This is Oliver, I've had them for a couple of months. There's been plenty of new shoots, seems healthy- but there's some browning on the tips, which just showed up recently. I'd like to be sure I'm taking care of Oliver correctly.
Oliver is planted in cactus mix, with extra added perlite. It gets diluted plant food when I water it, which is maybe once a month- I notice it begin to close in on itself, and that's when I water. (Last time watered was July 13th, for example.) Oliver lives under a grow light, a 15w Sansi bulb, 1050 lumens.
It gets about 14 hours of that light each day, it's on a timer.
The pot isn't that big- 2.5 inch opening. I bought Oliver in a 1 inch pot, and I was told a hawthornia may do well in the pot, at least until it gets much bigger. (Couldn't pass the pot up!)
What are the brown tips about?
by _Fengo
6 Comments
My guess and I’m no expert, so plant people please correct me if I’m wrong, would be it getting too much light. It also depends on how far away the light is — I’m guessing it’s getting a little “sun burnt.”
I have a couple hawthornias (not a zebra though) and they’re under grow lights (8hr timer) with the lights close to a foot away. I do a pinch test on when to water — if it’s soft I drown, hard leave it alone. They are in cactus soil mix as well but with a bunch of other succulents so they may get watered more often based on the others, like my jade plant gets softer sooner. I’ve also had them outside before in the spring/summer and they thrived — outside I watered weekly if super hot (I’m in Colorado).
You’ve got a Haworthiopsis faciata by the looks of it. It’s somewhat of a slow growing species. It likes a good well draining type of soil and a pot that breathes is also beneficial. Glazed pottery doesn’t breathe so the soil use is important. Being that it’s from South Africa (its origin) the natural environment is dry and somewhat hot. Their natural color would not be what we’re accustomed to seeing. So when you’re noticing a color change it could be what’s called stress colors. Do some research on its care and you’ll get a better handle on how to meet its needs.
I don’t think the light is a problem. To me he looks mildly dehydrated but I’m not sure why. Once a month water may be too little (it would be under some conditions). But I’m also wondering just how well the soil is really drying out. The mix should be fine, but that pot… is the whole ball full of soil? It may not be allowing enough air flow for the soil to dry out, leading to some root issues and the dehydration. As cute as it looks, I’d recommend getting him out and putting him in ordinary terracotta or a small, standard shape ceramic that’s unglazed inside.
And stop waiting for thirst, it’s a misconception that your plant has to be dehydrated before you can water it. These have to get so dehydrated before they actually show it that one watering may not even be enough to rehydrate fully. As long as the soil is bone dry and has been for at least a week, it’s safe to water again.
I would be concerned about the pot and if I were you I’d put it in a new one – plant pots usually have walls that lean outwards because if the hole is smaller than the pots overall width it will make it more difficult to control the amount of moisture retained after watering. It won’t kill it on its own but it will make it easier to kill
These aren’t my niche but sounds like dehydration from watering frequency. Pretty common issue, better than too often but you need to hit a balance to get them to thrive
Browning tips on howarthiopsis are hard to avoid. I found mine improved with a little less light. (It seems to be related to some combination of water/sun. Probably you are stuck with trial and error. 😳) I do think changing it to a terra cotta pot might be a good idea. My plants in tc are more likely to produce pups.