Succulents and cacti handle an Indian summer well. What they struggle with is the monsoon. Weeks of rain, air that never dries, and grey skies that hide the sun are the opposite of the conditions they evolved for. The succulents we are called about in August have rotted from the base, stretched out pale and thin, or both. With a little preparation in June, nearly all of them come through fine.
Get them out of the rain
Before the first heavy rain, move every succulent and cactus under cover: beneath an overhang, a deep ledge or the balcony ceiling, where rain cannot reach the pot. Keep them in the brightest covered spot you have, close to the open edge but out of the rain. If you have no cover, a clear plastic sheet on a frame keeps rain off while letting light through, as long as air can still move around the plants.
Take them out of saucers and trays for the season, or empty those after every rain. Raise pots on feet or a couple of tiles so water can escape from the drainage holes, and space them so air moves between them. Still, damp air around crowded pots is what lets fungus take hold.
Mix and pots that drain
A succulent in ordinary potting mix stays wet for days in humid weather. For the monsoon it should be in a gritty mix: roughly half potting mix and half coarse material such as coarse sand, perlite, pumice or small brick pieces. Terracotta pots are best, because the walls breathe and dry out between waterings. If a plant is in a glazed pot or plastic, June is the time to move it, before the rains start rather than during them.
Then water far less. Under cover in humid air, most succulents need water only once every two to three weeks in the monsoon, and some none at all during a long wet spell. Water only when the mix is completely dry all the way down; a wooden skewer pushed to the bottom of the pot should come out clean and dry. Water the mix, not the leaves, and do it in the morning so the pot has the day to dry.
Spotting and saving rot
Rot starts at the roots and base. Watch for leaves that turn soft, translucent or yellow and fall off at a touch, a stem that darkens or goes mushy near the soil, or a cactus that feels soft at the base. If you catch it early, cut the healthy top off with a clean knife, above any brown or soft tissue. Leave the cutting in a dry, shaded spot for a few days to a week until the cut end has dried and sealed, then set it on dry gritty mix and do not water for a week or two, until it has started to root.
A succulent that stretches, pales and leans in August is short of light, not water. Move it to the brightest covered spot and hold back the watering can.
Mumbai has the hardest monsoon for succulents, with close to four months of heavy rain; shelter is essential there, and some will need a season indoors on a bright window sill. Bengaluru's rains are spread out and lighter, so a covered balcony is usually enough. Delhi NCR's monsoon is shorter, mostly July and August, but the humid heat that comes with it still calls for the same care. Mealybug likes succulents in humid weather too, so check leaf joints and the base when you water.
