How to water succulents in summer? Pick the right time and they will thrive

Watering succulents takes three years of practice, and many plant lovers still have plenty of doubts and worries about watering. For beginners, watering alone really calls for caution and a conservative approach, and you must remember the principle of "rather dry than wet", because succulents given little water will not die of drought - at worst they look poor and their leaves are not plump enough - but too much water can very likely drown them. And this common knowledge leads many plant lovers to believe that succulents prefer drought to water.

How is it better to water succulents in summer? It depends on how much soil is in your succulent's pot. If you grow it in a very small pot, then water once every three days, because there is little soil and moisture is lost quickly. If you grow it in a relatively large pot with more soil, then you can water about once a week, but remember to water thoroughly. Also, do not leave it in strong sunlight, or it will change color.

Most plant lovers know that succulents need more sun and less water, but "less water" does not mean watering just a little at a time; it means the interval between waterings should be long, and you should wait until the soil is dry before watering again. So exactly how long is that? And how do you tell that the soil is dry? The most basic method: the bamboo skewer test. Insert a slightly longer bamboo skewer into the soil and pull it out; if soil sticks to the skewer, do not water, and if it does not, then water. Some succulent growers worry that the bamboo skewer will injure the succulent's root system, but there is really no problem; succulents are not that fragile.

At what time of day should succulents be watered? Generally choose the evening, because as mentioned above, the plant is more active at night and can cope with the sudden increase in moisture. So watering in the evening is best. There is a secret to watering, and that is to water thoroughly - water until it comes gushing out from the bottom of the pot. The purpose of doing this is to bring enough fresh air to the roots. This is very important. Fresh air at the roots helps the roots breathe; the weak electric currents produced by metabolism help the roots absorb nutrient ions from the medium. Fresh air is just as crucial as water.

What is going on with succulents going dormant in summer? It depends on a unique substance metabolism system that native succulents developed to adapt to their living environment, called "Crassulacean acid metabolism". Unlike ordinary plants, which breathe and convert energy at the same time, this metabolic mode opens the stomata at night to breathe and store energy, and closes the stomata during the day to focus on digesting energy.

The purpose of watering is to help plants grow better. Watering too much keeps the soil in a constantly wet state, which easily breeds bacteria and thus causes the plant's death; watering too little cannot meet the plant's growth needs. The best approach is, according to your own care environment, to observe the soil and the plant every day, and through constant trial and summary to find the watering frequency that best suits your own succulents.

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