Succulents in water?

[Annie Moe]

Three of my succulent plants; Kalanchoe thyrsiflora, Opuntia subulata monstrose, and aloe, accidentally got placed in standing water. Everything I've read, it says NOT to do this. I didn't notice for two days that they had been moved and when I saw them, THEY WERE HUGE!! It was like they had a growth spurt! So now I don't know what to do. Water them from the bottom and let it dry out or go back to top watering them. Any advice or suggestions? Thanks!

[Kisal]

I generally water my cacti and succulents from the bottom, placing the plant and its pot in water to just over the rim, and leaving it there until all the bubbling stops. About every third or fourth watering, I drench the soil from the top, to remove excess salts that may be building up from my local water supply.

You need to make sure the root ball gets thoroughly wet when you water, then allow all excess water to drain off. Watering from the top all the time often fails to saturate the center of the root ball.

If your plants are in standard potting mix, rather than in a soil mix specifically designed for cacti/succulents, you might want to water from the top as a rule, but water from the bottom every third or fourth watering. Essentially, reverse the way I treat my cacti and succulents.

[Annie Moe]

Thanks! I made a mixture of regular soil and sand. They seem to still be happy!

[a0c8c]

Sounds like what happens when it rains in the dessert. I've seen barrel catus double overnight by sucking up so much rain. That's how deserts work, dry dry dry, then rain, everything grows quickly, then dry dry dry again.

[Ted M]

When I take cuttings or just leaves that fall off and I put them in a very moist pot to start new plants in a few days overnight the leaves will explode from the extra water...