How to Grow and Care for Concrete Leaf Plant (Titanopsis)

You and I are clearly each members of the bizarre is fantastic membership – so good day, pal!

Certain, concrete leaf vegetation have shiny, showy flowers too, however I doubt anybody is rising titanopsis solely for his or her blooms.

On this article, I’m going to offer you some background details about species within the Titanopsis genus in addition to particulars about their rising necessities and propagation steerage.

Right here’s what’s forward:

What Are Concrete Leaf Vegetation?

Concrete leaf vegetation (Titanopsis) are evergreen succulents which have a mat-like, clumping, development behavior.

These succulents have a diffusion of as much as six inches or so at maturity, and encompass small, compact rosettes that attain two to 4 inches huge and tall.

Additionally identified by their genus title, titanopsis, these botanical marvels have spoon- or club-shaped leaves.

The characteristic which supplies these succulent vegetation their concrete-like look is the ends of the leaves that are coated with tough bumps, often known as warts.

The bases of the leaves are smoother than the ends, and typically extra brightly coloured as properly.

The colour of the foliage is extraordinarily diversified relying on species, particular person plant, and light-weight publicity, and ranges from blues, grays, and greens, to muted pinks, purples, reds, browns, and yellows.

The daisy-like blooms of titanopsis are comparatively giant in comparison with the dimensions of the vegetation, and are usually yellow, orange, or pink in coloration, and held on very quick flower stems.

If you happen to suppose your succulent is a titanopsis, however aren’t fairly certain, let’s take into account just a few vegetation more likely to be confused with species on this genus.

In nurseries, concrete leaf vegetation are typically labeled as lithops.

Though they’re associated and have comparable care wants – they’re totally different succulents and don’t also have a comparable look!

You may learn extra concerning the various kinds of lithops in our information if you wish to be taught extra about these dwelling stones.

There are some lookalikes, nonetheless.

Some members of the Aloinopsis genus have a really comparable development behavior and now have bumps on their leaves, making them simple to mistake for the topic of our article.

There’s additionally Crassula ausensis subsp. titanopsis, a crassula subspecies that appears considerably like concrete leaf plant and was named after it.

Cultivation and Historical past

Titanopsis succulents are native to Namibia and South Africa, the place they develop in arid places and are tailored to low, seasonal rainfall, although some species additionally obtain moisture by way of coastal fog.

The tough textured foliage mimics the limestone rocks and gravel of their native environments, making them virtually unnoticeable to people and herbivores till they’re in bloom.

Titanopsis are members of the Aizoaceae or fig marigold household, also called the ice plant household.

Different members of this household embody succulents similar to infants’ toes (Fenestraria rhopalophylla), ice plant (Corpuscularia lehmannii), cut up rock (Pleiospilos nelii)– and sure, lithops, too!

Actually, like lithops, titanopsis are thought-about mesembs, a typical title used to seek advice from succulent vegetation from the fig marigold household that appear to be stones.

Along with mesembs, they’re additionally referred to as mimicry vegetation or dwelling stones.

There are solely 4 species within the Titanopsis genus, with a few of former species having been reclassified as belonging to the carefully associated Aloinopsis genus talked about earlier.

The genus title Titanopsis comes from the Greek and means not powerful as a Greek god as I’d have most well-liked, however a extra mundane chalky look, referring to the limestone rocks amongst which these dwelling stones happen in nature.

Concrete leaf vegetation make nice houseplants when located on sunny windowsills or below develop lights. They may also be stored open air yr spherical in USDA Hardiness Zones 8b to 11b.

Titanopsis Propagation

If you happen to’d prefer to attempt propagating concrete leaf vegetation, you’ll be able to select to begin them from seed or divide offsets from an present specimen.

From Seed

To propagate titanopsis from seed, there are a selection of provides you’ll want to collect!

You’ll want seeds, rising medium, coarse sand, horticultural sand, humidity domes, fungicide, a sprig bottle, and both seed beginning trays or three-and-a-half- to four-inch nursery pots. You may additionally want a warmth mat.

The variety of pots or trays you’ll want will depend upon the variety of seeds you may have – you’ll be able to sow 20 to 30 seeds per three-and-a-half-inch pot.

For rising medium, neither a industrial seed beginning combine nor prebagged cactus and succulent soil are appropriate for this goal.

As a substitute, create your individual combine that’s 70 % grit, similar to coarse sand, pumice, or horticultural gravel, and 30 % natural matter, similar to coconut coir.

Begin by combining the elements to your rising medium within the beneficial parts.

Whenever you’ve finished this, have all of the wanted provides, and are prepared to begin, fill the tray or nursery pots with moistened rising medium, leaving one inch of room between the floor of the medium and the rim of the pot or tray.

Sprinkle a shallow layer of coarse sand on the floor of the rising medium.

Titanopsis seeds are extraordinarily tiny, like particles of mud, so it helps to combine them in a teaspoon or so of sand earlier than sprinkling them on the floor of the coarse sand layer. Don’t cowl the seed and sand combination.

Use the spray bottle to moisten the sand and seed layer and apply the biofungicide as indicated within the producer’s directions, if utilizing.

If you happen to’re utilizing a distinct kind of fungicide, apply in accordance with the producer’s directions.

Place the nursery pots or tray right into a location with shiny, oblique mild, and hold it heat throughout the day – round 77°F – and about 10 levels cooler at evening. Use a warmth mat if wanted.

Maintain the rising medium moist and anticipate seeds to germinate inside a month. The primary seedlings might pop up inside just a few days to per week!

After a month or so, progressively begin to acclimate the seedlings to much less protected circumstances, decreasing warmth, and rising air flow earlier than eradicating the humidity domes utterly.

Enable seedlings to stay in the identical pots or trays for a few yr earlier than transplanting into bigger or particular person pots.

Study extra about propagating succulents from seed in our information.

From Offsets

Concrete leaf vegetation produce offsets, and these might be separated from the mom plant to propagate new specimens.

To propagate titanopsis on this means, when the plant’s rising medium is dry, take away it from the pot and use a clear pair of scissors or backyard snips to take away an offset.

Enable each the mom plant and the offset to callus over for a few week earlier than returning the mom from its pot or potting up the offset as a transplant.

After repotting, wait per week earlier than watering.

Study extra about propagate succulent offsets in our information.

From Transplants

You’ll be taught extra about one of the best timing for repotting a mature titanopsis within the upkeep part under, however for now let’s cowl the steps wanted to transplant a specimen that you just’ve simply introduced residence or propagated your self from seed or by way of offsets.

You’ll want a brand new pot for the concrete leaf plant, in addition to some rising medium.

There are various kinds of rising medium that can work for these succulents, so long as they’re very gritty, with roughly 85 % mineral content material.

If you happen to’re utilizing a industrial succulent and cactus combine, add extra grit to make sure the rising medium has glorious drainage, and keep away from mixes that include peat, which causes compacting.

And in any case, peat comes from moist, boggy areas, so it doesn’t make a lot sense to make use of it to domesticate succulents that want arid circumstances – to not point out the significance of conserving it within the floor as a carbon sink!

If you happen to’re potting up a seedling with a small root system or an offset, begin with a pot that’s about two inches huge or a bit wider.

When you may have mixed the elements to create the rising medium and have a brand new pot, you’re able to transplant!

Gently take away the titanopsis from its present pot taking care to not harm the foliage or root system.

If the titanopsis is rising in a distinct kind of potting combine, take away as a lot of it as attainable from across the roots.

If it’s very rootbound, it’s possible you’ll must moist the roots to take away the previous potting combine.

After wetting the roots, and eradicating as a lot of the potting medium as attainable, permit them to dry once more earlier than you proceed.

Are you transplanting an offset or a year-old seedling with a small root system?

Fill the pot many of the means, use a spoon to poke a gap within the center, then insert the succulent’s roots and agency the potting medium across the titanopsis.

Or does the specimen have a well-developed root ball?

In that case, add only a shallow layer of rising medium, then maintain the concrete leaf plant within the pot with one hand whereas filling in with medium with the opposite hand.

Don’t water a newly transplanted titanopsis straight away, however wait per week to offer it time to regulate to its new quarters.

Develop Titanopsis

For many of the yr, concrete leaf vegetation require full solar – that’s to say, six to eight hours of direct daylight.

If you happen to’re utilizing a lightweight meter, that’s at the very least six to eight hours of sunshine at 1000 foot candles.

Enough mild helps to develop the “warts” that give concrete leaf vegetation their bumpy look.

In summer season nonetheless, when temperatures are hottest, these succulents want some mild shade throughout the hottest a part of the day.

Indoors, select a sunny, south-facing window. If you happen to don’t have an appropriate window, you’ll doubtless want to make use of a develop mild to maintain the succulent wholesome.

Study extra about utilizing develop lights right here.

When succulents don’t obtain sufficient mild they could turn out to be etiolated, the place the leaves and stems turn out to be elongated as they attain in the direction of the sunshine.

However, in case your succulent has developed brownish patches on the foliage, it could be uncovered to extra direct solar than it might deal with.

Be sure you progressively improve the depth of the sunshine publicity for lately acquired specimens, and to supply some mild shade throughout the hottest a part of the day throughout summer season.

As for water, understand that Titanopsis species have a dormancy interval both in winter or summer season, and are tailored to receiving much less water throughout these intervals as soon as they’ve reached maturity.

You’ll be taught extra about which species are dormant throughout which seasons later within the article, so hold studying!

If you happen to aren’t certain which species you may have, it’s not a disaster! Fortunately all 4 species want to obtain most of their water in spring and autumn.

In the course of the dormancy interval, or throughout each summer season and winter when you don’t know which species you may have, relatively than watering as quickly because the rising medium is dry, stretch out the interval between waterings out a bit – beginning with just a few days.

If in case you have a younger specimen, it won’t cope as properly with out water throughout the summer season season, so proceed so as to add moisture when the rising medium is dry.

When it’s time to water, take away the succulent from its typical spot, place it in a bowl, and use a houseplant watering can with a slim spout to be able to intention a managed stream of water onto the floor of the rising medium, and keep away from drenching the foliage.

Dump the drained water from the bowl and permit the liquid to proceed draining from the holes within the backside of the pot.

Repeat the method, permitting the rising medium to empty properly earlier than you come the succulent to its typical location.

Need to be taught extra about one of the best kind of water for succulents? Take a look at our article!

Selecting a well-draining rising medium is simply as necessary as taking care to not water too regularly.

As talked about above, within the transplanting part above, the medium ought to be very gritty, with roughly 85 % mineral content material, and will have a ph vary between 6.6 to eight.4.

As species that exhibit energetic development primarily in spring and autumn, titanopsis are happiest in temperatures between 65 to 75°F.

These mesembs additionally do greatest when temperatures drop 10 to fifteen levels decrease than the daytime temperature at evening.

All Titanopsis species are hardy to 14°F for brief intervals, although this hardiness additionally will depend on the mesemb’s roots not being moist.

Along with temperature concerns, air circulation can also be necessary, so don’t crowd these succulents collectively too tightly with different houseplants, particularly if humidity ranges are above 40 %.

Rising Ideas

Expose vegetation to 6 to eight hours of full solar, with mild shade throughout summer season warmth.

Water when the rising medium is dry in spring and autumn, with much less frequent watering in winter and summer season.

Be certain that each the potting medium and container have glorious drainage.

Upkeep

The primary upkeep job it’s possible you’ll take into account enterprise whenever you first deliver a titanopsis house is repotting.

Nurseries typically develop succulents similar to these in rising mediums that include a variety of peat, which promotes quick development when seedlings are younger.

However as talked about, a potting medium that incorporates peat is a poor choice for titanopsis over the long run.

So it’s possible you’ll must repot this mesemb quickly after bringing it residence.

Nonetheless, if the titanopsis was shipped, so long as the pot has drainage holes, wait a month to let it get acclimated to life in your house first.

If it doesn’t have drainage holes, go forward and repot straight away!

Along with altering out the rising medium if it’s the unsuitable kind, you must also take into account repotting in case your concrete leaf plant is root certain, has turn out to be high heavy in its present pot, or if it’s been two or three years because you final repotted.

Undecided how lengthy it’s been because you final repotted? Begin monitoring this data in your gardening journal.

If the basis system isn’t but filling up the pot, you’ll be able to change out the rising medium and repot it into the identical container, or a pot of the identical dimension.

For a concrete leaf plant that has outgrown its container, select a brand new pot that is only one dimension bigger than the present one, and – after all! – be sure that it has drainage holes.

Concrete leaf vegetation have deep faucet roots, so shallow pots aren’t your best option for these succulent vegetation. As a substitute choose a pot that’s deeper than it’s huge.

Are you questioning if there’s a greatest time of yr to repot titanopsis?

Lifeless foliage and spent blooms can present a foothold for pests and illnesses.

It’s a good suggestion to examine for this particles everytime you water, take away it utilizing a pair of sterilized snips if vital, and deposit it in your compost bin.

Titanopsis Species to Choose

Able to be taught extra concerning the totally different Titanopsis species?

Calcarea

The biggest species of the genus, T. calcarea has rosettes that attain 4 inches huge and tall.

The flat leaves of this concrete leaf plant are flat, spoon- to triangular-shaped, and are coated with a mixture of small and huge bumps.

The leaves are usually blueish inexperienced or grey and the warts have a blue, brown, grey, or crimson tinge.

A recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Backyard Advantage in 2002, T. calcarea has orange to yellow blooms that seem in fall and winter.

T. primosii produces flowers which can be often pale yellow with tan suggestions, however they could even be orange or pink.

This species grows actively throughout winter and is dormant throughout the summer season months.

Schwantesii

With two-inch huge rosettes, the leaves of T. schwantesii are extra upright than these of the opposite species and might be pale inexperienced, grey, blue, brown, or pink.

The thick, club-shaped leaves of this titanopsis are coated with giant warts that are grey, grayish brown, tan, white, yellow, or yellowish brown in coloration.

With yellow flowers, T. schwantesii is dormant in summer season, rising actively from fall by way of spring.

In its pure setting this titanopsis receives a part of its water from fog, making it extra adaptable to elevated humidity ranges.

Managing Pests and Illness

Whereas titanopsis are identified for being deer-resistant, when you place these succulents open air it’s possible you’ll discover them visited by your native rabbit populations.

Think about putting potted specimens out of the attain of rabbits, or enclose the world with a fine-meshed rabbit fence to maintain these nibblers out.

Study extra about defending vegetation from rabbits in our information.

Titanopsis have a tendency to withstand most insect onslaughts, however make sure you examine your vegetation commonly, particularly for succulent mites, scale bugs, and mealybugs.

Whereas most mealybugs are fairly laborious to overlook when you realize what they appear to be, there’s a kind that’s more durable to detect. Root mealies, as they’re generally referred to as, dwell within the soil or rising medium, feeding on the succulent’s roots.

That is one purpose why it’s best to at all times take away the plant from its pot and take a look on the root ball – earlier than you buy it or as quickly as an internet buy arrives.

Root mealies appear to be grains of rice connected to the basis ball. You may deal with them with neem oil, reapplying as soon as per week for about two months till they’re eradicated.

Study extra about cope with mealybugs in our information.

As for illness, the issue you’re more than likely to come across with this succulent is rot.

If the concrete leaf plant has tender foliage or mushy roots, the plant is probably going rotting because of a mix of an excessive amount of water, not sufficient mild, and inadequate drainage.

If rot is affecting your titanopsis, make sure you assessment the rising suggestions on this article to be taught what might have gone unsuitable.

And for additional steerage about cope with rotting succulents, learn our information!

Finest Makes use of for Titanopsis

Titanopsis are distinctive specimen vegetation, whether or not grown indoors in a pot or open air in Zones 8b to 11b.

They may also be used to create engaging succulent planters however as a result of they’ve distinctive water and rising medium necessities, as a substitute of echeverias or hens and chicks, look to different mesembs similar to Aloinopsis to fill the function of companion vegetation.

Concrete leaf vegetation are thought-about unhazardous, in order that they make secure plant selections for households with pets or small youngsters.

And what a enjoyable strategy to educate youngsters about biodiversity! As for the pets – you’ll be able to attempt, however I can’t promise they’ll pay attention.