Question about watering succulents in the winter

I keep seeing folks at the plant swap in my town drown their succulents when it gets cold. They think because the heater is on, the plants need more water. It's the opposite. My jade plant only needs a drink maybe once a month from November to March. I learned this the hard way after I lost a nice echeveria to rot about two years ago. The soil should be bone dry for weeks. It's about the light levels dropping, not just the indoor air. Has anyone else found a good way to tell when it's finally time to water?

3 comments

3 Comments

jake_torres681mo ago

Hold up, you're telling people to let the soil go bone dry for weeks? That's how you get a pile of crispy leaves. My apartment gets super dry from the furnace, it's like a desert in here. My string of pearls would be dead if I waited a month between waterings. I give mine a small drink every two weeks and they're thriving, even put out new growth last January. You have to actually check the plant, not just follow a calendar. If the leaves get soft and wrinkly, it's thirsty, winter or not.

the_wyatt1mo ago

Yeah, the furnace really sucks the moisture out. I do the taco test on a few top leaves, if they fold easy it's time for a small drink.

jessica_robinson231mo ago

Bone dry for weeks" is a stretch, but a small drink every two weeks in a dry apartment sounds like overwatering to me. My pearls would rot with that schedule.