How to Water Succulents

How Do I Know When the Soil is Completely Dry?

For the most part, it is incredibly easy to determine whether the soil of a succulent is completely dry. We will outline two ways to determine the amount of moisture in a succulent below.

1. One way, which does not work with all succulents or pots, is to remove the succulent from its pot and to touch the exposed soil with two fingers. As seen in the picture, touch the entirety of the exposed soil with both fingers, especially the bottom. If all of the soil is dry, then it is time to water. If you feel any moisture or wetness in the soil, then wait to water.

2. Another way to determine if your succulent needs to be watered is to use a toothpick. The toothpick method works best for dish gardens or succulents that have soil covered by rocks or moss. Push the toothpick into the soil of the succulent, all the way down to the bottom. Pull out the toothpick; if there is any moisture or wetness on the toothpick whatsoever, then wait to water your succulent.

What Not to Do:

With watering succulents, there are some popular fads that are wrong and will kill your succulent!

1. Do not mist or spray your succulent. Succulents appreciate a dry environment. Constantly spraying water on succulents will cause them to rot and die.

2. Do not use a self-watering device or bulb. Succulents thrive when they go through a dry period. Always adding water to their soil may cause succulents to die.

3. Make sure that excess water does not accumulate at the bottom of your pot. Sometimes when drenching the soil, it is easy to have water accumulate at the bottom. This will cause your succulent to rot.

A Note On Drainage:

When watering your succulent, it is essential to note whether the pot of your succulent has drainage holes. A drainage hole is either one big hole or multiple small holes located at the bottom of the pot of your succulent.

It is crucial to determine whether your pot has drainage holes because drainage holes are ideal when watering a succulent. If your succulent has drainage holes, you can water your succulent as much as you want as excess water will seep out of the bottom of the drainage holes. If your succulent does not have drainage holes, then it is still crucial to soak the soil of your succulent. Still, you must ensure that you do not overwater your succulent. You must make sure that excess water does not flow outside of your pot or that water does not accumulate and flood the bottom of your pot.

Overall, pots with drainage holes are ideal for proper succulent care. It is challenging to drench a succulent without having excess water build-up at the bottom of the pot. As a result, pots without drainage holes often-times hold excess water, which can cause the succulent to rot. This occurs when the leaves of the succulents turn yellow or become mushy. To find pots with drainage holes, check out our potted succulents for sale!

We hope that these tips and tricks on “how to water succulents” was helpful. We wish you luck as you embark on your horticultural journey. If you wish to expand your succulent collection or are looking for the best succulents for sale online, check out Succulent Market! Use code: succulentcare101 for 10% off your first order!