We must avoid the rain from getting to a highly indumented plant. They tend to get bald when under frequent rain or hosing. Bald plants are not pleasent to be seen nor they are healthy plants for they are supposed to be coated with scales. The role of those scales is a bit more complex then we all assume to be but they are used specially with two porposes: one is reflecting the Sun light and protecting the plant from being boiled by the schorching Sun. The other main role of this indument is to catch umidity from the air. Indumented plants live in places where water is a luxury so they must rely on what is there at their disposal. This Dyckia lives on mountain climate of the Central Brazil Cerrado. There we have cold nights and very hot days. This generates all the conditions needed for the fog and dew formation.
The scales catches those tiny droplets and the plant drinks all the night long. Also the widing leaves direct droping water all around the ground giving water relief to the roots.
A scaled plants people say needs less water. This is an error. Scaled plants needs as much water as any other but as they are capable of collecting water they need less to be given to them.
But keep the eyes well opened here, if the plant does not has acess to dew or fog you must compensate it. If you are not living with your plant on a mountain climate you should watch for this as fog and dew occurs only in Spring and Autumn in those areas.
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