How and When to Water Succulents for Beginners | Succulent Tips for Beginners

hi everyone it's succulentsbox here today we'll talk about how and when you should water your succulents about 80 of the time succulents die from watering issues so it's essential to learn the right way to water your succulents later in this video we'll also cover some tips to fix root rot over watered and underwatered succulents first let's talk about when to water your succulents you should only water your succulents when the soil is fully dry this is important because your succulents do not like to be watered often succulents are different from other plants since they store lots of water in their trunk and leaves so they can go many days without water in fact you should water your succulent once a week during hot summer days and once every two to three weeks during winter to check how wet the soil is stick your finger to the second knuckle in the soil if it feels dry it's time to water your succulent another tool that really is helpful is the moisture meter all you need to do is stick the meter in the soil and it will tell you whether the soil is dry or not another trick to determine whether you should water is checking the leaf's health for example look at this echeveria normally the leaves look plump and firm like this but here it looks deflated and also has some wrinkles these are signs of underwater succulents and it's a good indication that your plant needs extra water however we often assume that dry leaves mean you're succulent or underwatered but in this case only the bottom leaves dry up but the middle and top leaves look firm and healthy like this one your succulents are doing just fine this is a normal process when the plant needs to get rid of some leaves and push for some roots and pups do not confuse the two as they are completely different so how should you water your succulents first thing to remember is whenever you water give it a good soak until the water runs out from the drainage holes some people think misting your succulent is enough but it's not you need to make sure succulents roots receive enough moisture so watering deeply is good as long as your pot has drainage this brings me to my next watering tips always use a pot with drainage especially if you are a beginner a large drainage hole will help excess water to drain out quick and prevent water sitting in the soil for too long and causing root rot while we do have some tips for growing succulents and no drainage pots it's best to pick up a pot with drainage from the beginning we'd also recommend getting a pot made from porous material like clay since they drain out faster next tip is do not use a spray bottle for watering succulents hold lots of moisture in their leaves so they're more prone to rot especially if grown in humid zones so using spray bottles is risky since the water might sit on your leaves for too long and eventually damage them also if you use hard water soon enough you will notice water stains on succulent leaves which not only will affect the beauty of your succulents but also not good for their healthy growth instead of a spray bottle use a squeeze bottle or watering can in which you can easily control the water flow and avoid the leaves now you've learned the basics of watering succulents you can move on to the next section what are common watering problems and how to fix them the first most common issue is over watering and root rot root rot happens when your plant can't get enough oxygen in the soil because there probably is too much water in it so they die off then their roots start to rot and this disease will start spreading to the whole succulent the first sign you want to pay attention to is when bottom leaves get droopy and mushy they also turn yellowish and transparent this might just be a over watering problems but don't be careless to confirm take the roots out of the soil to have a thorough check normally succulent roots are white and firm when they're healthy if the roots look fine your succulents are only over watered if so clean the damp soil from the roots and let them air dry for a few days before planting them up in fast draining soil in an extreme case you might find that the roots have turned black and became mushy this indicates that they have root rot to fix this clean the soil off the roots remove the rotten roots as much as possible place the succulent in an airy well-lit space so it can dry up avoid putting them under direct sunlight in some cases even the stem has turned black from root rot cut the rotten part off and let the succulent callus well over for four to six days prepare a pot filled with free draining soil re-pot the succulent in the soil once it's dried up well after that you should wait another one to two days before watering sometimes it's too late to save the succulent from root rot but if this can be detected at an early stage the plant can still be salvageable in severe cases of underwatering you can try water therapy for a succulent basically water therapy is taking a succulent out of the soil and submerging the roots in the water for at least 24 hours this will give your underwater succulent an instant boost but remember it only works if your succulent is really dry otherwise it might do more harm than good watering succulents is no easy task but once you learn the basics you'll get better at handling your succulents that's all for today i hope you enjoyed our tips and we'll see you in our next video

Channel: Succulents Box

Views: 579,492

Keywords: Succulents Box, Succulent Tips for Beginners, succulent watering, succulents for beginners, succulent water therapy, how to water succulents, when to water succulent plants, watering tips for succulents, succulent problems and solutions, succulent tips for beginners, common succulent problems, succulent overwatered vs underwatered, succulent care for beginners, how to water succulents in pots, succulent watering tips, succulent plants watering guide, succulent watering schedule

Id: _ZrlEmjJUiE

Length: 5min 29sec (329 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 11 2020