From my perspective, your overzealous watering is the most dangerous form of affection. When you provide too much water, my soil becomes perpetually saturated. This drowns my roots, the very core of my being. We Crassulas are desert natives; our roots need to breathe air that exists in the spaces between soil particles. Constant water fills these spaces, creating an anaerobic environment. My roots begin to suffocate and rot, turning from a healthy white to a mushy, dark brown or black. This root rot is a silent killer—it starts underground, unseen, and by the time it shows on my exterior, my internal system is often critically compromised.
As my roots fail, my ability to transport water and nutrients fails with them. You will notice my once plump, firm leaves becoming soft, mushy, and translucent. They may turn a yellow or light green colour and drop off at the slightest touch. This is because the cells within my leaves have absorbed so much water they have literally burst. My stem may also become soft and limp, and you might notice a general lack of new growth. The soil will also tell a tale; it will have a consistently wet, heavy feel and may even develop a musty odour or mould on the surface, a clear sign of the decay happening below.
While I am built for drought, I am not invincible. Underwatering forces me into a state of extreme conservation. My survival strategy is to use every drop of moisture stored within my thick, succulent leaves. As my internal water reserves deplete, the cells in my leaves begin to shrink and collapse. This is a much slower and less immediately fatal process than root rot, but it causes me significant stress and halts my growth as I enter a survival mode, waiting for the next drink.
My signs of thirst are quite different from those of drowning. My leaves will not be mushy but will instead become thin, wrinkled, and limp. They will feel flat and soft, like an empty pouch, and may start to curl or fold in on themselves to reduce surface area and minimise moisture loss. The colour of my leaves will often deepen or become dull, and you might see brown, crispy edges forming, especially on the lower, older leaves. The soil will be a clear giveaway—it will be bone dry, pulling away from the edges of the pot, and will feel dusty to the touch.
