Succulents are among the groups of plants that are the simplest to grow.
Why are my succulent plants indoors drooping?
There could be a few causes for the drooping of your succulent plant. Discover the causes of your succulents’ drooping, the reasons why succulent leaves droop, why a succulent droops after repotting, and how to fix it in this article.
Overwatering, freezing weather, underwatering, and rotting are the main causes of a succulent’s drooping. Succulents can also droop due to pests, illnesses, and abrupt weather changes.
Typical succulents ought to be firm, plump, and not etiolated. Additionally, succulent leaves must be full and not wilted or discolored.
What does a succulent look like when it is overwatered?
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 color 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.
Why do the leaves on my succulent droop?
Sometimes a plant’s natural defense against prolonged periods of extreme heat or drought is to shed its leaves.
Even if managing with fallen leaves is a common strategy, you don’t want it in a lovely decorative plant.
When kept outdoors in hot weather, you should place your succulents in the light shade to avoid them from becoming stressed by the intense heat.
Keep your succulents a little bit away from windows when you’re indoors so they can get lots of brilliant indirect light without getting burned by direct, enlarged sunshine.
Conversely, when affected by frost, succulents may also shed their leaves and exhibit other signs of stress.
The majority of succulents cannot endure freezing temperatures; they may burn black and lose their leaves.
A plant that has been harmed by frost but not killed will typically produce some new leaves to replace the ones that were damaged.
Instead than pulling or pruning away the damaged leaves, it is preferable to let them fall off naturally. NOTE: Consider using the leaves to create some new plants.
Succulents that need protection from the cold should be planted outdoors in protected areas and covered or mulched as necessary in the winter.
Keep indoor succulents away from places where they might get chilly air blasts during the winter (like as close to exterior doors).
How are succulents revived?
- Symptoms. Succulents’ leaves can become soft and mushy and become brown or black, but the intensity of the cold damage will determine the exact symptoms.
- Causes. Although some succulent plants may endure a light frost, this is uncommon because most succulents are native to hot climes and normally suffer in temperatures lower than 50F (10C).
The majority of succulent types are not cold tolerant and will perish if left in temps below 50F (10C) for an extended period of time.
The majority of succulent species thrive in a standard room temperature environment, with a range of 55F-80F (13C-27C) being ideal for aloe vera.
Succulents’ leaves and stems may become mushy in texture and appear dark or black if they are subjected to chilly weather or even frost.
How to Revive Cold Damaged Succulents
Place your succulent in a location in your home or garden where the temperature is consistently between 55F and 80F (13C and 27C). Make sure that none of the leaves are directly in contact with windows, as these areas of the house can get much colder than the rest of the house. Reduce watering for the time being.
The cold damage should not likely worsen once the succulent is in a more stable environment.
Wait a few days, if not weeks, and the succulent’s mushy, cold-damaged section should dry out and callus over if the leaves feel gooey.
Cut the leaf back to below the injured section once the mushy portion has dried out. Cold-damaged succulent areas normally do not recover, but the succulent plant as a whole can recover.
In order to avoid additional potential issues, you should only restart watering the succulent once the callus of the leaf cut has completely healed over. Cold damage increases the danger of root rot.
The succulent can ultimately sprout new leaves and begin to regain its usual appearance after being damaged by the cold, but it takes a lot of persistence.
Key Takeaways:
- The most frequent cause of succulent death is root rot brought on by over watering and poorly draining soils. Plants that can withstand drought, succulents need the soil to dry out between waterings. A succulent that has mushy, brown, yellow, or black leaves is withering because the soil is excessively wet.
- Overwatering or sunburn cause succulents to turn brown. Brown, mushy succulent leaves are a sign of excessive moisture around the roots. Due to a rapid rise in sunshine intensity, scorched-looking brown succulent leaves may be the result of sunburn.
- Because of excessive moisture around the roots brought on by frequent watering, wet soils, or pots without drainage holes, succulent leaves turn yellow. The soil needs to dry out between waterings for succulents. Yellow and mushy succulent leaves may be a sign of root rot brought on by over watering.
- If succulents are exposed to too much shade, they become tall and lanky. Succulent leaves grow tall in the direction of the strongest light since the majority of succulents need bright, indirect light or full sun. Tall succulent leaves can droop under their own weight and often have weaker, withering leaves at the base.
- Due to inadequate or excessive watering, succulent plants experience drought stress, which causes their leaves to shrivel. As a means of survival, succulents store moisture in their leaves. Underwatering your succulent causes it to draw on the moisture reserves in the leaves, giving it a shriveled appearance.
- Recreate the circumstances of the succulents’ natural environment by planting them in well-draining, rocky soil with the appropriate amount of sunshine, and watering them when the soil becomes dry. To preserve the succulent, take cuttings from healthy areas of the plant.
How frequently should succulents be watered indoors?
Indoor succulent plants probably need to be watered once a week. They require ample time for the soil to dry out in between waterings so that the water may be stored in the leaves. Use the following methods and advice while watering succulent plants inside.
- Use an irrigation system with a little pour spout.
- Fill the succulent plant’s center with water until it is completely submerged.
- Allow water to completely drain out of the pot through the perforations. Make careful to empty any water that seeps through the soil if there is a saucer underneath the plant.
- Since there won’t be enough heat and fresh airflow for the leaves to dry when planted indoors, avoid soaking the leaves to prevent rot from the top down.
- Dry the soil completely in between waterings.
Can succulents endure direct sunlight?
Due to their drought tolerance and water-storing properties, which enable them to tolerate high heat and very harsh sun exposure, succulents have become well-known. This is true for the majority of succulent plants, however some cannot survive direct sunlight without protection, and if exposed to excessive heat, they may suffer sun damage.  
The best 10 succulents and cacti that will thrive in full sun are listed below. Some of these plants can withstand full sun exposure better than others.
 
How much sunlight are required for succulents?
1. Ensure that your succulents receive adequate light. Depending on the type, succulents need six hours of sunlight each day because they are light-loving plants. You might need to gradually expose newly planted succulents to full sun exposure or give shade with a translucent screen because they can burn in direct sunshine.
How can you tell whether a succulent is well-watered or not?
Okay, so we’ve talked a lot about succulents that are dry, but what about those that have received too much water? Well, if you recall, overwatering essentially causes those particular balloon-like cells to overfill and burst, leading to damaged cell structures and rotting leaves and roots.
Discoloration and a change in the shape of the leaves are the first indications of overwatering to look out for. The leaves will turn transparent, floppy, and squishy, and unlike those that have been under-watered, they won’t be retrieved by the plant. It won’t be simple for succulents to recover from this state, but they can. Taking leaves and cuttings to root and grow new plants is an alternative to rescuing the overwatered succulent.
How do you tell whether a succulent needs to be watered?
There is a ton of information on the internet regarding watering succulents, specifically about overwatering them. You already know that overwatering is one of the seven deadly sins of succulents and will almost certainly result in your succulent being less than perfect. However, succulents do require watering, so how can you tell when it is necessary to water them or if you are just going to let them wither away in a pool of water?
A succulent with enough watering would have thick, sturdy leaves. There should not be much give when you squeeze them between your fingers. They probably require watering if they are soft. Wrinkled leaves are another telltale clue; when plants are thirsty, they pucker and wrinkle their leaves.
“Only water when the earth is fully dry,” is a common phrase. This is true, but sometimes it can be challenging to detect when the soil is dry if your plant occupies most of the pot or if you have a topdressing. Keep in mind that you want to ensure that the soil is dry throughout the entire pot, not just on the top.
Picking up the pot is my tried-and-true, highly scientific method of determining whether my plants require water. Learn about your plants; eventually, you’ll be able to discern if the soil is dry or not by the weight of the pot. It goes without saying that a pot with dry soil will weigh far less than a container with moist dirt. Therefore, pick up your pots after watering them and feel their weight. Then, pick them up once they are dry and feel their weight once more. After some practice, it will come naturally to you to know when your plant needs to be watered.
Another simple approach is to poke a wooden skewer into the ground; if it emerges clean and dry, your soil is probably dry and your succulent needs watering. Your succulent will be alright for the time being even if it comes out dusty and moist.
Water meters are available in garden centers and on Amazon if you wish to use a real scientific method. These ought to make it clear to you if your plant requires watering or not.
Always keep in mind that succulents require a full soak; water them until the drainage pores are completely filled. Not even a spritz will do.
You now know how to determine whether your succulent needs watering. Do you have a favorite way to determine whether your plants need water? If you do, please tell me about it! You can leave a comment below, or you can find me uploading photos of my plants on several social media platforms; the links are on the sidebar.
What much of water does a succulent require?
Only water succulents when the soil has totally dried up. There isn’t a standard watering schedule that applies to all succulents in all environments.
Many indoor succulent growers discover that watering their plants every 14 to 21 days keeps them healthy. Use this timeline as a guide and make adjustments if necessary.
The earliest symptoms of underwatering on the leaves are the greatest time to water your succulents. To see what that looks like, have a look at the cheat sheet above.
The best course of action is to wait for a signal from your succulent before watering because most succulents are particularly susceptible to rot with regular watering.
And keep in mind how crucial it is to monitor your watering routine. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve assumed that I haven’t watered in a while, just to discover that it was only a few days ago thanks to my notes in the Succulent Tracker app (Apple | Android).
In this video, learn about a several factors that could influence how frequently you water your succulents: