How to water succulents during their dormant period? Save this guide

Most succulents enter a dormant period as the seasons change, that is, they enter a state of self-protection. The dormant period is a dangerous time for succulents, and for growers it seems somewhat mysterious. And once succulents enter dormancy, their root system generally stops growing and being active, and many fine hair roots gradually disappear as well. Many plants die during or shortly after dormancy, mostly because they are too dry during dormancy or receive no careful monitoring. Dormancy is part of their life cycle; when light and temperature are no longer suitable for them to be active, they need to rest in order to maintain a healthy state. And your task is to accompany them through this period.

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Succulents

Since that is the case, we do not need to think too much about how to preserve the fine hair roots. Because the plant has lost its ability to absorb water, if you water too much at this stage, not only will the water not be fully absorbed, but it will instead cause the fine hair roots to rot, which further affects the plant's main root. If it is allowed to spread, it may even cause the stem tissue to rot. Therefore, succulents in a dormant state should have watering strictly controlled.

Succulents

So, do succulents in the dormant period really not need supplemental water? Actually, this is a misconception. As for supplying water to plants, watering is not the only way. Many plants can also be given supplemental water by methods such as spraying water on the leaves, especially plants that have entered dormancy. If you water plants in a dormant state, it is generally not easy to get the amount of water right, and rot is usually caused by overwatering. How should succulents be watered during the dormant period?

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After succulents enter the dormant period, we mainly use misting to supply them with supplemental water. Raising the humidity of the air and the growing medium in this way is safer, so that succulents in the dormant period will not develop physiological disorders because the air and growing medium are too dry.

Of course, the dormancy of succulents is generally relative, and there are still quite a few succulents whose dormancy characteristics are not very obvious, such as Haworthia cooperi and Lithops pseudotruncatella and other varieties. In such cases, supplemental watering should be handled flexibly according to the plant's current condition, but on the whole the principle to grasp is this: in the dormant season, if a succulent shows signs of dehydration, and the growing point has clearly lost its luster, or even the plant's color deepens all day while the leaves look somewhat soft, we should treat it as being in a dormant state, so watering it or supplying supplemental water should also be done according to dormant-period standards.

Succulents

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