti evenly moist through the year, especially while flowering.

Pot and soil matter as much as the watering

The Missouri Botanical Garden's advice is to match the soil mix to the plant's moisture needs rather than trying to fix things with watering frequency. For succulents that means a coarse, fast-draining mix:

• RHS: a peat-free cactus compost, or a loam-based compost with up to 30 per cent grit or fine gravel by volume mixed in.
• Missouri Botanical Garden: for most cacti, two parts sand to one part potting mix.

Use a pot with a drainage hole. The RHS warns against moving a succulent into a pot that is too big, because the extra soil stays wet and can cause rot. The Missouri Botanical Garden suggests going only about 2.5 cm (1 inch) wider than the old pot, and notes that most cacti and succulents are happy slightly pot-bound. Repot in spring, when growth starts.

Shrivelled or rotted

The two problems look different once you know what to look for.

Shrivelling is the sign of a plant drawing down its stored water, and it comes with soil that is bone dry and a pot that feels light. The RHS uses shrivelling as the signal to give a little water even during the winter rest.

Rot comes from too much water. The RHS shows a succulent with stem rot and complete collapse from overwatering, and lists stem rot and dark, mushy roots among the general signs of overwatering. Stems or leaves go soft rather than wrinkled, and the soil has stayed damp. Shrivelling can be corrected by watering. Rot that has reached the roots is much harder to undo, which is why erring on the dry side is the safer mistake.

For the general version of this comparison, see overwatered vs underwatered plant.