This is Lenny, a roommate’s zebra haworthia. I’m babysitting him for a little while because he hasn’t been doing so well. Any advice? (More info provided in comments)
This is Lenny, a roommate’s zebra haworthia. I’m babysitting him for a little while because he hasn’t been doing so well. Any advice? (More info provided in comments)
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A common problem with cacti and succulents is etiolation. This is when a succulent stretches or becomes leggy. Reply with “!etiolation” for advice.
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fridge-ice-cubes
This is his care routine, as mentioned by the roommate:
– bright sunlight from a southeast-facing windowsill
– ~ 3 inch terracotta pot with drainage, the same he was brought home in
– regular potting soil, only changed once in the five months she’s had him
– watered 3mL EVERY day
Problems I’ve noticed:
– Poor Lenny is quite clearly sun stressed, she says she wants him to be green again
– She’s watering way too often and the soil type is dangerous. However, the plant’s been perfectly fine with it and things between us have been kind of tense so I don’t really want to call her out on it
– The leaves have curled together, and normally he’s very splayed out. I’m assuming this is also from the sun stress?
Some additional notes:
– It gets pretty chilly in the other room, which is why he’s hanging out in my room for the time being
– He was thriving over winter break and got HUGE, apparently he really loved the lake water he was getting
– As soon as he got back, he started closing up again
– I gave him a tiny bit (since it’s not growing season) of succulent fertilizer last night (with roommate’s permission) to see how he’d react in case he had preferred the nutrients in the lake water he was getting.
– I’ve moved him onto my desk, which is about eight feet from the windowsill. He still gets some light
So far I’ve noticed that he’s opened up a little more than yesterday, so I think it’s working. Still, any advice on how to help the poor guy along that won’t cause conflict between me and my roommate?
NochMessLonster
Put it in a shelf and ignore it for a month. Then reassess.
interestingblanket54
Watering 3mL per day is so diabolical 😂
sierrasquirrel
Haworthias are super forgiving and resilient, but it sounds like Lenny isn’t really getting the care haworthias prefer. I would put him in a sunny window and, assuming the soil is mostly dry, give him a large drink of water (water until it flows out of the bottom, then dump the excess- or you could bottom water instead). After that, don’t give him any water for at least a week, probably closer to 2 or 3 weeks (wait until the soil is dry), then water in the same way again. Most succulents prefer being watered on a schedule like that (heavy watering every few weeks with soil drying in-between) because that’s how they usually get water in the wild (occasional heavy rains with dry periods between them). Best of luck with Lenny!
Glittering_Cow945
If your friend is away less than a month, I suggest you don’t do anything to it. If more, one good soak a month is plenty.
grendel54
Hi Lenny
stephonicle
Why do you say it’s in “dangerous” soil? I see perlite, so that’s good. It’s in the correct size pot and it’s terracotta, also good. Based on your description, the only thing your roommate is doing wrong is watering everyday. But again, it appears to have well-draining soil, it’s in a porous pot, and it receives ample sunlight, so it would be very difficult to overwater this plant.
I’ve never measured out the water I give my plants, it’s unnecessary. Correct watering is more about frequency than amount — only water when the soil has completely dried out, then water until it comes out bottom drainage holes. Don’t water again till soil has dried out, and so forth.
stephonicle
You don’t need to repot haworthias very often (or in this case, if you want to get technical, a haworthiopsis). They’re slow-growing plants so only need repotting once every few years. If it came home in a plastic pot, I’d recommend repotting into a terracotta pot. Bur it was already in terracotta, so no need to repot until it’s filled out in current one. They prefer being a bit snug in their pots anyway.
Left-Book7647
Does he look distressed? My Sam is the same kind and he looks like this except with some dry brown leaves around his edges and I assumed he was fine???
Remote_Midnight_5322
when was last water? that something vital. as too close watering is deadly. They no need lot of water. They need sun. water sparingly.
12 Comments
Thank you for posting to r/plantclinic!
It looks like you may be asking about a cactus or succulent. In addition to any advice you receive here, please consider visiting r/cactus r/succulents for more specialized care advice.
A common problem with cacti and succulents is etiolation. This is when a succulent stretches or becomes leggy. Reply with “!etiolation” for advice.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/plantclinic) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is his care routine, as mentioned by the roommate:
– bright sunlight from a southeast-facing windowsill
– ~ 3 inch terracotta pot with drainage, the same he was brought home in
– regular potting soil, only changed once in the five months she’s had him
– watered 3mL EVERY day
Problems I’ve noticed:
– Poor Lenny is quite clearly sun stressed, she says she wants him to be green again
– She’s watering way too often and the soil type is dangerous. However, the plant’s been perfectly fine with it and things between us have been kind of tense so I don’t really want to call her out on it
– The leaves have curled together, and normally he’s very splayed out. I’m assuming this is also from the sun stress?
Some additional notes:
– It gets pretty chilly in the other room, which is why he’s hanging out in my room for the time being
– He was thriving over winter break and got HUGE, apparently he really loved the lake water he was getting
– As soon as he got back, he started closing up again
– I gave him a tiny bit (since it’s not growing season) of succulent fertilizer last night (with roommate’s permission) to see how he’d react in case he had preferred the nutrients in the lake water he was getting.
– I’ve moved him onto my desk, which is about eight feet from the windowsill. He still gets some light
So far I’ve noticed that he’s opened up a little more than yesterday, so I think it’s working. Still, any advice on how to help the poor guy along that won’t cause conflict between me and my roommate?
Put it in a shelf and ignore it for a month. Then reassess.
Watering 3mL per day is so diabolical 😂
Haworthias are super forgiving and resilient, but it sounds like Lenny isn’t really getting the care haworthias prefer. I would put him in a sunny window and, assuming the soil is mostly dry, give him a large drink of water (water until it flows out of the bottom, then dump the excess- or you could bottom water instead). After that, don’t give him any water for at least a week, probably closer to 2 or 3 weeks (wait until the soil is dry), then water in the same way again. Most succulents prefer being watered on a schedule like that (heavy watering every few weeks with soil drying in-between) because that’s how they usually get water in the wild (occasional heavy rains with dry periods between them). Best of luck with Lenny!
If your friend is away less than a month, I suggest you don’t do anything to it. If more, one good soak a month is plenty.
Hi Lenny
Why do you say it’s in “dangerous” soil? I see perlite, so that’s good. It’s in the correct size pot and it’s terracotta, also good. Based on your description, the only thing your roommate is doing wrong is watering everyday. But again, it appears to have well-draining soil, it’s in a porous pot, and it receives ample sunlight, so it would be very difficult to overwater this plant.
I’ve never measured out the water I give my plants, it’s unnecessary. Correct watering is more about frequency than amount — only water when the soil has completely dried out, then water until it comes out bottom drainage holes. Don’t water again till soil has dried out, and so forth.
You don’t need to repot haworthias very often (or in this case, if you want to get technical, a haworthiopsis). They’re slow-growing plants so only need repotting once every few years. If it came home in a plastic pot, I’d recommend repotting into a terracotta pot. Bur it was already in terracotta, so no need to repot until it’s filled out in current one. They prefer being a bit snug in their pots anyway.
Does he look distressed? My Sam is the same kind and he looks like this except with some dry brown leaves around his edges and I assumed he was fine???
when was last water? that something vital. as too close watering is deadly. They no need lot of water. They need sun. water sparingly.
Neglect it!! They love that