Water Therapy for Succulents

"Water therapy" is frequently mentioned in my succulent lover groups. Proponents of this method say that it induces healthy root growth, especially for dehydrated plants. However, others cautioned against overusing it as it can cause rot easily. I have experienced both sides of the coin with water therapy.

My Haworthia is one of my oldest surviving succulents (I would like to apologise to those in plant heaven) and I became very concerned when I noticed that it stopped growing. The lower leaves were also drying out quickly, which is a sign that it was using up its water reserve. I tweaked some of its living conditions, such as through watering more deeply and introducing more light, but it remained unhealthy. As a last resort, I removed it from the pot. I realised that its roots were mostly gone (could be caused by root mealies), thus hindering its water uptake.

As there were no roots, I thought water therapy was an appropriate cure. I was delighted when I saw healthy white roots appearing within a few days. Many online resources say to carry out water therapy for around 24 hours. I left my Haworthia in therapy for more than a week to encourage further root growth. It is also advisable to let the succulent dry for a day after removing it from water, but I potted mine rather quickly in my excitement of seeing new leaf growth. I really hope it survives and produces lots of pups.

I have a few plants which rotted when I attempted water therapy, thus I think I will reserve it only for plants without roots. Currently, I am doing water therapy on my old Sanseviera. Its roots were also gone and definitely because of root mealies (urgh). I am keeping my fingers crossed for it.

[This post, and several others, is long overdue as I was busy falling sick (three Fridays in a row!) and voting like a maniac for a koala.]