Had my epiphany about watering succulents from a wilting echeveria

I kept watering my echeveria on a schedule every Saturday for six months in Phoenix, thinking it needed consistent moisture like my other houseplants. Last week I noticed the leaves were mushy and translucent, and a friend at the garden center said I was drowning it because the soil never dried out. Anyone else learn the hard way that succulents need to be neglected a bit to thrive?

2 comments

2 Comments

rowan21mo ago

Did you let the soil go completely dry between waterings once you figured it out? I switched to watering my succulents only when the leaves start to pucker a bit and that solved all my rot problems.

victorb7429d ago

My jade plant did that exact same thing back when I first started with succulents. I kept checking the soil with my finger and watering when it felt dry an inch down, but the leaves still went mushy and dropped off. It took me like three months to realize I was watering way too often for my climate. I finally got it when someone told me to wait until the leaves get a little wrinkled or soft before watering, and now I just ignore the soil completely and go by the plant's look. It feels weird at first to let them get that thirsty, but once you see the new growth come in tight and firm, it clicks. Glad that trick worked for you too, it's basically saved every succulent I own since I figured it out.