Frequently Asked Questions

Juvenile plants up to 25 leaf are difficult to assign a RIGHT or LEFT designation because of the limited number of leaf. There are five rows of leaves which make a sequence spiral. As leaf count increases these five rows become visually more pronounced. Your eye sees the plant, but it is up to your brain to recognize the pattern.

Leaf tip necrosis can be caused by insect chewing leaf or because the plant requires a larger container. Roots can die early by suffocation or insect chewing. Brown leaf tips should be considered normal for adult plants and if they are only a feature of the oldest and lowermost leaf then don't worry. If all leaf tips of a juvenile plant are brown then dig up and inspect the underside. Jet wash and replant in correct soil mix.

If your plant is firmly rooted in a soil mix I describe elsewhere, you may water every 1-2 weeks depending on the season and air temperature. If Summer heat becomes threatening apply water or even ice cubes and shade the plant. In Winter you can go two weeks between water applications if your plant is sheltered (under a roof). The turgidity of the leaf indicate good root health and applying water will be welcomed by them. Permit the soil moisture to drop for a week before reapplying water. Suffocation is the most frequent problem roots encounter. Coarse soil texture with great macropore airspaces allow the oxygen demanding roots to act like pumps absorbing and pushing water into the leaf.

Much larger than you would assume for any other succulent plant. A.p. will exploit a large volume of soil without any other companion plant. A half-barrel with a 20-35 gal volume of soil is a good start for a 45 leaf plant which can then support the adult plant it grows into, requiring 5-7 years.

Never use dry granular formulations or Osmocote. The use of crystalline Miracle-Gro or Miracid at label rate is fine. Spring through Fall applications are ok for cool summer areas. In hot summer areas Fall through Winter applications are better. A plant with a collapsed rosette has lost all functional root. Do not apply fertilizer to a plant in this condition.

The roots have suffocated from either high temperatures or oxygen deprivation. Pull plant up and inspect the underside, remove all dead brown tissue of leaf and root. Use a small knife edge to scrape the tissue away from the root stump. Jet wash the stump, spray it with an aerosol can containing any insecticide which has a labeled active ingredient with the suffix “-thrin”. Replant on refreshed moist media in shade and wait for 30 days to perform the “tug test” to confirm new root formation. You may move it to brighter light and fertilize.