Today Succulents and Cactus are very popular.  You see larger selections of them to choose from at your local garden center or nursery.  They look so fantastic with their weird leaves and spikes yet are the perfect plant to put into garden containers or indoors decorative pottery.  If you have tried to pot these plants and had issues with over or under watering we would like to offer a few tips.

Did you know that the word succulent means a plant that can hold excess water?  Their leaves look really puffy and fleshy almost like they will squirt liquid.  Now there are other succulents like cactus that may not look that way but don’t require a lot of water to survive.

When it comes to how much and when is best to water a succulent container, the rule that works best is to allow the soil to become dry between watering but not hard and compact.  Usually what happens is you see some top soil that has dried out, usually from the wind conditions, and think the plant needs more.  That is incorrect.  Over watering is the one main reason for potted succulent problems.

The correct way to water is to wait till the water drains out the drain hole of the planter base.  Water again and let drain completely.  This allows the potted succulents roots time to drink in water.  You don’t want your garden container sitting in water or the plant will continue to suck up the liquid.

If you question whether you need more water or not it is best to go with under watering than over watering.  Remember that succulent garden planters grow slowly in winter so they need much less water than summer months.  If your pots are indoors you may need to water every 4 days if your homes indoor air is arid.

The best way to water is to use a small watering can and place the spout on the soil.  It’s best not to water the leaves only.  By watering the soils surface you give the roots of the potted succulent a longer time to absorb the liquid.  It won’t hurt the leaves if they get wet but aim for the soil surface first.