A common question many beginner succulent owners have is “how often should you water succulents?” Even though it seems like it should be easy to water a plant, watering succulents can be tricky since they do not need as much water as a typical houseplant. To learn more about how to water your succulents, read below.
This post goes into detail about how often you should water succulents. For a general succulent guide, including information about their sunlight and soil needs, click here
One of the most common problems people run into is overwatering their succulents. It’s important to remember that succulents are different from other types of houseplants. Native to the desert, succulents and cacti enjoy hot, dry climates. Their thick, chubby leaves allow them to store water so they can survive periods of severe drought.
I thought that watering plants was easy, until I killed my first few succulents from overwatering them. I was watering them every 2 to 3 days and had them planted in a glass container- this was way too often, AND the worst container you could plant succulents in (even though it does look cute…)! Overwatering succulents leads to root rot, which is a common cause of succulent death. Root rot will cause your beautiful succulent to transform into a brown, mushy mess.
How often you water your succulents has a huge role in determining if they live or die (no pressure). LUCKILY, once you realize overwatering is a problem, it is easy to fix… just water less often to keep your succulents happy. With practice, you can identify signs of your succulent needing more or less water, and learn what factors affect how often you should water.
So how often should you water succulents?
Unfortunately, there is no single best watering schedule for succulents because each succulent’s water needs depend on many factors:
| Hotter temperatures require more water than colder temperatures |
| Drier conditions require more water than humid conditions |
| Brighter, sunnier areas require more water than shadier areas |
| Each succulent species has different watering needs |
| Succulents in their dormant season require less water |
| Denser soil mixtures require less water |
| Pot type: succulents in glass containers or pots without drainage require less water than those in terracotta pots |
| Succulents with thinner leaves need to be watered more often than succulents with thicker leaves |
| Smaller pots require more frequent watering than larger pots because the soil dries out faster |
This is pretty overwhelming, and in reality, it is pretty hard to keep track of all these factors, especially if you have a lot of plants.
The point of that table was to show you that the question “how often should you water succulents and cacti” can not have one single answer, because it depends on so many different things.
As a rule of thumb, follow the following schedule and adjust it as needed based on your climate and signs you see in your succulent:
Succulent Watering Schedule
In general, it is good to start off with the following schedule and then adjust as you see needed: Succulents should be watered once every 1 to 2 weeks in the summer. During the winter, they should be watered once every 3 to 4 weeks.
Remember that the factors listed before all contribute to how much water your succulent needs, so you may need to adjust your frequency as needed for your specific area. Pay attention to signs your succulent shows you to get a good idea of if you are watering appropriately (keep reading below for what to look out for).
Temperature and humidity
Remember, your plants are able to sense the temperatures and notice the seasons changing.
As the seasons change, so should your watering habits. As you would expect, a succulent out in the sun in a hot, dry climate (like the Southwest USA) during the summer is going to need to be watered much more often than a succulent in the colder Northeast region.
In the winter, your succulents need less water.
If your succulents are indoors, they are not as exposed to temperature changes and can be watered less often than succulents outside in the summer.
Humidity plays a role in watering frequency as well. Drier climates allow the water to evaporate from the soil faster. This means your soil stays wet for a shorter period of time- and that is why you need to water more often. On the other hand, if there is high humidity, water stays in the soil for a longer period of time. If this is the case, water your succulents less frequently. Avoid keeping succulents in rooms in your house with high humidity, such as bathrooms.
Again, the baseline is 1 to 2 weeks in summer months and every 3 to 4 weeks in winter, which you should modify based on if your succulent is indoors or outdoors, the temperature, and the humidity of your area.
Dormancy
When plants goes dormant, they becomes minimally active: they are conserving their energy and stop growing until sense there are better conditions. Basically, think of a bear going into hibernation- your plant is doing the same thing.
Most succulents become dormant during the winter and should be watered less frequently to avoid root rot. However, some succulents display opposite growing patterns and are dormant during the summer and grow during winter. It is nice to know when your plant is dormant, so you can water accordingly, and is important to know this if your succulents are planted outside.
However, if you are keeping your succulents indoors, dormancy does not play as big a role because your plant is not experiencing large temperature differences and it’s conditions are pretty similar all year. So if your plants are indoors, I would not worry too much about this.
How to water succulents and cacti
Now that you know that succulents need less water than typical houseplants, actually watering them should be easy right? Turns out there is a specific way they like to be watered: soaked infrequently.
What exactly does this mean? When watering, the succulent’s soil should be soaked enough that you see water begin to seep out of the drainage hole (if your pot has one). You should pour the water on the soil at the base of the plant. Do this about once a week, allowing the soil to dry out in that time. Do not water in between the week. Remember: Infrequent soaking is key!
This method works well for succulents because it mimics their native climate. Succulents are found in areas with quick-draining soil and infrequent rains. When it does rain, it rains A LOT, which is what we are trying to replicate by soaking it every week.
You want to make sure that water does not sit in the rosette because if left for too long, it could lead to rot as well. I like using a squeeze bottle while watering so I can ensure the water goes right at the soil at the base of the plant and does not sit on the leaves. If you do get some water in the rosette, just wipe it off with a tissue so it does not sit there.
Water with room temperature water. Do not use distilled water. If your succulent pot is sitting in a saucer, empty out any water in the saucer after watering. Do not leave water sitting in there.
DO NOT spray your succulents with a spray bottle frequently because this can lead to rot. In addition, it only wets the surface of the soil, and you want your succulent to grow roots deep down in the soil- not towards the surface.
The bottom line: succulents need to be soaked infrequently.
What are some important signs to pay attention to when watering succulents?
I keep mentioning that you have to look at your plant for signs it needs more or less water, but what exactly does that mean? Here are the signs I use:
Dry soil
Succulents should be watered when the soil is completely dry. To test if your soil is dry, just stick your finger in the top 1 to 2 inches of soil. If it is dry, go ahead and water. If it feels wet, it does not need any water at the time. Wait a few more days before watering.
If you do not like getting your hands dirty, you can get a good soil moisture meter and use that to get an estimate of how dry your soil is.
Wrinkled leaves
When succulents grow, they use nutrients from the bottom leaves to grow from the center.
You can tell if your succulent is thirsty is looking at the bottom leaves- if it’s normally chubby leaves are slightly wrinkled, your succulent needs a drink. Water the succulents when you notice these wrinkles. By the next day, the wrinkles should go away and the leaves should “re-inflate” and become their normal size. Do not worry- it is not bad for your succulents to show this sign and be dehydrated for a bit. It’s much easier to correct an underwatered succulent than an overwatered one.
Signs of overwatered succulents:
Overwatering succulents is one of the most common causes of root rot.
Rot starts of in the roots. As the rot spreads, more and more roots become infected and die, eventually killing the entire plant.
One of the most common causes of root rot is overwatering. If the soil is stays wet for a long time from watering too frequently, or the plant is not in a well-draining mix, this can kick start the root rot process because your plant’s roots are “drowning” in the extra water.
Signs of root rot and an overwatered succulent include:
- Wilting or mushy stems
- Yellowing, translucent leaves
- Leaves that easily fall off just by bumping the plant
- Brown or black spots on the stem
These are signs of overwatering in succulents. It may still be possible to save your plant if you notice this early on. Remove the plant from the pot. Cut off any signs of rotting or damaged roots (they appear black). Fill a new, clean pot with soil and repot the healthy parts of the plant in clean soil. Water the new cuttings in a week (for a complete guide, see this article about handling root rot in succulents).
The best types of pots for succulents:
First, it is important to make sure the plant is in a well drying pot with a drainage hole. Plain terracotta pots work best because they do not retain extra water- succulents hate staying wet for too long. These pots help the succulent’s soil dry out faster.
Avoid glass containers or terrariums: these retain moisture for a long time, which can contribute to rot.
If you just NEED to plant your succulent in that cute glass terrarium you keep seeing online, water less often than you would normally. I recommend starting off with one to two tablespoons of water once every two weeks as a baseline and adjusting from there.
Even though it is not an ideal container, it is possible to grow succulents in glass terrariums, as long as you water less. If you notice that your succulents keep dying however, it may be time to make the switch to terracotta pots.
Use a well-draining, porous soil mix
Use a well-draining, porous soil mix. Regular potting soil for houseplants can be too dense and hold onto moisture for a long period of time. Using a 70:30 mix of succulent potting soil to perlite will give you a good, porous soil mix that does not retain water for too long.
Should you water after repotting your succulent?
Whenever you repot your succulent, wait a week before you water to allow it to settle in. This gives the plant a chance to adapt to its new location. Watering too soon after repotting can “shock” your plant and is not healthy. Once a week has passed, you can water your succulent as normal.
How often should you water new succulent babies (pups)?
When I remove the pups from their mother and plant them in a new pot, I wait about a week before I water them, to allow them to settle in. To help roots grow, I water the pups more often than I would water their parent plant (about once a week). This helps their roots grow in and get stronger.
In summary of how often should you water succulents and cacti:
So there you have it, that is how often you should water succulents. As you can see, there are MANY factors that affect how much water your succulent needs.
The main things to remember are:
- Water about once every 1 to 2 weeks in the summer and once every 3 to 4 weeks in the winter
- Check for signs of underwatering (dry soil, wrinkled bottom leaves) to know when to water your plant
- Check for signs of overwatering (translucent, yellow leaves, black spots on the stem) to see if you have root rot.
- When you water- water infrequently, soaking the plant at once
- Use a well-draining, porous soil mixture
- Plant in a terracotta pot
And if you lose one or two plants to over watering- do not get too down! It is a common mistake that a lot of people make. Watering succulents is really a trial and error process. If in doubt, remember it is much easier to fix an under watered succulent than an over watered one.
Want to learn more about taking care of succulents and cacti? Check out our general cactus or succulent guides:
