← The Notebook
Notebook · Guide 8 October 2026 · houseplants

Succulents in winter: why they stretch, flop and rot

Winter light is too weak for most succulents, and cold, wet compost rots them. Give them your brightest window, a cool rest, almost no water and no feed until April.

houseplantsseasonal

Succulents that looked compact and colourful in August often look sorry for themselves by February. Echeverias stretch into pale towers. Jade plants go leggy and floppy. Something at the back turns soft and black at the base. The cause is nearly always the same pair: not enough light, and too much water for a plant that has stopped growing. Kindness kills more succulents in winter than neglect does.

01At a glance

  • Light: move them to your brightest, sunniest window for winter. Low light causes the stretching.
  • Rest: the RHS gives most indoor succulents a cool rest from November to early March, with nights of about 8–10°C.
  • Water: only enough to stop the leaves shrivelling. Cold plus wet compost means rot.
  • Feed: none. The RHS feeds succulents monthly from April to September only.
  • Stretched already? It won't shrink back. Behead it and re-root the top in spring.

02Light: the cause of stretching and flopping

In weak winter light, a succulent grows towards the window on long, pale stems. The rosette opens out, gaps appear between the leaves, and the colour fades to plain green. The RHS says insufficient light leads to weak, misshapen plants, and that over winter many houseplants benefit from moving closer to south- or west-facing windows.

  1. Put them on your sunniest sill. For the echeveria, jade plant and aloe vera, that means as much direct winter sun as you can give.
  2. The haworthia is the exception. It's unusually tolerant of bright, indirect light and can stay a little further back.
  3. Wipe the dust off the leaves and clean the window glass. Both let more light reach the plant.
  4. Keep them off the radiator shelf. The RHS says central heating is fine for succulents as long as they aren't close to radiators.

03A cool, dry rest

The RHS gives indoor cacti and succulents a winter rest from November to the beginning of March, with nights of only 8–10°C. It warns that watering during the rest promotes weak growth. A cool, bright room suits that better than a warm living room. Keep each plant above its own minimum, though:

  • Echeveria and haworthia: our profiles keep them above about 5°C.
  • Jade plant: above about 7°C.
  • Aloe vera: a touch warmer, above about 10°C.

Don't leave them pressed against single-glazed glass on frosty nights. Cold and damp together are what rot them.

04Watering through winter

The RHS waters resting succulents only as much as needed to stop them shrivelling. In practice, that's a small drink about once a month at most for all four plants here, and less in a cold room.

  • Water the compost, not the rosette. Water sitting in the centre of an echeveria or aloe is a common way to rot the crown.
  • Tip out the saucer after every watering.
  • Clear away fallen leaves and debris. The RHS says these encourage rotting.

05Is it thirsty or rotting?

  • Wrinkled, thin or slightly shrivelled leaves: under-watered and drawing on its reserves. In winter, a little shrivelling is normal. Give a small drink and it will plump up.
  • Soft, translucent, mushy leaves, or a black base: overwatering and rot. Stop watering, let it dry hard, and if the base has gone, take healthy cuttings from the top.
  • Jade dropping leaves suddenly: often cold, a draught or a big change in conditions, says our jade profile. Check where it's standing before you reach for the watering can.

06Rescuing a stretched echeveria or jade

Stretching can't be reversed, but you can start again.

  1. Wait until spring, when the plant is growing again. Leave it alone through the winter rest.
  2. Cut the rosette off with a little stem attached, using a clean, sharp knife.
  3. Let the cut end callus. The RHS says this takes anything from a day to a week, depending on the plant.
  4. Set it on gritty compost. The University of Maryland Extension warns rooting can take weeks or even months, so a cutting may need a small stake.
  5. Keep the old stump. It often sprouts new rosettes. Echeverias and crassulas such as jade also root from single leaves, the RHS notes.
Save your money
Don't buy succulent feed for winter. It won't be used, and the RHS stops feeding at the end of September.
Don't repot a sulking succulent in winter. Wait for spring, when it can grow into fresh compost.
Don't buy a new plant to replace a stretched one. Behead it in spring and you get the plant back, often with extras from the stump.
Your sunniest window is the best tool you own. Moving pots there costs nothing.

Before placing these plants where pets or children can reach them, check the safety flags on our jade plant, aloe vera and haworthia profiles.

How we checked this

Every care and safety claim on this page is verified against horticultural and veterinary sources.

Sources: RHS — Houseplant cacti and succulents: growing guide · RHS — How to help a poorly houseplant · University of Maryland Extension (Ask Extension) — Leggy succulents

Checked 8 October 2026. If our advice ever conflicts with the RHS, believe them and tell us.