Hi Tiffany, typically it is a generalized guideline to provide good light, water and let dry or approach dryness before watering again.
I guess you would want to know if it is a cacti or succulent, if you are hoping to get blooms, aside from enjoying its foliage or lack of.
Cacti are flowering plants when they are mature. So it really needs that good amount of direct light to encourage it to bloom. Some succulents can bloom too, but most of them are just cute and leafless, and a greater part prefer just bright light not direct sun.
Next would be being able to understand how it will propagate itself..you can gather seeds from the flowering varieties..but some don't have flowers, so you will only hope for the plant to make little pups or new growth later on.
Then as you further delve into their life cycle, you will then realize that although you can prolong the interval of watering since they can hold water, you cannot just do it on a whim. Eventually you will observe their dormancy..and it varies...some succulents being summer dormant..and some winter dormant. Next, will be temperature tolerances to extreme heat or to cold temps. Cacti can take the higher heat levels, other succulents, would go into high temp induced dormancy, shutting down till favorable temps return. They have water in their leaves/stems/roots so they can afford to do it. On the flipside, when it is getting too cold, Cacti may survive, provided it is kept dry. Other succulents can show its nicer colors when cold stressed, but there is a limit as always, hard freeze may do them in. But I have seen some in the brink of death, but as long as there is an iota of green remaining, you can still try to pull it in and just wait for it to recover when warmer temps return.
Then the aspect of knowing if they are desert types, tropical types, alpine types. Most cacti are desert types. Succulents on the other hand is a mixed bag..some have preference for tropical conditions, some love the cooler alpine conditions.
The fun world of C & S..I am also learning as I go!
