rain on succulents

Can Rain Kill Succulents?

Succulents mostly come from arid and dry regions that do not see rain very frequently. While it is true that some succulents are a bit touchy when it comes to being over-watered sometimes people tend to panic a bit too much when it comes to leaving succulents out in the rain.

Rain can kill and rot some sensitive succulents but the great majority should be fine. Succulents prefer potting mix that dries out between watering, but they are unlikely to die purely because of rain. Keep them away from flooded gardens, heavy soil, pots without drainage or too much shade.

Let’s have a closer look at what can tip succulents into rotting when it rains and how to prevent them from dying in too much rain. For a more detailed article on succulent rot, please see here.

6 Reasons Succulents Can Die in The Rain

  1. Planting in flood areas
  2. Sun loving succulents in too much shade
  3. Bad potting mix
  4. Pots without drainage
  5. Cuttings
  6. Sensitive succulents

1. Succulents Planted In Flood Areas

In our experience, succulents planted in the garden always seem to love getting rained on and to date none of the 400 odd varieties that we grow in the ground have died from too much rain (having said that we do grow varieties that are sensitive to rain and will cover that below).

The succulent gardens around our nursery are planted on a slope or raised where stagnant water is not able to drain away properly. We don’t add anything in our, what can only be described as, very poor soil yet the succulents live even during rainy spells.

In my opinion, the secret is to plant succulents in spots where water can drain away easily so even if it rains for days on end, they are not submerged in water which can result their roots not being able to get oxygen.

If you’re worried about the natural state of your soil (too clay-like or heavy) it can always be broken up and made more free draining by adding good quality potting mix, perlite or fine, composted mulch. I’d suggest to not add too much sand as when wet, it can become too heavy and suffocate the roots.

For succulents to live happily outside never plant them where water has trouble draining after heavy rain and if you live in a subtropical/tropical/areas with lots of rain, help your plants by making the soil more breathable, adding the above mentioned potting mix, perlite or mulch.

2. Sun-loving Succulent Planted in Too Much Shade

Many succulents need quite a bit of sun exposure to grow and be healthy. The amount of sun can vary, but very few succulents will successfully grow and maintain their shape in deep shade. The great majority of succulents also dislike humidity and if this is compounded by them being in shade, succulents could easily rot after rain.

It is best to plant succulents in a sunny position as this will help to dry out soil after rain and will also prevent dampness, unless they are shade- loving succulents such as Haworthia, Gasteria etc. These will need to be shielded from the sun. See another one of our articles on succulents and sun for more info.

3. Succulents Planted in Unsuitable Potting Mix/Soil in Pots

In the ground succulents will survive even in poor soil but it is a different story when it comes to pots. The roots are limited by the pot and cannot spread or grow deep to find nutrients, more stable temperature or air. All they need has to be found in the pot.

Some (usually very cheap) potting mixes can be too heavy due to a lot of sand that almost becomes airless and heavy when wet and this can suffocate the roots. Many low quality mixes also have too much organic matter such as compost or animal poo which succulents do not like. They would be fine in the ground in these kind of conditions, but not in pots.

Even worse than bad potting mix in a pot is plain garden soil. Despite succulents growing happily in the garden, it is very likely they will not grow too well in garden soil, in pots. Some extra hardy varieties such as Graptopetalum paraguayens or Crassula ovata will survive, but their growth is likely to be slow.

The reason for gardens soil not being suitable for pots is that it, like sand, simply becomes too heavy when wet and if it rains a lot there is a good chance its inability to drain fast enough and not leave sufficient air for the roots will rot succulents.

What a good quality, airy and light succulent potting mix does is it provides air pockets, even when it’s raining heavily allowing the roots to breathe. We found our nursery succulents (including cacti/ plants classed as very sensitive to over-watering) always survive rainy periods without a problem.

Apart from a few some cultivars, mostly in the Echeveria genus, and their hybrids ( we will list below) our plants are grown out in the open and there is nothing to keep the rain out. We think our succulents live through this due to the great quality, light and well draining potting mix we use.

It is hard to get a perfect quality potting mix and as mentioned above, even some succulent & cacti potting mixes can be too heavy. A simple way to fix this and make any mix airy is to add perlite/ pumice.

4. Succulents In Pots Without Drainage Holes

You can get away (we do not recommend this) with planting succulents in pots without drainage holes if they are made out of concrete/terracotta or if they are under cover.

Concrete and terracotta are porous and will eventually let the water evaporate through the walls of the pot. If it rains heavily for extended periods though, the chances are your succulents will drown and rot as the walls are not porous enough to let great amounts of water through.

Plants in pots without drainage should be under cover during heavy rain. The safest bet is to go for a pot with a drainage hole. If you really really really like a pot that has no hole, there is always a possibility to drill one in.

Concrete and terracotta pots are easy to drill through with a bog standard drill bit. Ceramic pots might need a diamond tip or masonry drill bit so the pot does not crack.

If you have a pot in the open, always plant in pots with a hole.

5. Fresh Succulent Cuttings In The Rain

When succulents are cut for propagation they should be left in a dry environment for at least 24 hours so the wound heals. If they are planted straight in the wet soil and while it rains, some varieties can rot.

After the cuttings have healed for a day or two they can safely go outside in the open and should survive even if it rains. For more on succulents cuttings see here.

6. Sensitive Succulents

Some (only a very slim minority) succulents are a bit more touchy when it comes to water and can indeed rot when left in wet soil/ potting mix for too long, no matter how well it drains. These are often very susceptible to a plant disease called edeme (oedema) and fungal disease (rot, powdery mildew, black spot)

To date we only found a few plants that need to be protected from rain and they include:

  • Lithops
  • Fenestraria rhophalophylla (Baby Toes)- this plant will split it’s leaves in too much rain
  • Cotyledon tomentosa (very sensitive to too much rain when plants are young)
  • Graptoveria Amethorum
  • Pachyphytum (these will not rot but are very prone to fungal disease and black spots during heavy rain and high humidity)
  • Echeveria Pearl Von Nurnberg & Purple Pearl (unlikely to rot but prone to fungal disease)
  • Echeveria purpurosum
  • Echeveria Romeo
  • Echeveria lauii
  • many xGraptoveria and xPachyveria cultivars

In our nursery, they live in a small polytunnel with a plastic cover to keep the rain out. However, we do not grow all the succulents in the world and there are new hybrids being produced frequently, so this list of plants may grow as we acquire new plants.

If unsure about how ‘touchy’ a succulent is when it comes to rain, they can brought under cover.

It is always good to be cautious, especially when you are growing expensive and rare succulents. If you are worried they are going to die during rainy spells let them get wet as they will like the fresh rain and then bring under cover to give them a chance to dry out completely.

In conclusion rain can kill succulents, but if they are being looked after the majority will survive rain just fine. As long as the potting mix is right, the pot has a drainage hole and the roots are not flooded, succulents should deal with rainy periods and humidity.

If you found this article useful, you may also like to read how long can succulents survive without water.