Haworthia Succulents & How to Grow This Spectacular Plant

It’s no wonder why avid succulent growers can’t get enough of succulents. Some invest in learning the world’s best cacti for beginners. Some also invest in the best succulent ground cover and the most sophisticated tools for succulent repotting. Though they seldom resell their collection, looking at them and getting awe at its beauty is enough compensation and returns for their investment. 

Haworthia succulents are known to be one of the easiest and most laid-back plants out there. This can grow and thrive even with little water, dry air, and less sunlight. These qualities earned every homeowner’s seal of approval as being the best houseplant to grow and take care of.

If you’re comfortable in the room or space you’re allowing them to grow, these plants are comfortable, too. The only consideration to check whether or not they’ll grow wonderfully in the area you intend to keep them is if you can stand that space as well. If yes, then you can say it’s okay to keep your plants there.

However, this is not the only reason why Haworthia succulents are preferred in residential and commercial spaces. They may be tiny in size but never in aesthetics. They are said to complement any decor or house motif because of their neutral look and color. With this succulent, it’s like you’re painting on an empty canvas — you have the power to mix and match every element to suit your palette. 

What Are Haworthia Succulents

Translucent flesh and fat, juicy green leaves are the distinguishing marks of a Haworthia plant. Though not every Haworthia succulent has the same hallmark features, many of them share these characteristics. Apart from this, this majority also shares the same trait: being a plant that’s easy to breed.

You don’t have to be a pro or someone who has a green thumb to allow your succulent to thrive. For as long as you can water it sparingly, give it light, and place it in an area where the air is unobstructed, it will live. And just because they are easy to grow, there’s no limitation about where you could place them. 

Haworthias are generally small and famous succulents that hail from the Southern part of Africa. They are tolerant to subtle lighting, convenient and small size, ad of easy culture. Like most succulent plants, they are available in different variations. However, no matter how varied these plants are, they share a common Haworthia theme.

This plant will bloom to show small, almost white flowers that may initially look less spectacular. Still, it will, later on, prove to be rewarding, most especially when they grow regardless of the environmental condition. For experts, what’s glorifying about this plant is its leaves that may come in near black, brown, red, or green, depending on the species. 

Some Haworthia succulents have bristly and thin leaves, while others have fat and thick ones. While some are plain, others are dotted, striped bumped, and lined. All of these varying factors explain why this plant is quite popular among household owners. They prefer this plant to be used to decorate their indoor spaces.

This can also be brought outdoors, provided that frost season is short or infrequent. Most varieties are also easily offset; that’s why they can quickly be passed to friends and even handed down to various generations. 

The first literature ever written about Haworthias dated as early as the 1600s, when the Europeans discovered Southern Africa’s botanical riches. The early colonizers and explorers took these plants to Europe and cultivated them for over 400 years now. These plants are now readily available in garden centers, home stores, and in the flower sections of most grocery stores. Unusual oddities and rare succulents are available in plant nurseries. 

Benefits of Haworthia Succulents

Perfect Indoor Plants

These succulents store water in their leaves and stems, and they can brighten your home despite the climate. This succulent’s ability to grow in wide varieties of environments and hardiness makes it a well-known houseplant. They can thrive even in the frigid mountains, bone-dry deserts, humid jungles, and seaside cliffs. So, if they can thrive here, how much more in your home? While adding a splash of green into your living space, they can also splash your home with color when they bloom. 

Air-Purifiers 

These plants can also purify your air by removing different volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from it. Since these plants emit water vapor, a pumping action pulls toxic and contaminated air from the environment and pulls the same down to the plant roots. The plant then converts the contaminants into plant food, efficiently purifying your home air. 

Improve Humidity Level

These succulents can also help improve your home’s humidity by releasing water. The increase in moisture can improve your health by getting rid of itchy, dry skin, dry cough, common colds, and sore throat. Apart from this, they also add fresh oxygen to the air. Unlike other plants, these succulents don’t give off carbon dioxide at nighttime.

Instead, they keep on producing oxygen. The continuous flow of oxygen can freshen the air and significantly improve your breathing. It’s best to position your plants in areas of the room where you feel like you’ll need a breath of fresh air, like your kitchen or bathroom. 

Help You Concentrate

These plants can also improve one’s focus. According to the CDC, regular and frequent exposure to nature can aid in focusing, and exposure to houseplants is more than enough to achieve this. And aside from improving one’s focus, these plants can also help increase a person’s tolerance to pain. According to other horticultural therapy research, patients with varying plants by their hospital beds suffered less pain while they were under medication. 

How Do Haworthia Succulents Work

Two factors set Haworthia succulents from other succulents – one, the fact that they show great variety in color, shape, and form; and second, that despite their difference, they’re all within one to three inches in diameter. 

Haworthia succulents continue to be a favorite among succulent growers and homemakers because they are rarely alike, even if they belong to the same family. There are over 60 species and more than 150 Haworthia succulent varieties.

Some people fell in love not only with the translucent leaves and stems of these varieties; others are in awe because of the rosettes and flowers that are yielded when the succulent is in full bloom. They realize that rose succulents are real when they grow and propagate rare succulent varieties by themselves. 

The Haworthia succulents are so varied that even when these varieties sit side by side in a pot, they’ll never look the same. They are also small enough to fit a four to five inches pot, no matter their variety and species. 

Pros and Cons of Haworthia Succulents

Pros

Simple to Grow

When it comes to the former, one of the most notable advantages is that it’s effortless to grow. Unlike other high-maintenance plants, these plants don’t need special care and attention to thrive. Just water them sparingly, give them ample light, and allow them to stay in a well-aerated environment, and they’re fine. 

Aesthetic Value

They may be small, but they won’t be lagging when it comes to beautifying your residence or office. They come in different colors, sizes, and shapes. If you want a colorful arrangement, this is the plant of choice. Aside from its aesthetic value, this plant also offers many medical benefits, as discussed above. All these are reasons enough to own this plant and have it displayed in your residences.

Cons

Too Many Varieties

Because they are too many, some might even be unnamed. And because they’re unidentified, it might be hard to get literature about their salient features and growing needs. In that case, you might not maximize their growth potential. 

Types of Haworthia Succulents

Haworthia Angustifolia

This Haworthia succulent variety is thin, pointed, lanceolate, sprouting, seamless, and often has slack rosette-forming leaves that are finely serrated on the edges. It also has pale pink and white flowers. 

Haworthia Attenuata

This Haworthia succulent variety has triangular, sprouting, and stemless leaves that are narrowed on its tips. It also forms a rough, rosette leaf surface that has finely raised warts. 

Haworthia Coarctata

This type of Haworthia succulent has upright, sprouting, stem-forming, yet inwardly curved rosette-forming leaves. It also has greenish and brownish leaf blades that made it a very interesting succulent plant. 

Haworthia Fasciata

This Haworthia succulent type has upright growing, sprouting, and stemless pointed leaves that form a rosette. It also has a war-filled leaf underside and rough leaf surface. What sets this Haworthia succulent apart is the white horizontal stripes you can see on the green leaves. 

Haworthia Bolusiibluish – Green

Haworthia bolusii is an inwardly curved, slowly sprouting, stemless, rosette-forming lanceolate leaves. It also has a bluish-green leaf blade with thorns on both the leaf keel and margin. 

Haworthia Cuspidata

This succulent type soft green-gray, densely-leaved rosettes, sprouting, and stemless leaves with very short, evenly thick, and wedge-shaped distinguishing features. 

Haworthia Margaritifera

This Haworthia succulent variety is known for its dark green, coarse, triangular-ovoid, sprouting leaves that form differently-sized rosettes. It also has densely-packed white warts found on its leaves. 

Haworthia Reinwardtii

Haworthia reinwardtii has a diverse appearance and comes in different forms and varieties. If you want the rosettes with a stem-like leaf, there’s one for you. If you want the type with leaves that spread inwardly or uprightly, you can also find one. And if you want the kind that has blue-green leaves and a rough surface with flat pearl-white nodules, you can find one too. 

Haworthia Chloracantha

This succulent variety has large thorns on the leaf keels and edges. It also has rough to firm, stemless and sprouting leaves that are very light yet thick. Its distinguishing mark is the network pattern on its leaves. 

Haworthia Nigra

Haworthia nigra is known for its gray-green to blackish leaf blades and wart-filled rough leaf surfaces. Its spreading, ovate triangular and upright leaves also form a pretty rosette. 

Haworthia Venosa

This Haworthia succulent variety is distinguished for its slowly sprouting and stemless ovate-triangular leaves that form into pretty rosettes with wart-filled leaf underside and reticulate surface. 

Haworthia Emelyae

Haworthia emelyae’s salient features include raised warts, small, scattered spots on the leaf surface, and dark green color. Aside from these, this succulent is also known for its translucent and loose rosette surface. 

Haworthia Viscosa

This succulent is characterized by triangular, spreading, and trunk-forming leaves intricately arranged in a three-rowed shoot. It has an unusual appearance and rough leaf surface. 

Haworthia Truncata

This is a staple and slow-sprouting plant with truncated leaves that are arranged in two-rowed shoots. It also has semi-translucent and dark-gray end surfaces that are complemented by its tiny surface warts. All these complete the plant’s bizarre look. 

Haworthia Succulents Care

Light

Most of the Haworthia succulents crave sunlight, so they should be placed outdoors or in indoor areas that receive ample sunlight. If they couldn’t get the sunshine that they need, they might etiolate. 

Soil

Soil is another factor that you should look into when you’re growing Haworthia succulents. You need to use the right potting mix. Otherwise, its roots man excellent, and the plant might become moldy and die. The right type of soil is one with a great drainage capacity. This ensures that the plant won’t hold too much water and residue after it gets watered. As you already know, succulents, in general, are sensitive to overwatering. 

Water

Experts suggest only water your indoor Haworthia succulents once every two to three weeks. As mentioned in the preceding paragraph, they are sensitive to overwatering. So, if you water them more than the necessary quantity and more than the required frequency, the plant might get moldy. In the end, its roots might rot, causing your plant to die. 

Temperature and Humidity

Some varieties of Haworthia succulents can do well in a little frosty environment, but since this plant loves the sun, it’s better to avoid getting chances. They thrive in environments with a temperature of 75 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Some can also survive at 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but only if they don’t get watered regularly and frequently. Those that can survive environments with 100 degrees Fahrenheit temperature are those that are shaded. 

Fertilizers

Experts advise fertilizing your Haworthia plant with diluted cactus and succulent fertilizer at least once every month. 

Pruning

You don’t need to prune your succulent. If you have to remove dead leaves, take them out manually – no need for you to snip the plant here and there. 

Pests and Diseases

According to experts, Haworthia succulents are generally free from pests and diseases, except for mealy bugs. In this case, you can remove the pests manually or use a standard household pesticide. 

How to Propagate Haworthia Succulents

As you know, black succulent varieties and pastel pink succulents are quite tough to grow. In the same vein, rare succulents can be a good investment, so it’s for a good cause if you learn how to propagate them in your own backyard. It’s easy to propagate Haworthia succulents. If it’s your first time growing them, consider these simple steps. 

Step 1 – Look for the offsets and propagate

Offsets are also known as pups. Cut them off when you see that its roots are already well-established. After that, you can replant the offset in a  new pot or container. If you see that the plant’s separated shoots still don’t have well-formed roots, allow it to dry for at least three days. After that, you can press the cut surface into the new plant substrate. 

Step 2 – Use leaf cuttings to propagate

This option is more laborious and time-consuming than the first one, so brace yourself for some tedious handwork if you go for this method. First, you have to separate the leaf from the succulent. After that, allow the detached leaf to sit for a couple of days to let the cut surface dry out. 

Once the surface is thoroughly dried out, lay the leaf flat in your chosen container that’s filled with the right potting mix. Make sure that your substrate is evenly moist yet not overly wet. Position your container in a slightly warm and bright location. It might take a few weeks before you see the leaf-cutting take roots. 

Step 3 – Use Haworthia seeds to propagate the plant

• Take note that there is no single-variety plant. 
• Use fine mineral pumice as your seed soil. 
• Sow your seed anytime within the year at 15 to 20-degrees Celsius. 
• Overheating is bad for the seeds since it can stop their germination. 
• The seed’s germination capacity is minimal; hence, you can only expect it to last for less than a year. 

 

Does More Spending Mean More Quality

The principle that states spending more means better quality doesn’t necessarily apply to Haworthia succulents. As you read above, there are three ways wherein you can propagate this succulent. If you want the rare and expensive variety, you can always reproduce the same in your own backyard. In that case, you won’t have to spend thousands of dollars to bring home the best plant variety. 

Do’s and Don’ts With Haworthia Succulents

Do’s

• Do take note that succulent seeds can be sensitive to growing conditions.
• Do remember that outdoor succulents may need more frequent watering. 
• Do know the succulent variety you’re growing and understand its unique needs before grooming it. 
• Do learn how to propagate your own succulents. 
• Do keep your succulents in a well-ventilated and bright area. 
• Do repot them as soon as you bring them home from the store or succulent nursery. 
• Do try growing low-light succulents in your office. 
• Do keep maintaining the length or height of your succulents. 

Don’ts

• Don’t overwater your succulents. 
• Don’t forget to fertilize them once every month.
• Don’t use potent pesticides to get rid of mealy bugs. 
• Don’t keep your succulents in a frosty environment for a very long time. 
• Don’t keep them under the excruciating heat of the sun for a long time without watering them. 
• Don’t allow your pets to step and eat your succulents.
• Don’t stress your plant. 

FAQ About Haworthia Succulents

Do Haworthias need full sun?

These succulent species crave the sun, but they don’t like direct sunlight. They prefer the same lighting condition as other succulent varieties. In areas where they originated and thrived first, you often see them bloom under the rock or other objects that can give them shade. 

How often should you water a Haworthia?

You should only water them once every two to three weeks. 

Is Haworthia an indoor plant?

Most of the time, Haworthia succulents are grown in pots and containers placed in indoor environments. However, they can also be placed outdoors during summer. They can again grow in areas with short periods of frost. 

Should I mist my Haworthia?

When the weather is dry, you can spray your Haworthia succulent with soft water as this can clean its dusty leaves. When it’s clean, it will look even more beautiful. 

Why is my Haworthia dying?

The main reason why your Haworthia succulent might be dying is maybe that you’re drowning it in water. Remember that they’re sensitive to overwatering, so you might want to cut down on the frequency of such activity. 

Is Haworthia poisonous to humans?

This plant is generally non-toxic and 100% safe for humans and pets. However, it’s not advised to eat them or drink their sap. 

Is Haworthia toxic to cats?

As mentioned above, this succulent variety is safe for animals, cats included. 

Does Haworthia like to be root bound?

Succulents can get stressed when you remove them from their pot or existing environment. This is the reason why frequent repotting and root disturbance are not advisable. This can weaken the plant and cause them to etiolate. 

How fast does Haworthia grow?

This plant is generally small and can only grow up to three to five inches. Aside from that, they are also slow-growing. So, you might need to be patient when choosing this plant variety as your home or garden ornament. 

Conclusion

Growing succulents is a fun hobby for as long as you know how to make the plant live, grow, and develop. They can give your house, office, garden, or indoor living space an instant facelift without breaking your bank account. Plus, they are not the demanding and high-maintenance type, either.

For as long as you water them when they should be watered, give them enough sunlight, repot them only when necessary, and allow them to thrive in the environment they’re fit to grow, they’ll gladly offer you a plethora of benefits. 

Photos from: Nadianb / depositphotos.com, De19 / depositphotos.com, bblakkr / depositphotos.com, KATIRINA / depositphotos.com, YuliyaM / depositphotos.com and bobbery / depositphotos.com.