Succulent plants are low-maintenance plants, but that doesn’t mean that it requires no care at all. The thing with succulent plants is that they are very easy to maintain and grow but very hard to wilt. If you find that your succulent plants are dying, it is very likely your fault. Yes, you are to blame.
If you don’t want that kind of responsibility on your shoulders, here are some steps on reviving a withering succulent plant:
1. Adequate Watering
What succulents like CAL Farms Beautiful 36 of 2″ Assorted Succulents need is adequate water—neither too much or too little. When you drown a succulent in water, it can cause rot diseases while not watering it rightly will put the plant in “survival mode.” This means that the succulent plant may actually stop flowering.
What adequate is referring to might actually be different depending on the sun exposure and planting location, so you have to study this first and refer to the guide. Generally, a potted succulent plant under the full sunlight needs daily drink. For plants with roots in the ground and in partial shade, watering once or twice a week is more than enough.
2. Just the Right Lighting
If you noticed that your succulent plant is looking rather thin and stretched out, this means that it’s getting too little light. In order for a succulent to thrive, it needs sunlight. Although succulents are generally low-maintenance, these cannot survive without the much-needed sun.
The plant may stay alive, but it will stretch out to any light source and appear to look drawn. If the succulent is looking dead to you, it might be because it’s about to.
The solution? Move it under a light source.
3. Check the Drainage
Succulents, in order to survive, need well-draining soil. If the plant begins to wilt, you can check if the soil is properly draining by filling the top with water and seeing how quickly it drains. Make sure to use containers that drain well. Otherwise, the succulent can develop rot problems.
For plants in the ground, you can construct a basin around the plant and fill it up for the exact same purpose. You can also increase drainage by adding lava rock, sand or perlite. Excess water can drain quickly.
4. Correct Dose of Fertilizer
Succulents actually don’t need heavy doses of fertilizers and other nutrients. Except for some variants, succulents grow in poorer and less fertile soil, and they’re fine with that. And because they prefer poor soil, succulents don’t need fertilizers or at least, you shouldn’t put too much fertilizers on them. Just the right amount of it will do. If you notice that your succulents are drooping, you may be using fertilizers too much.
If you really have to use fertilizers, always pick a water soluble fertilizer higher in phosphorous than nitrogen. Generally, you need to “water down” the fertilizers before using them on the succulents. During the growing season, just fertilize the plants three or four times. This will keep all the nutrients they need intact without overpowering the plants with fertilizers.