How to Take Care of a Graptopetalum Paraguayense

How to Take Care of a Graptopetalum Paraguayense

A Graptopetalum Paraguayense is the perfect little succulent plant for any home. The trailing rosettes on the plant make it ideal for putting into a hanging basket or the top of a bookshelf at your place. Here are the Ghost Plant Care tips to consider when bringing one of these succulents to your home or office!

 

Common Names

  • Ghost plant succulent
  • Mother of Pearl Plant
  • Hens and Chicks
  • Mother of Pearl

 

What Soil Works Best for a Ghost Plant?

What Soil Works Best for a Ghost Plant

Good draining soil with perlite works best for a Ghost Plant. You can also add sand, coco coir, and gravel into the potting soil to give it more grit, which helps with draining.

 

In addition to the potting soil for the Ghost Plant, you want to place it into a pot with suitable drainage holes. Having the plant in a pot with holes on the bottom helps lessen the risk of root rot.

 

If you keep this plant outdoors, you can place this plant in a rock garden. The rocks in the garden will help allow any excess water to drain away from the roots, which is critical to reducing root rot concerns.

 

Can You use a Houseplant Fertilizer?

You can use a well-balanced succulent fertilizer on this plant during the early spring months to promote healthy growth. Since this plant has delicate roots, you want to ensure that the fertilizer is well-balanced since anything too strong can burn the roots. When giving the succulent fertilizer, give it some water to reduce root burning.

 

In addition to using a succulent fertilizer for healthy growth, you can also give this plant a few coffee grounds in the soil. Nitrogen is a crucial nutrient for succulents, and coffee grounds have loads of that material. In addition to that, coffee grounds can help deter mealybugs and other pests from the plant, which is a bonus.

 

How Much Sunlight Does a Ghost Plant Need?

How Much Sunlight Does a Ghost Plant Need

Full sun or partial shade works best for a Ghost Plant. If possible, place this plant in an area of your home that receives hours of the full sun since that will give a pink hue to the blue-gray leaves. One tip is to gradually increase the hours of direct sunlight for this plant each week to reduce the risk of sunburns on the leaves.

 

If you leave this succulent plant in an area in your home that doesn’t receive enough light, the plant will become leggy. A leggy plant means reaching for more bright light, which can cause leaves to drop since the plant is straining for additional sunlight.

 

What Temperature Works Best for a Graptopetalum Paraguayense?

Room temperature between 60-80 degrees Fahrenheit is suitable for a Graptopetalum paraguayense. If you keep this plant outdoors, you may want to consider bringing the pant back inside when frost appears on the ground. While the plant can tolerate temperatures reaching 20 degrees Fahrenheit, anything less can cause growth problems.

 

What Humidity Requirements Does a Graptopetalum Paraguayense Need?

A Graptopetalum Paraguayense does best in normal humidity levels in your home. You don’t need a humidifier or place the plant in a bathroom with a shower because the plant won’t enjoy that extra moisture. Giving this succulent too much humidity can cause root rot since the soil might not dry thoroughly. This plant is a slower grower, so it doesn’t absorb water quickly.

 

How Often Should You Water a Graptopetalum Paraguayense?

How Often Should You Water a Graptopetalum Paraguayense

Water needs are minor when having this as an indoor plant. During the growing season, which is the spring and summer, you can water this plant weekly at best. If the top inch of soil is dry, you can water it again, but only water the soil, never the leaves.

 

If you keep this plant outdoors, and it is in an area that receives lots of sunlight, you should water it once or twice a week during the growing season. Again, you want to check the soil around the plant to see if it is dry before watering it.

 

Finally, you can scale back the amount of water you give the plant during the winter. Since the plant isn’t growing as much during the winter, it doesn’t need much water. Overwatering the plant is common during the winter if you don’t reduce the watering frequency, so be mindful of that.

 

What Size Does a Mother of Pearl Plant Get to Typically?

What Size Does a Mother of Pearl Plant Get to Typically

A Mother of Pearl Plant grows to about 6-12 inches tall in their mature height. From a width perspective, this plant grows to about 2 feet wide, making it perfect for placing on a windowsill in your home on a desk in your office.

 

Most Common Bugs

Mealybugs and aphids are common bugs on a Ghost Plant, especially if you leave dead leaves on the plant. You want to take a soft cloth with some medical alcohol and gently rub down the plant to remove these bugs.

 

Most Common Diseases

Root rot is a common problem for this plant from a combination of overwatering and poorly draining soil. To fix root rot, you need to remove the Mother of Pearl Plant from the soil altogether, cut away the dead roots, and place it in fresh potting mix. Also, make sure that the plant goes back into a pot that has suitable drainage holes to reduce the risk of this disease in the future.

 

Can you Prune a Ghost Plant?

The best time to prune a Ghost Plant is when it becomes too leggy. If the succulent is hanging off the side, you can cut off the stems and use them for propagation. In addition to pruning the plant if it becomes too leggy, you can also remove any yellow or dry leaves to help preserve the energy in healthy areas.

 

Can You Propagate a Graptopetalum Paraguayense?

Below are the propagation steps for a Graptopetalum paraguayense

 

  1. ​​Take a few stems from the mother plant and remove the leaves from their bottom.
  2. Place the stems into a jar of water. Make sure that no leaves are floating in the water when you do this.
  3. Roots should start forming on the stem after a month in the water.
  4. Once roots form, place the new stem cuttings in fresh potting soil
  5. Water the new plant once it goes into the new potting mix.
  6. Place the new plant in an area that receives a few hours of sunlight each day.

 

Can You Repot a Ghost Plant?

Can You Repot a Ghost Plant

A Ghost Plant doesn’t need repotting that often since it is a slow grower. However, if you notice that it is starting to outgrow the current container, you can move it into a bigger pot than the original home. However, don’t repot the plant in a container bigger than two inches in diameter from the previous home because it will be too big to settle in properly.

 

Where Does this Plant Originate from Initially?

A Mother of Pearl Plant originates from East-Central Mexico.

 

What USDA Hardiness Zone Works Best for a Ghost Plant?

The USDA Hardiness Zone that works best for a ghost plant is 9-011.

 

Is it Toxic?

Ghost plants are non-toxic to pets and humans.

 

Conclusion: How to Take Care of a Graptopetalum Paraguayense

In summary, taking care of a Graptopetalum Paraguayense is straightforward. The plant doesn’t need any special humidity requirements, does well with weekly watering during the growing season, and enjoys direct sun for a few hours each day. Not only is the plant low-maintenance, but it is easy to propagate, which means you can add more of these plants around your home or rock garden!

 

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