watering schedule

[ohugal]

Hi Everyone,

How do you keep track of when to water your succulents?
I used to not keep track all, then ev0lved to a (detailed) calendar system (with watering instructions per plant) and am now somewhere in between (having grown a bit more confidence). A calendar system works well with a smaller collection of plants, but I can imagine it's a lot of 'bureaucracy' for larger collections. My calendar also includes care per instructions per month (which I collect from books and websites) and consists of printed sheets.

[Jangaudi]

I used to water without any calendar, and found myself often confused and anxious about when the last time really was. So I use one since a year or more and it really gives me more peace of mind. My plants are divided between a few groups so I mark the day I water them. During intense heat I shorten the schedule, and the reverse for colder periods. I use an old fashion paper calendar, usually the free ones which have some brand on it, and pictures of cute kittens, unicorns, puppies in funny costumes and the likes

[7george]

Not a big deal if you skip a day or two from the schedule: it's a temperature-depending so "next time" works well for me. Maybe I even saved a plant from overwatering and sure death so forgetting is OK. They think that is just a draught in the area...

[ohugal]

I used to water without any calendar, and found myself often confused and anxious about when the last time really was. So I use one since a year or more and it really gives me more peace of mind. My plants are divided between a few groups so I mark the day I water them. During intense heat I shorten the schedule, and the reverse for colder periods. I use an old fashion paper calendar, usually the free ones which have some brand on it, and pictures of cute kittens, unicorns, puppies in funny costumes and the likes

Sounds nice! How many plants do you have?

Not a big deal if you skip a day or two from the schedule: it's a temperature-depending so "next time" works well for me. Maybe I even saved a plant from overwatering and sure death so forgetting is OK. They think that is just a draught in the area...

How often do you visit your succulents? There are moments where I can't stop looking at them and then there are times where I almost forget about them.

[Jangaudi]

How many plants do you have?

I really don't know. I have a lot of seedlings / young plants growing, as I restarted just 3 years back, but a couple of thousand I would think

[7george]

===
How often do you visit your succulents? There are moments where I can't stop looking at them and then there are times where I almost forget about them.

We live together in the same house so at least 2 - 3 times/day if I'm not at work away. Since pot size vary from 3 - 5 cm to ~50 cm in diameter and outdoors rains help every day in the summer would be something due to water. Winter time is much less, just some succulents, small seedlings and other "flowers", maybe once - twice a month in warmer days.

[MrXeric]

I group my plants into watering tiers (eg. Tier 1: 8-10days, Tier 2:10-12days, etc.). I keep track of when I watered what tier, as well as what plant belongs to what tier, on a spreadsheet. I use plant species (if they have sensitive roots for example) and pot size as basis for grouping. Throughout the year I shuffle plants around tiers if they show signs of thirst (put in a lower tier) or if they remain plump (put in a higher tier) come watering day.

For things like lithops and conophytums, I water all pots whenever one pot shows signs of thirst. Since I have several different species of each, I probably shouldn't do it this way since each species likely has different watering needs, but it has worked out for me so far without any losses.

[ohugal]

Thank you for contributing to the topic.
I grow my plants in terracotta pots, so each one is watered individually. I presume those of you with large collections have more efficient ways of watering?
Is there anyone who uses a digital tool to keep track? An application on your smartphone for example?
p.s. tier means group?

[HudsonLH]

Ohugal,

A bit late, perhaps, but I record my schedule on Google calendar and have my Google home remind me when it’s time to water. I’ve experimented with various reminder apps but they were not for me. Sometimes simpler is better.

This is personal preference but I have found that keeping a diverse range of cacti is… tiring… as many genera require specific microclimates and have different watering needs. I now specialise in gymnocalyciums and astrophytums and water my entire collection every 4 days.

RE watering, you will be surprised how many specialist nurseries still insist on using a hose.

H

[mikethecactusguy]

curiosity. what is wrong with a hose?

[jerrytheplater]

I use a hose outdoors when I am not using fertilizer. Its a lot faster than a watering can.

[HudsonLH]

curiosity. what is wrong with a hose?

Mike,

Nothing wrong with using a hose though I'm sure we can agree there are perhaps more efficient watering methods if we chose to invest the time and money to DIY/buy a system. My response was directed towards Ohugal and his comment about how those with bigger collections have more efficient watering methods.

H