The faucaria albidens is a beautiful succulent that grows well in the full sun. It has been propagated from cuttings for many years and can be found growing in gardens all around the world. If you would like to grow your own faucaria albidens at home, there are a few tips you should know about before planting it.
Faucaria albidens is a fern from the faucaria genus. It is also known as faucariopsis albida or pink faucarias. They are often grown in pots and used indoors because they do not require much sunlight to grow well. In this blog post, we will discuss some faucaria albidens care tips to help you keep your plant healthy and happy!
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Origin and Description
The Faucaria albidens is a species of succulent plant that comes from South Africa. They belong to the Aizoaceae family and the Mesembryanthemum genus. It has an oblong shape with leaves covered in white powdery spots, which gives it its name. It is recommended for cultivation in greenhouses and indoors.
These plants are found on the rocky slopes of mountains, near rivers, or other water sources. It has evolved to store water in its leaves during the wet season so that it can survive until the next rainfalls. The Faucaria albidens blooms between August and December with flowers that are either pink or white.
The Faucaria albidens is an endangered species, due to the fact that it has been collected in large numbers for its decorative characteristics and also because of changes occurring in its natural habitat. This plant can live up to 30 years when properly cared for, but this will depend on the conditions where you place it.
According to the University of Florida, Faucaria albidens is a cold resistant plant and can survive temperatures between 12 and 18 degrees Celsius, which makes it ideal for indoor cultivation in greenhouses or even inside your home.
Faucaria albidens propagation
Faucaria albidens propagation is easy. They are able to form large clumps or colonies quickly, so it can be useful for the home gardener to take cuttings of their favorite plants and cultivate them in new areas. The offsets that emerge from underneath mature leaves will easily root without any assistance if planted on top of moist soil.
The cuttings can simply be removed by hand and planted in a new location where they will quickly develop their own root system, or you can incorporate them into your existing succulent garden. If the offsets are too small to plant on their own, they can be placed onto a flat of moist sand until roots begin to form and then planted into a new location.
Some gardeners choose to allow their faucaria albidens plants to form seed pods in order to propagate the species, but this is not necessary for an abundant collection of succulents. It’s best not to let them flower when they are young because it will take energy away from producing offsets.
Once a faucaria albidens plant is allowed to flower, it will slow down its propagation abilities and may eventually stop growing altogether. Additionally, all of the energy that would have been used for offsets or new growth is now being funneled into producing seeds. If you love this succulent but don’t want your collection to grow too large, it’s best to pinch or cut off any developing flowers.
Faucaria Albidens care tips
Faucaria albidens – also known as the white tiger plant – has long, pointed leaves that are covered with a fine layer of silvery scales. Although it is slow-growing and low maintenance, you still need to know how to take care of this plant properly in order to keep it healthy and thriving.
11 care tips for faucaria albidens
- Grow it in well-draining soil that is rich in organic matter. Faucaria albidens does best when the pH level of its potting mix is around neutral. If you live in an area with hard water, add some distilled water to your garden so as not to increase the mineral and salt content of the soil.
- Grow it in bright, indirect light to prevent its leaves from stretching out. If your faucaria albidens is exposed to direct sunlight, make sure that you rotate its pot every week for an even distribution of sunlight exposure across all sides of the plant’s foliage.
- Water it thoroughly when the top of the soil is dry to touch. However, make sure that you allow its potting mix to almost completely drain before rewatering it. If there is still standing water in your plant’s saucer after 30 minutes, discard some of this excess liquid so as not to rot its roots.
- Apply an all-purpose fertilizer every month during its growing season. You can use a liquid fertilizer or slow-release pellets that are made especially for cacti and succulents.
- Repot your plant every two years in order to prevent its roots from becoming pot bound, which could lead to root rot disease. When repotting faucaria albidens , make sure that its new pot has drainage holes at the bottom to prevent your plant from sitting in water.
- Trim off any dead leaves and stems before they start rotting. Snip these parts with sharp scissors or secateurs, making sure that you leave about an inch of stem on each cutting (if propagating). You can discard damaged leaves or use them to start new plant cuttings.
- Propagate faucaria albidens by rooting its stem tip cuttings in water or moist potting mix. If you choose to root your cutting in water, change the solution every day until it starts growing roots before planting it into a pot that is filled with well-drained soil.
- Avoid overwatering faucaria albidens during the winter months when it is in its dormant stage because this could cause root rot disease to develop. During warmer seasons, water your plant every time the top of its potting mix dries up completely or when you see that some of its leaves are starting to shrivel.
- Protect faucaria albidens from cold weather and frost by bringing them indoors before the first autumn or winter frosts. You can move it back outdoors during its next growing season.
- Keep faucaria albidens away from small children and pets who might chew on its leaves. This plant is toxic if ingested or chewed upon, so it should be kept in a place where your kids won’t accidentally find it when playing with their toys.
