Haworthia fasciata: Zebra Plant Grow Guide

The zebra plant or, as it is scientifically known, Haworthia fasciata , is well known within the cultivation of plants indoors and in pots. This succulent species, with minimal care, has an attractive ornamental appearance to be used inside the house and in any illuminated place.

Its popularity has been growing in recent years as large supermarkets or hypermarkets increasingly dedicate more space to the cultivation of plants, where succulents such as the zebra plant are very cheap and easy to sell.

Once you have acquired it, this article is intended to teach you what are the simple care of Haworthia fasciata and its maintenance. We already anticipate that the more you take care of it, the less it will last …

Index

**MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ZEBRA PLANT ( HAWORTHIA FASCIATA )**

DESCRIPTION

Haworthia fasciata is considered a small succulent plant . The normal height of the plant is between 10 and 15 cm, rarely exceeding this length. The peculiarity of the zebra plant is its rosette shape, quite common in this type of plant, but with very fleshy, triangular leaves.

Physically it bears an approximate resemblance to the Aloe vera plant , although it is smaller, with differentiated green tones and some small thorns that do not end in a point and do not do any type of damage.

It is known as a zebra plant since on the outside of the leaves it has small white lines that create a slight effect of zebra skin with white and green colors.

Flowering

As is usual in many cacti, an inflorescence appears from the central part of the rosette of the zebra plant that is usually larger than the leaves. In this case, it usually has an average length of 30 cm , with a straight and fleshy stem, where small-sized, tubular-looking grouped flowers open at the end.

SUBVARIETIES OF HAWORTHIA FASCIATA

Currently we can find two sub-varieties or cultivars of Haworthia fasciata:

H. fasciata var. fasciata : it is usually the most common and easy to find, where almost the entire plant is deep green.
H. fasciata var. browniana : with an identical size, it presents differences in the leaves, with brown tones.

SPECIES OF THE GENUS HAWORTHIOPSIS

Although its name is difficult to pronounce, this genus of succulent plants of South African origin is widely used as an ornamental in the Western world, especially because of its low maintenance.

Most plants of this genus are cultivable indoors and in pots, so if you are curious, you can see photos of each of them to decide on one.

Haworthiopsis attenuata
Haworthiopsis coarctata
Haworthiopsis fasciata
Haworthiopsis glauca
Haworthiopsis longiana
Haworthiopsis reinwardtii
Haworthiopsis limifolia
Haworthiopsis koelmaniorum
Haworthiopsis granulata
Haworthiopsis tessellata
Venous haworthiopsis
Haworthiopsis woolleyi
Haworthiopsis nigra
Haworthiopsis pungens
Haworthiopsis scabra
Haworthiopsis viscosa
Haworthiopsis bruynsii
Sordid haworthiopsis

The species most similar to the zebra plant is Haworthiopsis attenuata, since they have the same appearance and color. However, it has small differences in the stems, where the inner face does not present roughness as the zebra plant does, as well as a somewhat more curved arrangement of leaves.

Read more: cactus with flowers to grow on terraces .

HAWORTHIA FASCIATA CARE GUIDE

Generally speaking, Haworthia fasciata is a very easy-care succulent plant . Enemy of irrigation and highly hydrated substrates. It is usually grown in pots with a reduced size so that its roots are more concentrated, with the main function of supporting the plant.

IDEAL LOCATION AND ENVIRONMENT FOR THE ZEBRA PLANT

Temperature

It tolerates different climatic ranges, but generally needs warm environments with low ambient humidity . It can be grown perfectly indoors or on the balcony or terrace in the spring and summer months.

Haworthia fasciata enters a kind of winter rest, practically without growth and with accumulated water and nutrient reserves. To do this, you need a little more cold. If you live in a warm area, with mild winters, you can have it on the balcony . However, if you live in the coldest northern area, place it in the coldest area but inside the house.

illumination

The zebra plant needs large doses of light , so you should find a well-lit room if you want to grow it indoors.

Outdoors, it can receive direct sun in the spring and early summer months , but in July and August, with very high temperatures and direct sun, it can lose its original greenness, turn a little more yellow and suffer small spots. Therefore, it will be better to look for a semi-shaded area, yes, always with a lot of light.

SUBSTRATE TYPE

In this type of succulent plants, it is very important to have a type of easy-draining substrate , composed of coarse sands, some organic matter or even very porous inert materials, such as perlite or vermiculite . Although you can prepare this substrate yourself, you can also buy it already prepared in specialized stores.

Remember that drainage is very important in this plant, since its roots are very sensitive to excess moisture, rotting quickly and brown spots appear at the base, a sign of rot, which are difficult to solve.

IRRIGATION

Watering succulents is the main problem , as we tend to water them more than they really need. Haworthia fasciata has been used from its origin to accumulate large reserves of water in its leaves, prepared to optimize the liquid element and reduce losses by evaporation.

Therefore, the risks should be reduced to the minimum possible:

Irrigation in spring and summer: once a week, always with a completely dry substrate.
Irrigation in autumn and winter: 1 irrigation every 15/20 days, always with totally dry substrate.

Remember that you should never water if you still feel some moisture in the substrate with your fingers . If you meet this standard, you will enjoy this plant (and, in general, all succulents), for many years.

SUBSCRIBER

The growth of Haworthia fasciata is slow, reaching a maximum of 15 cm of plant. If you perceive that it is a little yellow (and it is not due to lack of light or excess water) or lack of growth, it is advisable to fertilize in spring and summer with special liquid fertilizer for cacti and succulents.

In general, 1 out of every 3 waterings is watered with fertilizer in spring and summer (every 3 or 4 weeks, approximately). At the end of the article we recommend some of them that work very well.

TRANSPLANTATION AND MULTIPLICATION

Because it is a slow-growing plant, you won’t have to transplant many times. As soon as the pot is small, you can change it to a larger one in late winter or early spring. Remember to introduce a new substrate to recover its drainage properties, organic matter and nutrients.

As for the multiplication , the easiest way is to do it by cuttings, as is usual in succulents. It is a quick and easy way to obtain identical plants.

To do this, we cut one of the leaves to a length of 5 cm, let the wound dry for 48 hours to prevent it from losing sap, and plant it in a pot with substrate for succulents, keeping it slightly hydrated.

Another way of multiplication is to wait for Haworthia fasciata to produce rosette-shaped suckers around the stem. These small plants are easy to separate from the mother and already have small roots to carry them independently to another pot.

PESTS AND DISEASES OF HAWORTHIA FASCIATA

Sucking insects and pests

The number 1 enemy of sucking insects on succulents is cottony mealybugs . By the green color of the leaves, it is easy to identify, since they create a great contrast with the white of this immobile sucking insect.

The easiest way to remove it is to wipe it with a cotton cloth with a little alcohol or hydrogen peroxide impregnated, removing any traces of cochineal.

If you have many plants and you do not want to waste a lot of time in this operation, we also recommend potassium soap applied in a foliar way and with a minimum of 3 repetitions every 5 days.

Diseases

And if we talk about fungi, the public enemy number 1 of this type of plants are the neck and root fungi , which have a special predilection for humid substrates and environments.

When these types of fungi appear due to the flooded substrate, the solution is complicated, since they create brown spots on the neck of the plant that quickly spread and block the sap channels. You have to let the substrate dry as quickly as possible and introduce coppers to create a drying effect.