Getting your first plant feels like a big responsibility. When mine started looking wrinkly, I panicked. I had just been gifted this tiny succulent, hadn’t even named it yet, and suddenly its leaves looked deflated and soft. I assumed I was already failing.
What I learned next completely changed how I care for succulents.
Wrinkles don’t always mean something is wrong
Found in Reddit.
With succulents, wrinkly leaves usually mean one thing: thirst.
Succulents store water in their leaves. When those reserves run low, the leaves wrinkle and feel slightly soft or gummy to the touch. That’s not damage. That’s communication.
This was the biggest surprise for me. I had read “water every two weeks” online and assumed that was the rule. It isn’t.
Why watering on a schedule doesn’t work
Succulents don’t care about calendars. They respond to conditions.
How often they need water depends on:
- Light levels
- Temperature
- Pot size
- Soil type
- Time of year
In winter especially, water needs drop dramatically. A strict schedule often leads to either chronic thirst or rot.
The best advice I got was simple: water when the leaves tell you to.
What thirsty leaves actually feel like
Before watering, the leaves on my plant were:
- Slightly wrinkled
- Softer than usual
- Less firm when gently pinched
That softness is the cue. When a succulent is well hydrated, the leaves feel plump and firm.
How I watered it correctly
Instead of pouring a little water on top, I gave it a proper soak.
What worked:
- Water thoroughly until it drains from the bottom
- Let excess water drain completely
- Do not water again until wrinkles return
It didn’t plump up instantly. It took a couple of days. That’s normal. Succulents absorb water slowly and store it gradually.
What if wrinkles don’t go away?
If a succulent stays wrinkly after several days, that usually means the roots can’t absorb water due to damage or rot. In my case, the leaves firmed up within a few days, which confirmed it was simple dehydration.
Light matters more than I realized
Another reason the plant struggled was light.
The stem was slightly stretched, which is a sign of etiolation. That happens when succulents don’t get enough light and reach toward it, making them weaker over time.
Because I live somewhere cold, I was hesitant to place it directly on a windowsill. A better solution was:
- A bright spot near the window, not touching the glass
- Or a small grow light if natural light is limited
More light helps succulents regulate water use and grow stronger leaves.
The soil and pot setup also matters
Succulents hate sitting in wet soil.
What I learned to aim for:
- Very fast-draining, gritty soil
- Pots with drainage holes
- Smaller pots rather than oversized ones
Too much soil stays wet too long and makes watering mistakes more likely.
The emotional part no one tells you
I thought wrinkling meant I’d already messed up. In reality, it meant my plant trusted me enough to ask for water instead of silently rotting.
That reframed everything.
My takeaway
Wrinkly succulent leaves aren’t a failure. They’re a signal.
Water deeply when wrinkles appear. Wait patiently. Let the plant guide you. Once I stopped following schedules and started reading the plant itself, caring for succulents became much easier — and a lot more fun.
And yes, I named her after that.
