Too little water?

[IainS]

Okay, hopefully we've all had a good amount of rainfall in the past day or two - at least, those of us in the UK. So this question is probably as timely as a broken leg on the morning of your wedding day. But is there a tendency for us to water too little?

How much - or often - do large scale commercial growers of cacti/succulents water? They seem to produce bigger plants, quicker, without always overdoing it.

There must be the danger of pushing a plant too much by over-watering. We saw a good example of Lithops that had suffered in this way on the forum recently. So too much is obviously too much.

I, for one, find myself questioning "Am I not giving them enough?" I'm somewhat unusual because I'm hindered by the habit of being a professional nurseryman for the past 34 years (not cacti/succulents - apart from Sempervivums etc), so I've had to wean myself off watering as much as possible and retrain my brain.

Matt, for example, has just commented on another thread that he made a mistake earlier in the year, over-watering, yet his plants seem to have perked up and benefited from this "error".

Would we change our regimes if we were growing our plants within a commercial framework?

Again, to emphasise, I'm not suggesting any of us should consistently over-water. But should we perhaps occasionally simulate a serious downpour for our plants?

[Nick_G]

It depends on how you like your plants to look. I prefer tight, hard grown plants so don't water so often, others may prefer to get their plants as big as possible as soon as possible.

[IainS]

Hi Nick: To be absolutely clear, personally, I'm like you. Tight is essential. I can't stand plants that are pushed. Professionally, it's embarrassing to see garden centres full of perennials (and other plants) that have been over-fed and grown under cover; once in a customer's garden, they're likely to flop over. All top show and little root stock. Most need severely cutting back before planting.

But I still wonder: Am I - or are we - too conservative?

[juster]

An interesting point Iain, many of us have been encouraged to keep our plants 'nice and tight'; those of us who enter shows know that judges keep this in mind, and I wouldn't disagree with that, overblown plants usually look awful.
Some years ago I visited the collection of a very experienced grower who had wonderful plants; he told me that, if a plant was looking ill, as a last resort he 'flooded it with water', it then had two quick options, recover or rot! A brave option, but there may be something in it.

[rodsmith]

Over the years I've lost far more cacti & succulents by over-watering than under-watering, so my inclination these days is always to hold back on the water. Like earlier comments I prefer my plants to be "tight" and would rather they were thirsty than rotten.

[KarlR]

This question is about as easy to answer as "which soil is the best?"

20 years ago a Dutch nursery man advised me to keep Leuchtenbergias in standing water the whole summer through (once in a while they might go a day without standing water if I don't pay attention). They've all grown happily, flowered profusely every August and never reddened at the tip of the tubercles. They've also kept a very nice shape and never seemed "bloated" at any point. They didn't take too kindly to being repotted a few years ago and didn't really grow or flower much for a few years (although they seem to want to grow again now), but I still kept them in standing water every summer with seemingly no adverse effects.

Some species will tolerate or even appreciate a lot of water and still look "like they're supposed to", while others will, of course, not be as tolerant. The case of erring on the side of caution is certainly something I've largely adhered to myself. I'd rather stay on the safe side than lose some of my precious plants. Still, I think a large number of cactus species might well enjoy more frequent waterings so long as the soil is porous, well drained and the average temperature isn't too low.

The plants I keep under artificial lighting I water approximately once a week or so, but I could probably water them two times a week with little risk. They might not stay as compact though.

I think if the plants are potted in a very porous and free draining inert material where there would be much less risk of hostile bacteria/algae/pathogens building up and an almost non-existent risk of root damaging pests that you might get in an organic mix (if kept constantly moist), it should be possible to water the plants much more frequently than "normal". E.g. if grown in, say, pure pumice and kept at fairly high temperatures with good light quality it wouldn't surprise me if lots of species could be kept more or less constantly moist.

[Rene G]

Not an easy wuestion to answer in a few word, - or yes or no! I have grown C.& S for over 50 years and made very many mistakes, but I have learned a little. It really is a matter of experience and circumstancestoo. It dipends on the wether and the temperature in the greenhouse. Also it depends on where the plants come from, particularly the Succulents. Some plants can take, some cant. There are three things interconnected and to be considered: Light,temperature and water should always be in the right proportion! Also I have found that when you water in hot weather, water well and then let them dry out well before you do it again. Experience should tell you what your plants need and also plants can tell you by looking good or sad.
In cooler weather it is therefore sensible to keep control of your watering can!
Finally, if in dought do nought!
Bear in mind, assistants in Garden Centers have little experience of the plants they are asked to water.

[Dude]

I was told by my local cactus gartner. As log as the cactus have those small green "leaves" it's growing and I should water weekly.

I did not know those little green spikes were considered the leaves on a cactus.


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[anders]

As long as the cactus have those small green "leaves" it's growing and I should water weekly.

Once a week sounds too often, especially with that soil. Try to find out when it has dried out instead. Growth is not always a signal to water cacti, they do not always know what is best for them. When it is time for winter rest you must stop watering them whether they grow or not (to prevent them from growing in winter).

I did not know those little green spikes were considered the leaves on a cactus.

The are indeed (rudimentary) leaves. Try Pereskia if you want "real" leaves.

[Dot]

Recently, I have been bringing problem plants indoors and putting them on windowsills so that I can watch them closely. I have been surprised at how much water they have needed and it has been interesting to see how frequently they do seem to need watering again.
One example is a Haworthia cooperii variegate which was formerly in a large pot. In the greenhouse it seemed to shrink away so I saved a small rosette and have managed to get it rooted again initially by watering every few days.
Conclusion is that yes I have generally not been watering certain plants enough in the greenhouse.

Dot.