Is it true that Succulents hate water and will rot if watered too much?
I want to answer this in context of my personal experience. I am no scientist and my posts are not considered scientific in anyway. But they are the result of the many experiments I did with my own plants. More than anything, i believe the plants are more honest than people can ever be.
- Water is not the enemy of succulents. It is essential to their growth and development. It is the growth of microbes found in the soil due to prolonged dampness that causes the rotting. And if they hate water so much, then majority of those that tried water therapy would have seen decline in the health of their succulents. I see the opposite.
- Water is by no means artificial, is not a harmful chemical and shouldn't cause any long term negative effects if given correctly, by any standards.
- I have subjected many of my succulents to evergreen conditions which include DAILY watering and full sun and rain. Only one plant succumbed. This was an Echeveria Peacockii that wasn't doing very well since I bought it. It is one out of at least 50 different succulents ranging from cacti, Haworthia, Echeveria and other succulents.
- I did this on a small scale first to a few succulents i potted together. They were potted in a mix of pure inorganic media: pumice and pebbles. NO SOIL. I watered them extensively for 2 months disregarding all preconceptions that succulents can't stand watering. And they all grew and grew. They did not rot. So water isn't the enemy. This I can say conclusively. Water is NOT the enemy.
What many long time growers are not telling you is that, many of them use highly inorganic medium in their potted soil mixture. The idea is to emulate the natural environment of succulents which consists mostly of rocks, stones, sand, pebbles and other inorganic materials. The organic matter that succulents get in their natural habitat is from the occasional dropping of animals or animal and plant corpses.
- Succulents naturally grow where other plants can't. Cliffs, desserts, rocky places. So if you think in this terms, it will make sense.
When it rains in these places, it could be highly torrential rains which might last a few days if not weeks. If they cannot handle water they should have been extinct. But they aren't. It is during these rainy periods that they grow. They plump themselves up to prepare for the next drought.
So think twice before believing that succulents hate water. If your plant is rotting due to over watering, then consider the following:
1. Is the medium you planted your plant in appropriate for it?
2. Is the medium used too heavy and retains too much water?
3. Is the plant undergoing dormancy? If it is, you should not water it as much or not water at all.
Remember, keeping an open mind allows us to find solutions that are otherwise impossible to see.
I will not argue should some people feel this is not sound nor valid. I gain nothing whether you try this or not. But your plants can gain a new lease at life if you do. It is a matter of understanding them and giving them what they need when they need it.
- Also have to consider what type of leaf the succulent has..like the Adeniums, Plumerias and some Euphorbias, they have thinner leaves, not the succulent type, but they have caudex or some thicker stems..these plants will surely like to be treated as tropicals, so water in the day is needed.
- Succulents are different than the cactus. They were a little harder for me to kill because they can take a little more water. Cactus seem to hate water. They are use to being in the desert and it does not rain in the desert.