New to succulents
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theJrnyconts
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Sat Apr 06, 2019 1:03 pm
New to succulents
I don't have a clue about succulents outside of hens and chicks and nature does that for me. This first one is in a south facing window. Its mama sprays it with water because she was told to not soak it. However it is shriveling, because I thought it was not getting enough water, but after soaking it good, it never plumped up.
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theJrnyconts
- Posts: 20
- Joined: Sat Apr 06, 2019 1:03 pm
Re: New to succulents
This next one is all in the same pot, what a shocker right? Anyways, what do I need to do to these to keep them alive? I just barely got it today, as a gift, so there is no reason to critique the lack of light. I took the photo minutes after I got it and the office has no windows. I know. It needs light, however how much direct sunlight?
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CephaloSquad
- Posts: 22
- Joined: Thu Apr 25, 2019 4:18 am
Re: New to succulents
Hi I'm relatively new too! But I've done a lot of reading and have some ideas.
Generally like you said they need lots of direct light. I have read 4-6 hours, but you can also use a grow light or a window that gets direct light for longer to get the similar amount of light. If you see your succulents stretching or the leaves opening wider and flatter, it needs more light.
As for watering, what I read and have had success with so far is infrequent but thorough soaks. When I say soaks I don't mean leaving it in soaking soil. What is needed is well draining soil (regular soil mixed 1:1 with pumice or other grit, or bonsai jack which is entirely grit-better for bigger established roots I find). Once you have the well draining soil, make sure your pot has drainage holes at the bottom or else the soil will still stay waterlogged and your succulent will still be very susceptible to rot. Once you have the right soil and drainage, you can give your succs nice big thorough soaks, like a desert rainstorm. The gritty soil and drainage hole will then allow extra water to flow out. The succulent will drink deeply which helps it grow large healthy root systems. Let the soil dry out entirely before giving it a soak again! Some people say to even wait until the leaves wrinkle a little before watering. How often you water will depend on the plant, location, temperature, pot size, pot material, etc., so there's no real set schedule of water X times a month. I water when the soil is dry. To check I take a toothpick or kabob skewer and stick it in to the bottom, and when I pull it out I see how wet the soil that sticks to it is (kind of like the toothpick test in baking). Once it is dry by the toothpick test, I wait a day or two more before watering (or a week while it was colder and less sunny). Other tests to see how wet it is are to stick your finger in the soil as deep as possible (harder to do in gritty-er soil and big deep pots), using a moisture meter, or testing by weight of the pot- water makes it heavier and all that.
When a succulent is misted, then the leaves get water and the roots don't really get much. Water has to go through the entire soil. Succulent leaves don't like being wet. It opens the door to rot too. Rot can look like wrinkles, black spots/patches, yellow leaves, black or yellow stems, and general squishiness instead of the firmness expected. The tricky part is that a dry plant wrinkles too.
For your top succulent, I am not sure why it is still shriveled after you soaked it, but here are some possibilities. Maybe it needs more soaks to really pick up all the water. Maybe it needs to grow stronger roots to take all that water. Or maybe the leaves are rotting due to having been wetted by the mist? I can't tell you which one of these it is for certain, I am not that experienced or knowledgeable yet. It may even be something else. But hopefully this gives you avenues to explore. Good luck! Your succulents are pretty.
Generally like you said they need lots of direct light. I have read 4-6 hours, but you can also use a grow light or a window that gets direct light for longer to get the similar amount of light. If you see your succulents stretching or the leaves opening wider and flatter, it needs more light.
As for watering, what I read and have had success with so far is infrequent but thorough soaks. When I say soaks I don't mean leaving it in soaking soil. What is needed is well draining soil (regular soil mixed 1:1 with pumice or other grit, or bonsai jack which is entirely grit-better for bigger established roots I find). Once you have the well draining soil, make sure your pot has drainage holes at the bottom or else the soil will still stay waterlogged and your succulent will still be very susceptible to rot. Once you have the right soil and drainage, you can give your succs nice big thorough soaks, like a desert rainstorm. The gritty soil and drainage hole will then allow extra water to flow out. The succulent will drink deeply which helps it grow large healthy root systems. Let the soil dry out entirely before giving it a soak again! Some people say to even wait until the leaves wrinkle a little before watering. How often you water will depend on the plant, location, temperature, pot size, pot material, etc., so there's no real set schedule of water X times a month. I water when the soil is dry. To check I take a toothpick or kabob skewer and stick it in to the bottom, and when I pull it out I see how wet the soil that sticks to it is (kind of like the toothpick test in baking). Once it is dry by the toothpick test, I wait a day or two more before watering (or a week while it was colder and less sunny). Other tests to see how wet it is are to stick your finger in the soil as deep as possible (harder to do in gritty-er soil and big deep pots), using a moisture meter, or testing by weight of the pot- water makes it heavier and all that.
When a succulent is misted, then the leaves get water and the roots don't really get much. Water has to go through the entire soil. Succulent leaves don't like being wet. It opens the door to rot too. Rot can look like wrinkles, black spots/patches, yellow leaves, black or yellow stems, and general squishiness instead of the firmness expected. The tricky part is that a dry plant wrinkles too.
For your top succulent, I am not sure why it is still shriveled after you soaked it, but here are some possibilities. Maybe it needs more soaks to really pick up all the water. Maybe it needs to grow stronger roots to take all that water. Or maybe the leaves are rotting due to having been wetted by the mist? I can't tell you which one of these it is for certain, I am not that experienced or knowledgeable yet. It may even be something else. But hopefully this gives you avenues to explore. Good luck! Your succulents are pretty.