Customize Consent Preferences

We use cookies to help you navigate efficiently and perform certain functions. You will find detailed information about all cookies under each consent category below.

The cookies that are categorized as "Necessary" are stored on your browser as they are essential for enabling the basic functionalities of the site. ... 

Always Active

Necessary cookies are required to enable the basic features of this site, such as providing secure log-in or adjusting your consent preferences. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable data.

No cookies to display.

Functional cookies help perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collecting feedback, and other third-party features.

No cookies to display.

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

No cookies to display.

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

No cookies to display.

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with customized advertisements based on the pages you visited previously and to analyze the effectiveness of the ad campaigns.

No cookies to display.

Growing Succulents And Hawarthia

Growing Succulents And Hawarthia

Cacti

What are Succulents

  • Succulents are a wide group of plants that have evolved from ancient tropical forests to combat the feast and famine of water supply.
  • Succus is the latin for juice.  Succulent plants have   stems,branches, roots, stalks, leaves or flowers that are juicy, fleshy or thick to retain moisture.
  • Parts of succulents above the ground act as reservoirs of water.
  • Succulents are varied plants not one or even related groups or families of plants.
  • All cacti are succulents but all succulents are not Cacti.

How do Succulents Preserve  Water

  • Many succulents including cacti do not grow leaves reducing transpiration.
  • Thick leaves have space to store far more water than other leaves such as Aloe.
  • Some plants can be pulled underground to preserve water.
  • Minimum evaporation is achieved by hairy, spiney or waxy outer layers.
  • Shapes are developed to maximise retention and minimise water loss.
  • Some plants have roots that grow in bundles on the soils surface to capture any available moisture
  • Many Cacti breath oxygen at night and photosynthesis during the day.

Common Types or Groups Of Succulent

  • Sedum and Sempervivum
  • Cactaceae are divided into 3 sub families with over 200 genera and 10,000 species.
  • Haworthia, Gasteria and Aloe are succulents but part of the Lily family.
  • Agave, Aeoniums, Echeveria, Lithrops and Yucca are succulents.
  • Many Euphorbias and Cereus are succulent.
  • Christmas and Easter Cacti,  Schlumbergera or Zygocactus

Tips for Growing Succulents and Cacti

  • Getting the watering right is the key issue. All plants need water during their growing period.
  • I water weekly in spring and early summer cutting down drastically by autumn leaving winter almost watering free.
  • Good drainage is as important as watering. Most succulent prefer a free draining sandy or gritty soil. Do not stand in water.
  • Keep most varieties free of frost.
  • Provide a weak fertiliser solution in spring and early summer.
  • Plants can be grown from seed and many root well from cuttings or grafting.
  • Insects can be a problem but most die in high heat.

Haworthia

Try these plants  and study some of the literature from their native home South Africa

Comments are closed.