Graptopetalum Paraguayense is an exceptional plant that you can use to decorate your home without excessive effort. This succulent plant forms beautiful rosettes and can easily be propagated.
This article provides comprehensive tips on how to care for Graptopetalum Paraguayense the proper way.
Contents
What Is a Graptopetalum Paraguayense?
Graptopetalum Paraguayense is a small evergreen plant whose leaves form rosettes from the tips of its stems. Upon reaching maturity, the rosette shapes produce yellow flowers that will hang or trail. This gorgeous succulent is locally found in Mexico, suitably perfect for beautifying your indoors.
Graptopetalum Paraguayense Care
Caring for Graptopetalum Paraguayense is as easy as you can ever imagine. This plant can tolerate just about anything, from frost, damaged stems, to lack of water.
– Water
Graptopetalum Paraguayense will do well under occasional irrigation if there is no natural rain. For plants grown outside in full sun during summer, Graptopetalum Paraguayense should be watered at least once a week, whereas houseplants may be watered every other week.
Water Graptopetalum Paraguayense when the plant pot soil mixture is entirely dry. You can check by dipping your finger in the soil to see if any moisture remains, or you could check the weight of the pot by lifting it; if it feels heavier than normal, then some water may still be inside.
Watering Timetable
When the leaves of Graptopetalum Paraguayense begin to shrivel, it’s a sign that your plant is thirsty. When watering the houseplants, only cover the soil surface level to prevent swamping, which exposes the plant to pests and root rot. Create a watering timetable according to your climate factors and geographical location.
The water requirements for Graptopetalum Paraguayense are also affected by the surrounding environment and the season. More frequent watering is needed during the summer and spring months, roughly once every seven to 10 days. During winter, you need to reduce your watering frequency to once a month.
– Light
Graptopetalum Paraguayense thrives in plenty of sunlight, requiring about four to six hours of bright light each day. You can keep it outside or indoors. Indoors, choose a spot that faces the window and be sure to rotate the plant so that every part of it receives relatively equal amounts of sunlight.
Enough sunlight helps keep the vibrancy of Graptopetalum Paraguayense by preventing it from losing its leaves and becoming dull gray and abnormally elongated.
Indoor Requirements
When grown indoors, the ghost plant may need specialized plant growing lights. If you decide to grow your Graptopetalum Paraguayense outdoors, ensure that your plant receives plenty of bright or partial sunlight. Please note that although Graptopetalum Paraguayense can acclimatize to full sun, they are initially susceptible to sunburn.
– Soil
Graptopetalum Paraguayense needs good drainage for a healthy root system, as do most succulent plants. This plant will do well in sandy soils. In areas that receive huge amounts of rainfall, good drainage must be provided for ghost plants. Avoid clay soils when you want to propagate the ghost plant.
The planting mix should be mixed with half sand, grit, or gravel and half organic material such as coco coir, commercial potting soil, or peat. If you reside in an area with too much humidity, it is crucial to create a good drainage system for your plant to have a healthy root system.
– Temperature
Ghost plants do well in warm temperatures and are susceptible to freezing ones. Graptopetalum Paraguayense can survive in low-temperature conditions, but not for long. The lowest temperature that the plant can tolerate is around 20 F.
If the temperatures in the area where you live can reach sub-zero, it is helpful to grow your Graptopetalum Paraguayense in containers indoors where conditions are warmer.
Direct Sunlight
Although direct exposure to the sun, which can reach up to 95 F, can burn young plants, mature plants of Graptopetalum Paraguayense can withstand well over 104 F. You should change your potting mix once every year and replant your ghost succulent for best results.
This will result in lovely and huge growth, with plenty of offsets. If you live in an area where you regularly experience hot summers, avoid using black pots because they will raise temperatures around the roots and interfere with the plant’s root system.
– Fertilizer
For rapid growth and better flowering during the spring, Graptopetalum Paraguayense should be exposed to certain conditions. During this time, Graptopetalum Paraguayense shows retarded growth indoors, so you should complement it with some houseplant fertilizer to improve its growth.
Be sure to add some houseplant fertilizer to your potting soil prior to planting Graptopetalum Paraguayense. Mix house plant fertilizer and water for use after planting the ghost plant, which you will feed to your plant once every month.
Limitations
Remember that the roots of Graptopetalum Paraguayense are very sensitive, so it will be helpful to avoid overfeeding the plant with fertilizer; otherwise, it will die. Overfeeding with fertilizer can also result in burned leaves.
In some instances, just providing the plant with perfect growing conditions, together with a compost side-dressing, can be all you need to keep the plant healthy and assist it to grow.
– Repotting
Graptopetalum Paraguayense exhibits rapid growth so it can outgrow its current pot. This means that the plant has to be repotted each year. The best time to repot your ghost plant is at the beginning of the spring season. During this time, Graptopetalum Paraguayense is characterized by unlimited growth and the development of new offsets.
To repot the ghost plant, prepare your potting mix, which you will add to your new pot. Cautiously uproot your plant and move it to the new one when your pot is ready. Ensure that the roots do not undergo any damage. After repotting, water your plant and make sure that you keep it in sunlight.
Propagation
Graptopetalum Paraguayense can be propagated from cuttings, leaves, or seeds.
– By Leaves
If you want to propagate Graptopetalum Paraguayense from leaves, it is better for you to twist a leaf from the parent and plant it in your garden. To increase your chances of successful propagation, make sure the leaf is fully detached from the stem that it was previously attached to.
Let the leaf dry out for a number of days until the end callouses over before you can put the leaf in a pot with well-draining soil. Be sure to water Graptopetalum Paraguayense when the soil gets completely dry.
If you are a beginner interested in propagating the Ghost plant, it may be easy for you because the plant can self-propagate by dropping its leaves and starting the propagation process. One leaf can grow more than a single rosette. During the growing season, leaves that are taken off from the parent will begin emerging in two to three weeks.
– By Cuttings
When propagating Graptopetalum Paraguayense from cuttings, use a pair of scissors or a sharp, sterile knife to cut a part of the stem that is just above a leaf.
Care to let the cuttings dry for a number of days before placing them in soil that drains well.
– By Seeds
Although not as fast as cuttings, seeds are also possible for propagating Graptopetalum Paraguayense. You can grow many plants from seed to cover a huge space in your garden.
Graptopetalum Paraguayense seeds can be bought, or you could obtain them from withered flowers. If you are getting your seeds from withered flowers, care to let them dry completely before burying them under a three-inch soil layer in the pot.
Use a sterile potting mix to sow the seed. Afterward, water it with a plant mister to prevent seed displacement. It is important to keep the seed tray at 70 F in bright light. Also, watch out for germination in approximately three weeks.
Problems
Taking care of your Graptopetalum Paraguayense as best as you can help you to prevent some problems that may arise. This section aims to discuss some of the potential issues that need your attention as you keep your ghost plant.
Depending on your location in the world, the most common pests that consume succulents are mealy bugs, aphids, vine weevils, caterpillars, grasshoppers, slugs, and snails.
– Aphids
Aphids are a threat to the ghost plant, and they can quickly invade a plant due to rapid multiplication. Aphids can increase from low to high infestation within a few days. The aphids do not take chunks off the ghosty succulents, but they suck on the juices of the leaves, thereby leaving them deformed and with scars.
Aphids are quite easy to spot because they come in many different colors and sizes. They can be brown, green, black, and sometimes orange. In cases where they are still few, aphids can simply be squashed and washed off. If the infestation is huge, a pyrethrum-based spray will eliminate them effectively.
Intervention
Make sure you do regular checks on your plant so that you notice the existence of aphids at earlier stages.
It is better to use the pyrethrum spray in the evening so that you do not also kill beneficial insects. Pyrethrum is good because it is biodegradable and hence provides an eco-friendly solution. You can also use neem oil.
– Mealy Bugs
Decomposing leaves serve as shelter for pests such as the mealybug. Be sure to do away with decayed leaves at the base of your Graptopetalum Paraguayense as the ghosty succulent grows.
Mealybugs are quite problematic because they are hideous, so their presence is not easy to notice. Moreover, they develop resistance to pesticides over time.
Intervention
If your ghost plant has been infested with mealybugs, spot treat by dabbing the plant with isopropyl alcohol. You can also use horticultural oil to smother the Graptopetalum Paraguayense. You can also take advantage of mealybug predators to eliminate these pests.
It also helps keep your pots and areas where you have your Graptopetalum Paraguayense clean so that the mealybugs do not find a hiding place.
– Vine Weevils
Weevils are flightless, hard-bodied snout beetles that feed at night by chewing and feeding on the leaves of Graptopetalum Paraguayense with their elongated mouthparts. Vine weevils go through a lifecycle that contains four stages – eggs, larva, pupa, and adult.
Always monitor your plants and look out for any anomalies. The leaves can become ragged or notched; sometimes, they can even be clipped from the parent plant.
When vine weevils are at the larvae stage, they can chew the roots and basal crowns of the ghost plant. Your potting mix should be well-draining to reduce larval populations.
Intervention
As a solution to the damage that vine weevils cause, you can handpick and kill them. When you observe notching, shake parts of the plant over a collecting surface in the evening so that you collect and dispose of the weevils.
To eliminate vine weevils, you can also set traps such as burying cups in the soil near the base of the plant. Another strategy is to release vine weevil predators so that you can spare the plant.
– Snails and Slugs
Snails and slugs enjoy the ghosty succulent leaves. They tend to hide in any crack they can find during the day. They then come out at night to feed on your plant.
Intervention
You can use the beer trap to do away with snails and slugs by just pouring old beer into a container or a dish and putting it into the ground where they mostly hide. The slugs and snails will drown in the beer. Another control method is to use slug and snail pellets so that the insects will eat these instead of Graptopetalum Paraguayense.
– Grasshoppers and Caterpillars
Grasshoppers tend to consume succulent leaves during their feeding session. On the other hand, Caterpillars are a serious agricultural pest that will enjoy munching the succulent leaves of Graptopetalum Paraguayense. Chemical methods for eliminating caterpillars exist but are not recommended.
Intervention
To discourage grasshoppers from eating the ghosty succulents, you can erect netting around your plants. Chemical alternatives for eliminating grasshoppers are there, but we do not recommend them because they will kill other beneficial insects.
For caterpillars, it is better to pick them up and place them in a jar for relocation to another area where they do not cause harm. We advise that you use netting and cover gaps in cases where Graptopetalum Paraguayense is grown in a greenhouse.
Features of the Graptopetalum Paraguayense
– Name
The pale appearance that this plant exhibits is the reason for its nickname, ghosty or ghost plant. A powdery substance, referred to as farina, covers the surface of the leaves and cushions the plant from extreme ultraviolet light.
This plant is also known as the mother of the Pearl, Sedum Weinbergii, Ghost plant, or Ghosty.
– Growth Rate
The Ghost Plant is an easy and fast grower that creates clusters where you plant it. Graptopetalum Paraguayense can reach a height of 20 centimeters and a width of 60 centimeters and has thick leaves.
The thick leaves allow it to hold surplus water, allowing it to go for long periods without rain.
– Leaves
When young, the leaves of Graptopetalum Paraguayense are silvery gray, with bluish-green foliage that contains pinkish hints at the edges.
Graptopetalum Paraguayense can change its color depending on the condition it is exposed to. Exposure to partial shade results in a bluish-gray tone; the full sun produces slightly glowing, pearlescent, yellowish-pink plants, and extreme heat makes the plant turn gray, with pink edges.
FAQ
Can Graptopetalum Paraguayense take full sun?
Yes, Graptopetalum Paraguayense can thrive in full sun.
Is Graptopetalum Paraguayense cold hardy?
Graptopetalum Paraguayense is cold hardy, tolerating low temperatures.
Is Graptopetalum Paraguayense susceptible to human touch?
No, Graptopetalum Paraguayense is not particularly sensitive to human touch.
Conclusion
If you have read this article up to this end, you are now equipped with the essential details you need to have your own Graptopetalum Paraguayense.
Before you start parenting your ghost plant, let’s review the points that you should always keep at your fingertips:
- Provide Graptopetalum Paraguayense with bright light for four to six hours a day.
- Warm temperatures are conducive for the plant to grow well. In frosty climates, it helps to grow the ghost plant indoors.
- Fertilizer can be added to the potting mix, and thereafter a fertilizer mix will be added once a month.
- We recommend propagation of Graptopetalum Paraguayense through leaves and cuttings, despite the possibility of seed propagation because the former methods are much faster.
- Repot your ghost plant when it outgrows its current pot; this usually happens after a year.
It’s time to gather your essentials and prepare the space and necessary optimum conditions that will allow your plant to flourish. Keep this article to refresh your mind concerning instructions relating to caring for your plant.
If you have Graptopetalum Paraguayense leaves, stems, or seeds, get started and beautify your home with them.
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