Succulents perfect low-maintenance plant

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This article was published 14/03/2019 (2437 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Succulents are an intriguing plant group and they have become increasingly popular in outdoor gardens during the past few years. Some succulents, such as Aloe Vera, have been popular house plants for years, and occupy an important place in the plant collections of avid gardeners.

The term succulent is applied to plants that have the ability to hold large amounts of water in their tissues; these plants belong to a number of different plant families, so they are by no means all related to one another. All cacti are succulents; cacti have indentations along their stems from which protrude sharp spines or needles.

Succulents, on the other hand, include all those plants with fleshy tissues that are able to store water. Many of them are not cacti, so the grouping is much bigger and more loosely defined than the cacti group.

One succulent plant genus surprisingly belongs to the lily family (Liliaceae.) The genus is gasteria and I am familiar with this plant genus because I have a number of plants in my plant collection that belong to the gasteria genus.

There are several reasons that members of the gasteria genus make great house plants. Firstly, like most succulents, gasteria can go for weeks without being watered, which is a prized attribute for gardeners who are away from home for long periods of time or for those people who simply forget to water their plants on a regular basis.

Secondly, gasteria are very undemanding plants; they will tolerate a wide range of growing conditions. Members of this plant genus will perform well in cool environments, but do not object to warmer temperatures either.

They are not at all fussy about soil composition although the potting mix and containers must provide good drainage. I generally use a soilless mix to which I add a bit of sand when I am potting succulents, including all cacti, and I usually cover the soil surface with sand to create a desert-like landscape.

The only disadvantage of using sand to cover the soil surface is that the sand dries out quickly, so it is a bit more difficult to determine when the soil is dry and needs to be watered. This necessitates sticking a finger into the soil to check its moisture level beneath the thin layer of sand on its surface to see if watering is necessary.

Succulents do not require a lot of fertilizer; I usually give them a bit of plant food once in the spring. Care must be taken when these plants are fertilized as any water containing fertilizer can mark the leaves if it is allowed to drip onto the foliage — the foliage of most succulents is a permanent of the plants, so you have to live with any marks you put on the leaves for a long time.

Succulents like bright light, including some direct sun, although they are incredibly resilient in terms of light requirements. During the winter, when the plants go into a semi-dormant state, they can be located in quite low light levels with no ill effects.

Gasteria plants can be displayed in the indoor landscape in a variety of ways. Smaller plants can be used in dish gardens with other succulents or cacti, while large individually potted specimens can be used alone on display or be combined within a plant grouping to add interest and texture.

The unique colouration and texture of gasteria leaves make them interestingly unique. G. maculata has blunt-tipped, tongue-shaped, smooth leaves that are dark green and marked with white bands. The leaves are 15 centimetres long and five centimetres wide and arranged in two flattened rows opposite each other, one leaf atop the next.

My favourite gasteria, which I call Ox Tongue, but whose proper name is Gasteria verrucose, is another interesting gasteria because of its wonderful texture. The leaves are about the same size as those of G. maculate, but a bit narrower and somewhat concave on the top.

This gasteria is commonly called ‘Ox Tongue’ because its dark green leaves are covered with small white warts — giving the leaves the texture of a cow’s tongue. (How many of you have felt a cow’s tongue?)

The Latin name is derived from the flowers; they are stomach-shaped and hang from long, curving stems. The flowers are usually coral-coloured, and the flower stems can eventually become more than a metre in length. The Latin word for stomach is gaster, hence the name Gasteria.

I have a large specimen, and it stays in the same pot for years without having to be repotted or divided. The clump gradually gets larger due to the production of multiple offshoots, which can be detached from the parent plants and potted up to create new specimen plants.

Ox Tongue is low maintenance — and long-lived because it has a very slow growth rate. It takes a long time to become root-bound and to require repotting.

I do wipe gasteria leaves with a damp cloth occasionally to remove dust, but on the relatively bumpy and heavily textured leaves of the Ox Tongue, dust seems invisible. On some of the smooth-leaved gasteria, this grooming practice will keep the plants looking their best.

Low-maintenance plants that are not demanding in terms of their culture are a good choice for indoor gardeners, particularly those who don’t spend a lot of time tending their plants. A gasteria would be a great choice for such a gardener.

PHOTO CAPTIONS

• (1033) Offshoots of gasteria plants can be detached from the parent plant and planted into a container for future use.

• (1039) Ox Tongue can serve as a unique specimen plant for the indoor landscape.

• Many gasteria have unique designs on their leaves. White bumps on Ox Tongue’s leaves give the foliage textural interest.