Zebra haworthia
Also called Zebra plant, Zebra cactus.
| Light | bright indirect light |
|---|---|
| Water | Every 14 days in the growing season, every 35 in winter |
| Humidity | low |
| Difficulty | easy |
| Height | Up to 12 cm (5 in) tall |
| Pets | Cats safe, dogs safe |
Source: ASPCA Animal Poison Control, toxic and non-toxic plants, Zebra Haworthia entry.
A small South African succulent that forms a tight rosette of stiff dark leaves banded across the back in raised white dots, which is where the zebra comes from. It stays about the size of a teacup for years, offsets slowly around the base, and asks for a gritty compost, a small pot and a bright windowsill out of the fiercest sun. Water it properly and then leave it alone: soak the pot, let it dry all the way through, and repeat, which in winter means once every five or six weeks. Unlike most of the succulents people put on a windowsill, and unlike aloe, it is listed by the ASPCA as non-toxic to cats and dogs.
Ailments observed
| A soft or mushy base to the stem | Watered again before the compost dried, which is the only real risk. Take it out, cut off the rot, let it dry for a few days and replant in dry gritty compost. Wait a week before watering. |
|---|---|
| Long bare stems and pale new leaves | Not enough light, so the rosette stretches and opens out. Move it to a brighter windowsill. The stretched growth stays stretched; the new growth comes back tight. |
Filed underPlants that will not poison the cat, Plants that forgive a beginner, Succulents and cacti, Plants for infrequent watering, Plants for a balcony or a small space
Neighbouring entries
Aloe vera
Aloe veraAloe vera care on a bright windowsill, with the soak and dry watering it needs, why leaves flatten or curl, and how to pot up the offsets.
Echeveria
Echeveria elegansEcheveria care on a sunny windowsill, with the soak and dry watering it wants, why the rosette stretches, and how to grow new plants from a single leaf.
Jade plant
Crassula ovataJade plant care with the long watering interval it wants, the light that keeps it compact, why leaves drop, and how to root a single leaf.