How often should you water succulents in the winter? How to care for your plant all year.

Known for being low maintenance and a favorite houseplant among millennials, succulents have been rising in popularity since 2007. By 2017, 15% of garden sales in the Midwest were succulents, a survey from Garden Center Magazine found.

Succulents are especially great for apartments and amateur green thumbers because they don't require a lot of fertilizer, can tolerate dry indoor conditions and don't require frequent watering.

Despite not needing a lot of water, succulents still require it to live. With easy care in mind, how often do you need to water a succulent?

How often should you water a succulent?

According to Retro Den, the rule of thumb for watering your succulent is every other week during non-winter months.

During the winter months, when the temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, it is recommended to water your succulent only once a month.

For some succulents, once a week might be best, but be make sure to monitor your succulent to see if it needs more or less frequent watering. Succulents with smaller leaves may need more frequent watering as they can’t store as much water.

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How much water does your succulent need?

Happysprout.com suggests using what it calls the “soak-and-dry” method for watering your succulent. Using the every-other-week rotation, thoroughly soak your succulent and wait for it to dry out until you water it again.

Retroden emphasizes the importance of not letting your succulent stand in water because a "succulent can come back from under-watering, but over-watering leads to a succulent's demise.”

Retro Den also highlights four variables that can affect the amount of water a succulent needs:

1. Whether your pot has a drain hole

2. How it was planted

3. Indoors vs. outdoors

4. Size

How much sunlight does a succulent need?

Architectural Digest  says succulents love sunlight and require six hours a day. This time is also largely dependent on the type of succulent you have. To best maintain the health of your succulent, gradually introduce it into direct sunlight to avoid  scorching.

What is a succulent?

Succulentsandsunshine.com explains a succulent as any type of plant that stores water in its leaves. They’re typically recognized by their thick leaves. A succulent is normally found in nature in dry climates.

Types of succulents

There are many different types of succulents, some more popular than others and some requiring a different environment than others. According to FTD by Design, here are 10 of the most popular indoor succulents:

1. Burro's tail - sedum morganianum

2. Crown of Thorns - euphorbia milii

3. Flaming Katy - kalanchoe blossfeldiana

4. Jade Plant - crassula ovata

5. Aloe Vera

6. Panda Plant - kalanchoe tomentosa

7. Pincushion Cactus - mammillaria crinita

8. Roseum - sedum spurium

9. Snake Plant - sansevieria trifasciata

10. Zebra Plant - haworthia fasciata

Succulents are not exclusively an indoor plant. There are species meant to exist in outdoor climates. According to FTD by Design, here are 10 of the most popular outdoor succulents:

1. Hens-and-Chicks - sempervivum tectorum

2. Stonecrop - sedum spp.

3. Whale's Tongue Agave - agave ovatifolia

4. Ball Cactus - parodia magnifica

5. Plush Plant - echeveria pulvinata

6. Dudleya - echeveria spp.

7. Pig's Ear - cotyledon orbiculata

8. Zwartkop - aeonium arboreum

9. Sunburst - aeonium davidbramwellii

10. Torch Plant - aloe aristata

How to propagate succulents

On her blog, Martha Stewart explains that propagation is the process of growing new plants from clippings or other plants. She also says succulents are some of the easiest plants to propagate. Stewart explains three different ways you can propagate succulents:

How to propagate a succulent from cuttings

1. Cut off a piece of the succulent's stem. Try and look for a stem with aerial roots, or wispy roots shooting off from the stem. Aerial roots are signs of plant being ready to spread out on its own.

2. After cutting it, allow the cutting to callus over. It should take three to five days.

3. After the callus has formed, place the cutting in a container with potting mix with the callused end slightly in the soil. Do not fully submerge the cutting.

How to propagate a succulent from leaves 

1. Pick a plump and firm leaf from your succulent and cut it off. Leaves can also be wiggled off the stem but in general must be separated from the base of the stem.

2. Allow for the leaf to callus over before planting, similar to using cuttings.

3. Place the leaf on the top of soil, not burying, and mist with water. It should take three weeks for the leaf to create tiny plants around it.

 How to propagate succulents with offsets

1. Carefully remove the roots connected to the main plant while still maintaining the roots of the main mother plant.

2. Roots of the offset may take a few weeks to develop.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How to care for succulents: How often to water, when to propagate