Opinions wanted - Health check on this Haworthia

10 years ago

Good afternoon!

I'm no green thumb, but have fallen in love with a few succulents my wife got me over the weekend. I'm hoping I can describe my situation and get someone here to give me their opinion on the viability of my new little green friends in their current environment.

I have a window office on the SW-facing side of an office building in Zone 6. It gets a lot of bright sun from just before noon till sunset at this time of year (August.) I do have filter blinds I can lower if needed, cutting the light significantly. My office is climate controlled to be about 72F degrees year round with weekend fluctuations (a little warmer or cooler on the weekends.) It's medium-dry in here with excellent ventilation, and a bit of HVAC breeze.

If you look at the photo, this little Haworthia has some dried tips and I'm not sure if that's normal. Also some of the lower leaves are stained somewhat brown, but it looks like it's sitting in some kind of peat, though the pot feels very very light to me. I'm not sure what it's sitting in.

Is this a healthy plant? (opinions welcome!)

From my reading it sounds like in order to try and make it as happy as possible I should water it less than my gut tells me to water plants. Someone said "only when it's dry, never more than once per week during the spring/summer and only monthly in the fall/winter." Does that sound reasonable?

Does it's location look like too much or enough sun?

What is a good way to determine if a plant is "dry enough" for watering? Should I buy a probe?

I searched the forum for Haworthia but just about everything is "ID this for me?" rather than care and feeding suggestions.

I also received an Echevaria of some kind and a round cactus. I'm assuming that the care schedule for each is similar to the Haworthia. Or am I wrong?

Thank you for your input! Sincerely!

This post was edited by starkaudio on Mon, Aug 26, 13 at 14:54

Featured Answer

Danielle Rose

10 years ago

If you've just got the few plants, you can also just buy a bag of cactus soil and a bag of perlite and mix half and half. But your cactus would really like the grit (what you suggested would work).

I have almost exactly the same conditions you describe, and the plants will soon be happily acclimated to all that sunlight, but you may want to keep them away from the windows for a week or so to get them used to it.

I bow to Nancy's watering suggestions for the cactus, and I think the others will do just fine being watered once a week, but I have found in the spring/summer months that the zebra plants likes a watering once on Monday (until the water comes out the bottom), and a tiny sip Thursday or Friday ... or a good spray with a mister. It's so environmentally controlled indoors, adding a bit of humidity between waterings will keep the plant thriving, and prevent the leaf tips from drying up. In the winter, just once a week will do (though I randomly mist on really bright days ... can't help it!). I also add some Miracle Grow every few weeks, April through September.

Enjoy your plants. If you saw what my windowsills looked like now, you'd be worried about how many plants you're going to end up with when you see your new pets doing so well!

Comments (9)

brodyjames_gw
10 years ago
Hi Stark, and welcome to the forum. You have a tough little plant in that haworthia, and I wouldn't worry too much about the brown tips.
I would recommend that you repot it and your other plants into a much faster draining potting medium. I can see from the pic that the plant is potted in peat. This is why the pot feels so light when you pick it up. What happens with peat is that when it dries out, it becomes hydrophobic. That means that it shrinks into a tight little ball and doesn't let any water penetrate through. This is especially a problem if the peat is supporting a plant. Get a mixture of some grit (smaller sized gravel), perlite and some cactus soil and mix at a ratio of 40% grit and perlite and 10% soil. Plant each of your new guys in this mixture and do not water for 5-7 days. After that, water until you see water coming out of the drainage holes, then stop and empty the drip trays. Don't water again until the soil is dry. No need to invest in a probe when a pencil/chop stick/skewer will do. Treat the soil like a batch of brownies: put the stick in and if it comes out clean, water. If not, don't. Once winter hits (@ November), I would not water the cactus at all. It can take it. The haw and echeveria should continue to be watered, but less frequently...maybe once or twice a month at most. Come spring, say @ April, begin watering again following the "wait til dry" routine.
I think that the cactus and echeveria are fine with the full sun treatment, but maybe move the haw so that the sun isn't hitting it full on.
Hopefully, others will chime in as well.
Good luck!

Nancy
starkaudio
Original Author
10 years ago
Thanks Nancy! I have one question about your soil recipe...that adds up to 50%, so I'm kind of confused. Did you mean something like 4 parts grit/perlite to one part cactus soil? Would the grit and perlite be equal portions? Sorry if I seem dense, I just want to get it right. I've never made a soil mixture before. Much obliged for the help!
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starkaudio
Original Author
10 years ago
Also, when you say "grit" do you mean small pebbles / grit like chicken grit? (Saw a post about Chicken grit.) What about river pebbles for aquariums as filler to help drainage? (pH neutral)
brodyjames_gw
10 years ago
Hi Stark,
Sorry about that, I meant 40% each of grit and perlite and 20% soil. Yes, grit would mean chicken grit, found at agriculture/feed stores (Farm and Fleet, Fleet Farm, Tractor Supply, etc). If you can't get grit, then get the smallest gravel type stones you can get, say, no bigger than pea gravel (or yes, aquarium gravel, although that stuff is WAY over priced). Mix the grit INTO the soil, don't use it as a bottom layer....everything you've heard about that in false.

Nancy
starkaudio
Original Author
10 years ago
No problem. I'll be repotting tomorrow most likely. I'll post a photo or two when complete. You all are a great help! Thanks!
Erum Kamran
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Help please. I have made an open terarium and put this lovely hayworthia along with kalenchoe. Its been 3 weeks now. Its kept in a good natural light but the tips are all browning. Watering it with a syringe once the soil is com0letely dried. Would hate to loose it. Any way to fix it. Oh and the room has airconditioner on at 22c for about 12 hours.
rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
8 years ago
last modified: 8 years ago
Best thing you can do for your succulents is to keep them in container with drainage hole and mix that allows very good drainage and aeration.

What is the 'whitish-looking thing' right next to glass? (with the yellow arrow pointing to it)-

and is the plant circled orange wilted or dry?

I don't know what good natural light plant is in is - it may or may not be enough. Where are you located (just a general location and/or growing zone)? Where is the planter kept?
Erum Kamran
8 years ago
I live in Karachi Pakistani. Weather here is more like california.. the marked stuff is dried twig and the circled one was a wilted stem that i had stuck. The terarium has good layer of pebbles at the bottom. And the terarium sits in front of a west window.