Succulents are fashionable and trendy plants to have about your house or place of business, but they can be difficult to maintain. We are here to assist you in maintaining the health and vitality of your planted bundles of delight. This blog post will teach you how to correctly water your succulents, where to keep them, and how to recognise the telltale indications of a succulent in trouble.
Starting Off On The Right Foot
You must begin with a succulent that is in good shape if you want to give your plants the best chance of surviving. Fortunately, this shouldn’t be a concern if you get your succulents from Succulent Bar! We purchase our succulents from nearby plant nurseries, and we carefully choose each succulent we offer to our clients. Our succulents are handled with the utmost care and are guaranteed to be in excellent condition when received, whether they are shipped or purchased in person.
Succulents with brilliant colours, firm leaves, and sluggish growth are healthy. Succulents are not designed to expand rapidly. So, despite the fact that this would appear to be a bad indication, it actually is. Additionally, you could occasionally discover dried leaves at the base of your succulent, but this is also a positive sign. Succulents actually grow by losing their old leaves. Dried leaves indicate healthy growth in your succulent.
Light
In general, succulents need a lot of indirect light, and the majority of species will burn in hot light. Sunlight that filters through objects like window coverings, tree leaves, or bounces off of walls is referred to as indirect sunlight (think a covered patio). Usually, 6 to 8 hours of sunlight per day are ideal. The optimum location for a succulent indoors is on a sunny window sill that faces south or west.
Water
Compared to most plants, succulents need far less water and less frequent irrigation. The majority of succulents usually die from overwatering. Check the soil of your succulent as a general rule. Every time you water, your soil should be completely dry. Following that, you’re welcome to water with 1-2 teaspoons of water and make adjustments. A little water goes a long way because the majority of succulents have very shallow root systems. Succulents dislike having their roots wet for an extended period of time, or having “wet feet.”
How to Water
If water remains on the leaves of succulents for too long, they are prone to easy decay. It is advisable to lift your succulent’s leaves and water the plant’s base as opposed to sprinkling or drenching the top of the plant because these plants absorb water through their roots. Tools like a spoon, straw, watering can, or mister can be used for this. Native to regions that receive a lot of water before going through a drought, succulents (think desserts). What does that imply then? It implies that they favour the soak-and-dry approach. After giving them a nice sip of water, wait until they are COMPLETELY dry before watering them once more. Water your succulents on average once every two to three weeks, and avoid letting their soil remain wet for more than a few days at a time.
Containers
In pots with adequate drainage, plants grow the best. Therefore, the best choice is to use pots with holes in the bottom. You can buy containers with holes already drilled into them or you can drill or poke holes yourself into your container. However, just because the majority of containers—especially the really adorable ones—don’t have drainage holes doesn’t mean you can’t use them. It DOES mean, however, that you should water your succulents properly, taking care to avoid soaking the soil for extended periods of time. See the How to Water section above.
Soil
Cactus soil that has been aerated is ideal for succulent growth. After watering, cactus soil tends to dry out quickly, protecting your succulent against root rot and too much water. Most plant nurseries and department shops with garden centres, such Lowe’s, Home Depot, and Walmart, carry this kind of soil. Your soil must be formed of substances like sand, moss, perlite, bark, and pumice and have a grittier texture.
Soggy or yellowed leaves
Typically, mushy, yellow leaves indicate that you have overwatered your succulent. Transferring your succulent to completely dry cactus soil is the best approach to preserve one that has been overwatered. After that, consider reducing the amount of water you give your succulent by only watering it with 1-2 tablespoons when the soil is fully dry. Depending on the habitat, this normally occurs every two to four weeks.
Rot
Your succulent may be rotting if you overwatered it or provided it with insufficient drainage. Without drainage, excess water will build up inside your container and cannot leave, rotting your succulent. Make sure your container has the right drainage holes by checking. If not, make holes in your container with a drill or a pin or transfer to a different container. See the information under “Containers” above if your container does not have a drainage hole.
Wilted Leaves
A plant that has underwatered will have wilted, rubbery leaves. Water your succulent with 1-2 tablespoons of water to start fixing this issue. After then, don’t water again until the earth is completely dry. If this occurs more quickly than 3–4 weeks, it might be time to increase your water intake. Over the coming weeks and months, test the watering frequency once more to determine the ideal amount for your succulent.
Stretching
Your succulent requires more light if you notice that it is getting taller and has wider spaces between its leaves. Although it can look fantastic that your succulent is expanding, succulents actually grow very slowly. Your succulent is enlarging as a result of its search for more light. If you experience this issue, relocate your succulent as soon as possible to a sunny window sill. Sadly, stretching cannot be undone. After that, your succulent will continue to grow and prosper, but its stem will still be stretched.
Scorching
The presence of dark patches on your succulent’s leaves indicates overexposure to sunshine and burnt foliage. These “burns” won’t go away, but as your succulent grows, it will ultimately slough off these leaves. Simply move your succulent to a less bright area to solve this problem.
What does a succulent stem that is unhealthy look like?
On its leaves, a sick succulent will display the following indicators: leaves that are turning brown, orange, or yellow. leaves with dead leaf patches along the border. perforations in the leaves.
How do you know if your succulent is on its last legs?
A succulent should be simple to care for. But there are a few things to know in order to maintain it healthy. How can you tell whether your succulent is prospering or dying, first?
Generally speaking, the following are typical signs that a succulent is perishing:
- The roots are rotting if the leaves are brown and mushy.
- Pale, yellow leaves are a sign of illness or rot that has spread.
- Dehydrated, wrinkled leaves indicate that the roots are drying up.
- Rot or infection was indicated by brown roots.
These are a few warning indications that your succulent may not be prospering. If you have one or more succulents and are worried that your plant is dying, continue reading to learn how to identify when your plant needs care.
What should the texture of healthy succulent leaves be?
Water is stored in the stems, tissues, and leaves of succulents. These plants are able to resist prolonged droughts or extremely dry, arid circumstances because they have evolved to be highly adaptable to very dry growing conditions. But this does not negate their need for water.
Succulents actually enjoy a good sip of water. When they run out of water, they will exhibit symptoms that indicate they need more.
Here’s what to look for to know that your succulent is underwatered:
- wilted leaves As the amount of water in a plant’s reservoir continues to diminish, the plant’s leaves will begin to wrinkle and shrivel. The more severe the water shortage, the more wilted and droopy the plant will appear.
- brown, lifeless, and dried-up leaves
- From the plant’s base, you will see a lot of dead, dried-up leaves. The lower leaves begin to dry out first as the plant begins to lose its ability to store water. In an effort to preserve water and energy for survival, certain plants will also begin to discard their dried leaves.
- The leaves are supple and flat.
- The leaves are soft and flat to the touch. The hardness and plumpness of the leaves will deteriorate. A succulent that has been submerged will feel as though its leaves have deflated.
What shade is a succulent in good health?
Color can be influenced by temperature, water, and other elements, but sunlight exposure is one of the most important ones. A succulent grown outside of its prefered light conditions for an extended length of time can appear sickly and finally die, yet moderate light stress can bring out lovely hues in plants. Early detection is key to resolving most light issues, yet early indications of both too much and too little light can be difficult to spot.
We conducted an experiment and placed a variety of succulents in two extreme light conditions: full daylight and complete darkness, to help you identify them. We do
Trying this with your own succulents is not advised. The findings reveal some plants that have been gravely mistreated, but they can also show you which succulents are in the wrong lighting conditions.
What does light stress look like?
In order to replicate shipment in a dark box, we initially placed two sets of various succulents under a dark cover for four days. One pair was still under the cover with water and ventilation but no light after four days of darkness. The other set was relocated to a spot with all-day sun after being taken out of its package. Although light conditions were more akin to 70 percent sun than genuine “full sun” due to the dense smoke from California’s major wildfires, you can still see dramatic reactions in the spectrum of results below.
You can see how drastically the plants kept in the dark altered over the course of two weeks on the left side of the diagram. Each plant’s core began to fade and turn green, and the leaves on each plant’s rosettes expanded wide and flat in search of sunshine.
The plants that were moved from a dark box into direct sunlight are seen to the right. The hues became more vibrant and changed from green to crimson tones. Rosettes that had before opened widely started to constrict once more to defend themselves. As time passed, some areas displayed the usual scaly, crispy sunburns of
Even if some of these succulents appear to be injured, everything is not lost! Moving your succulents can solve light-related issues quickly.
How can I make my succulents more colorful?
Time is the secret to a good adjustment in lighting conditions. The succulents in the experiment above were severely harmed by switching abruptly between two extremes of light. Regardless of whether they exhibit indicators of insufficient or excessive light,
Give succulents 1-2 weeks to gradually adjust to the correct quantity of light, and they can restore their vibrant hues. A succulent needs more time to convert the more abrupt the change in light levels is. Check out how we revivified some drab succulents.
The aforementioned illustration displays the whole colour transition for two types that underwent the four-day shipping experiment. It’s also an excellent example of how to take care of newly delivered succulents that you own. The plants in our experiment recovered in a total of eight days, but recovery times will vary by region and season. It will be simple to adjust as necessary as long as you’re making small changes and keeping an eye out for indicators of both too much and too little light. The general steps are as follows:
- Plants should be started outside where they will have bright shade all day for 4–7 days.
- Adaptation should take an extra 4–7 days after moving to a region with partial sun (approximately 4 hours of sun in the morning and bright shadow the rest of the day).
- Examine the change in colour and gradually move the plants to a spot that receives more or less sun as necessary.
Bonus advice: Are you not seeing as much colour in your succulent as you anticipated from additional sunlight? Try using less water or placing the plant outside during the winter (keep soft succulents above freezing). Water and temperature stress can also cause a flush of pigments, just like light stress. Always keep an eye on your succulent to ensure that a prolonged period of drought or being below its minimum cold hardiness doesn’t push it to the point of death due to stress.
How much light do succulents need?
Despite the fact that our tests in complete darkness and full daylight were fairly harsh, the results do indicate that some kinds can withstand low light or bright sun remarkably well. For more than 650 varieties of succulents, there are detailed recommended lighting requirements specified at
Full-Sun Succulents
The succulents that tolerate full light the best are sedum. Sun-loving succulents typically have pink, crimson, or purple colouring, and as can be seen in the variety shown below, their pigments get more vivid when they are exposed to more sunlight.
How does a succulent that has been overwatered look?
How can you tell if your succulent is getting too much water? You can usually determine if a succulent is being overwatered or underwatered by looking for telltale indications. A plant that has received too much water will have soft, mushy leaves.
The leaves would either turn translucent in colour or appear lighter than they would on a healthy plant. A succulent that had received too much water would frequently lose leaves readily, even when only lightly handled. Usually, the lowest leaves are the ones to suffer first.
The plant will look to be unhealthy overall. When this occurs, the plant is either being overwatered, sitting in the incorrect soil that does not dry out quickly enough, or both.
Your plants are being overwatered if you have been giving them regular waterings or if you have been following a watering schedule regardless of how the plant appears.
On the other hand, a succulent that has been submerged will have withered, wrinkled, and deflated-looking leaves. The leaves will appear thin and flat. The entire plant will appear withered and dry.
The leaves of a good succulent plant should be thick and solid, not mushy or desiccated.
To learn more about this subject, visit my post titled “How To Tell If Your Succulent is Over or Under Watered,” in which I go into great length about how you may determine whether your succulent plant is being over or under watered.
This String of Pearls ‘Senecio Rowleyanus’ plant leaf is one that has been overwatered. If a succulent’s water storage capacity has been exceeded, it may physically burst from overwatering.