How to Grow Haworthia

The Haworthia plant is a succulent perennial plant and the plant is also called pearl, zebra cactus, star window, and cushion aloe. The Haworthia plant is a large genus of small, slow-growing succulent plants that look like mini aloe plants with rosettes of fleshy green leaves generously covered with white pearly warts or bands. Are Haworthias easy to grow? The Haworthia plants are commonly kept as indoor plants, the plant requires bright light but not all-day full sun, preferring temperatures between seventy to ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit. This wonderful succulent perennial plant thrives in sandy, well-draining soil.

 

Haworthia Plant Info

The common name: The common names are star window plant, Haworthia, pearl plant, zebra cactus, cushion aloe.

The botanical name: The botanical name is Haworthia.

The family: Haworthia plant belong to the family Asphodelaceae.

The plant type: Haworthia is a succulent, perennial.

The mature size: The mature size is about three to five inches tall and wide; some species can reach twenty inches tall.

The Sun Exposure: Haworthia plants prefer full, partial shade.

The soil type: The plant does best in sandy, well-drained soil.

The soil pH: Neutral

The Blooming time: The Blooming time is summer.

The flower color: The flower color is white.

USDA Hardiness Zones: nine to eleven.

The native area: Haworthia plants are native to Africa.

 

How to Care for Haworthia

The following are the main care requirements for growing Haworthia:

 

You need to provide bright light with some shade if there's a hot afternoon sun.

Make sure you water the plant when the top inch of the soil dries out. Try and avoid overwatering, however don't let them dry out completely.

You can plant in sandy, well-draining, neutral soil; Haworthia is best planted in spring or early summer.

You can grow Haworthia plants in any kind of container, but the container must have ample drainage holes.

The Haworthia plants can be feed in the spring and summer months when the plant is actively growing.

 

Light requirement

The Haworthia species actually like bright light but not exceptionally strong direct sunlight. Haworthia plants make attractive small potted houseplants and the plant can be moved outdoors for the summer months.

In the plant native environment, the plants are often found in the slight shade of a rock or other object. In regions without frost, the plants are sometimes grown outdoors in ground. The Haworthia plants can tolerate direct morning sun, but harsh afternoon rays can burn the plant foliage. White, red, or yellow leaves usually signify too much sun on the plant. If Haworthia plants is not getting enough light, its green color will fade. The Indoors Haworthia plants will do best near an east- or west-facing window.

 

Soil requirement

The Haworthia plants like sandy or gravelly soil with excellent drainage. You can use a cactus potting mix or another fast-draining potting soil for container plants. You can mix the soil with perlite, aquarium gravel, or pumice in other to improve the soil drainage.

 

Haworthia Watering

Make sure you water the plant whenever the top inch of the soil has dried out during spring and summer, also make sure the soil is never waterlogged. Reduce watering to just enough in the fall and winter to keep the plant leaves plump. Don’t ever allow water to collect in the rosette; this can lead to rot.

 

Temperature and humidity requirement

Most Haworthia species actually like warm temperatures between seventy to ninety-five degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and cool temperatures down to fifty degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. The Haworthia plants can be damaged when temperatures fall to forty degrees Fahrenheit and lower. Humidity isn't an issue for the Haworthia plants. The plant actually requires good ventilation, most especially at night when the plant takes in carbon dioxide for photosynthesis.

 

Fertilizer requirement

Make sure you follow the label instructions to fertilize the Haworthia plants during the spring and summer growing seasons with a cactus fertilizer. Do not feed the plant during the fall and winter.

 

Hawthoria Propagation

One of the easy ways to propagate Haworthia plants is by its offsets, the tiny pups, or new plants growing from the base of a parent plant. Haworthia plants propagation by offsets prevents the parent plant from becoming overcrowded. A convenient time to propagate Haworthia plant is when the plant has overgrown its container and needs to be repotted. The Hawthoria plant is best propagated by the division of its offsets.

 

Haworthia repotting

The Haworthia plants are small plants (usually growing no more than five inches tall). The Haworthia plants are relatively slow-growing. The plants are often produced in small clusters in wide, shallow dishes. But they also can be planted individually in containers. A small unglazed clay container is perfect because it will allow excess soil moisture to escape through its walls. Drainage holes in the container are important for good drainage.

After a while, clusters will naturally enlarge as the parent plant sends out offsets. A group will typically outgrow its container every 3 to 5 years. If a larger container isn't necessary, repot the Haworthia plants with fresh soil. Repotting the Haworthia plants need to occur in the spring to early summer. Make sure you use a wider container with a new potting mix or split the cluster into separate containers.  

 

Pest control

The Haworthia plants are free of most pests, with one common exception which is mealybugs. Mealybugs are small, oval insects that suck the juice out of the plant foliage and it can be easily controlled by simple physical removal or insecticidal spray. Furthermore, if the soil is too moist, you might have problems with fungus gnats. Actually remedying the over-wet condition is often what you need to do to solve the problem.