Was it a surprise to wake up to a brown zebra cactus plant? Did it just happen or does it start gradually? Do you feel it is a natural phenomenon and a result of evolution?
Do you think your zebra cactus plant is turning brown because it’s ripe and ready to be cut?
What do you think about your zebra cactus plant going days with this newfound brown tip skin?
Whatever your answer is, the first most important thing to note is that a healthy zebra succulent plant has features that include dark green leaves, thick stems, and robust looking appearance.
If any of these is missing from your zebra cactus plant, it simply means that your plant is having an underlying nutrient, water, or sunlight disorder that needs to be fixed.
Fixing the problem in your zebra succulent plant requires first an understanding of the plant.
Description of a Zebra Succulent Cactus Plant
The zebra succulent plant is also known as the Haworthiopsis attenuata.
It is an ornamental plant whose origins can be traced down to the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
It is a beautiful species of succulent plant with flowers that stay green all year round.
The zebra cactus plant likes fast-draining soil, bright light, but not so much to destroy its leaves.
They are adapted to infrequent watering patterns and do not need to be watered frequently.
This is because the soil upon which they are planted needs to totally dry out before they can be watered again.
During summer, watering at least twice in two weeks is adequate to keep the plant alive and blooming, while in winter, it is necessary to cut the frequency to at least once in two weeks.
A major distinction between the zebra succulent cactus plant and other succulent plants is that it does not have fibrous roots.
The roots are usually taproots that go down to the soil for the purpose of staying hydrated.
What looks like a Zebra Plant?
There are twenty-one different succulent plants that look like zebra succulent plants.
There only exist slight variations that are almost unnoticeable except on close inspection.
In this article, we will be discussing just five of the plants that look like the Zebra succulent plant the most. They are:
- Haworthia Glabrata: this plant differs from the zebra succulent plant in the sense that, while the zebra succulent plant is made up a thick dark green skin with tubercles-
Nodules that contain caseous necrosis, the Haworthia Glabrata is made of rosettes with light, dark, or brown-green leaves that are slim, fleshy, and covered with bands of the same color.
- Hankey Dwarf Aloe: this looks like the zebra plant but unlike the zebra succulent plant, the Hankey dwarf aloe is made of brown-green leaves with white rosettes round each of the leaves
- Variegated Hawortia Radula: it is structurally like the zebra succulent plant, but is made up of fleshy variegated dark green leaves that have uneven patterns of white, yellow or pink.
- Harwothia Enon: significantly resembling the zebra succulent plant in size of leaves and color of leaves. The only difference is that a zebra succulent plant is made up of white tubercles, while the Haworthia Enon is made of white rosettes that cover every part of the leaves.
- Big band: unlike the zebra succulent, the big band plant is native to the UK and grows about 15 cm high, 3 centimeters more than the maximum height of the Zebra succulent.
They are evergreen, stemless, and do not need to be pruned.
This is almost the same for the zebra succulent plant, except that the big band is gifted with white spots instead of tubercles to adorn.
Is a zebra plant an Aloe?
I had the same question as well. I used to often mistake these two until I studied the uniqueness in each of these two and how they vary from each other.
Of course, the answer to the question above is a no. the first reason is that they do not have the same names.
One is called an Aloe Vera plant and the other is called a zebra plant. Even though they look the same physically, they are not the same.
The Aloe Vera plant is referred to as a wonder plant due to its vast medicinal usage. It has over 500 species and is found almost everywhere in the world.
It is useful in making beverages, soap, and body lotions. The aloe, is short-stemmed, has thick leaves which are fleshy and dark grey to green in color.
This is not the same for the Zebra succulent plant. The zebra succulent plant is not useful for medicinal purposes and has just one species.
How do you make a zebra plant bushy?
A bushy plant is one that has a lot of leaves closely packed together.
To get your zebra succulent plant bushy, ensure you are carrying out the right gardening practices on the plant.
Water when due, apply the right kind of fertilizer, do not overwater the plant, keep it in locations where it gets just the right sunlight amount, and prune every dead part away.
Why Does Zebra Succulent Plant Have Brown Leaves?
The following are reasons for the zebra cactus turning brown:
- Poor application of water: this is a situation where the amount of water applied to the plant is not sufficient enough to get to its root.
Even though the zebra succulent plant is adapted to stay longer periods without water, it still needs a certain amount of water to survive and carry out its functions.
When the water it is getting isn’t enough, the plant gets drought-stressed and the leaves begin to turn brown.
If the browning of the leaves persists, the leaves begin to droop and finally wilt. Zebra succulent plants need a good amount of water every time they are watered.
This is why we recommend a good soaking technique.
- Strong Air currents: every plant needs a good amount of air to survive.
It is in the air that respiration is made possible and plants are able to break down chemical contents into food-producing nutrients.
But, it becomes harmful when the air currents to which the plant is exposed are of very high intensities.
This is because air has a way of stimulating increased evaporation of water contents from the leaves.
This water content does not get replaced quickly from the roots and the plants suffer from inadequate water in their leaves.
An effect of inadequate water on the leaves of the zebra succulent plant is that it becomes drought-stressed and develops brown colorations on the tip of the leaves.
- Excess heat: zebra succulent plants can tolerate hot conditions temporarily.
Where the temperature stays consistently too high for their survival, the plants start to wither.
It begins with brown colorations of the leaves, and then becomes wilting and slowly leads to the death of the plant.
Do not keep your zebra succulent plant close to cooking areas. The heat emanating from the cooker and pot is harmful to the plant.
Do not also keep your zebra succulent plant out in locations with any ventilation. It makes the plants’ temperature too hot and leads to the browning of the leaves.
- Direct sunlight: the zebra succulent plant has a natural habitat in areas where the sun is low and does not penetrate directly.
This means that a zebra succulent plant does not like direct sunlight. Direct sunlight is harsh on the skin of the plants and turns the leaves brown.
Direct sunlight also stunts the growth of the plant and can make them not bloom during the blooming season.
Ensure your zebra succulent flower pot is kept where the sun does not reflect directly. It is preferable to keep the plants growing indoors.
- Plant pot soil type: for zebra succulents that are planted in pots, it is important that the right soil be used.
The best soil type to be used is one whose water drainage capacity is good enough to get water down to the root of the plant without coagulation on the surface.
The best kind of soil for this is sandy soil. But the zebra succulent plant also needs a good supply of nutrients to grow and the sandy soil is not rich in this.
Therefore the application of compost to the soil is needed to augment the nutrient needs of the plant.
- Overwatering: the zebra succulent does not need excess water.
This is because when the water applied becomes too much, it goes down to the roots, store up and begin to cause root rot.
Root rot is a disease of the zebra plant that brings about brown colorations of the leaves and an eventual wilting of the leaves.
Conclusion
Finally, you should note that great care should be employed in taking care of the zebra succulent plant.
Regular checks on the health should be done daily on the leaf and plant pot. Your zebra succulent plant can bloom again if it is taken care of properly.
