Succulent & Cactus Care
Succulents rarely die of neglect. They die of overwatering, and of sitting in the wrong substrate while it happens. Fix the mix and most of the watering problem disappears with it.
The short answer
1. It is almost never a light problem. It is the substrate holding water for days after you water.
2. Roughly 70 per cent of the mix should be mineral. Pumice, lava rock, akadama — not peat with a scoop of sand.
3. Water deeply, then forget about it. Bone dry before the next drink. Winter means barely at all.
The 70/30 rule
A succulent substrate should be roughly 70 per cent hard mineral by volume. These are the four that do the work in Molly’s Succulent & Cactus Mix — each one rigid, porous and permanently non-compacting.
- Pumice. Porous volcanic rock. Holds a little water inside, drains everything else, and adds ballast so rosettes stay upright.
- Lava rock. Sharp, angular and permanent. Creates the large air channels that let a pot drain in seconds rather than hours.
- Akadama. Fired Japanese clay, pH neutral. Holds nutrients on its surface without ever going soggy in the middle.
- Perlite. Popped volcanic glass. Weightless, permanently porous, and it keeps the finer fraction from settling into a plug.
Watering rhythm through the year
Indoors, in a gritty mix, in a pot with a drainage hole. Treat these as a starting rhythm and let the substrate confirm it — bone dry before every drink.
| Season | Interval | What to watch |
|---|---|---|
| Spring & summer | Every 10–14 days | Active growth. Water deeply until it runs through, then let it dry completely. |
| Autumn | Every 2–3 weeks | Growth slows as light drops. Start stretching the gap before the plant asks you to. |
| Winter | Every 3–4 weeks | Dormancy. This is where most collections are lost — to kindness, not neglect. |
| Any season | Never on a schedule alone | Push a finger in. Damp anywhere in the pot means wait. |
Recommended — Molly’s Succulent & Cactus Mix: mineral-heavy and screened, so it drains in seconds and stays open for the life of the pot. No peat, no soil, no fertiliser.
Read next
Fundamentals
- Why most bagged soil kills succulents — the single biggest mistake new owners make, and why gritty mix works.
- Why succulents need gritty soil — the root biology behind the requirement, and why air beats nutrients.
- Succulent care for beginners — light, water, soil, pot: the four pillars in one tutorial.
Deep dives
- LECA vs. soil for succulents — when LECA is the right call, when gritty mix wins, and how to decide.
- Growing succulents indoors — long-form reference: varieties, propagation, troubleshooting and seasonal care.
- 10 tips for indoor succulents — ten habits that separate collections that thrive from collections that slowly fail.
Common questions
Why does my succulent keep dying?
Almost always overwatering combined with the wrong substrate. Standard potting mix holds water for days; succulent roots need to dry out fully between waterings. Switch to a gritty mix and water every 10–14 days indoors, less in winter. Most “I keep killing succulents” stories end there.
Can I use cactus soil for succulents?
Yes — most commercial “cactus and succulent” products are interchangeable across both. The requirement is fast drainage. Look for around 70% mineral content (pumice, lava, perlite, coarse grit) rather than a peat-heavy base with a token handful of sand.
How often should I water indoor succulents?
Roughly every 10–14 days in active growth, every 3–4 weeks in winter. The reliable signal is the substrate itself: bone dry to the touch before you water again, and when you do, water deeply until it drains through.
Stop losing them to root rot
Mineral-heavy, screened, and fast-draining by design. The substrate change is usually the whole fix.
Shop Molly’s Succulent Mix → · Soil finder quiz
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