Zebra plants detest being overwatered, but they also avoid being underwatered, so you’ll have to deal with that. When the topsoil feels dry to the touch, moisten it. Plan to water the plant once every three to five days.
Cold Drafts
In its natural environment, the plant prefers shade from other trees and indirect sunshine. As a result, it is always adequately shielded from the chilly and powerful winds.
Given that, it would be prudent to keep it away from windows and AC vents where a chilly draft can impact your plant. To prevent it from developing yellow or brown leaves, keep it away from hot air vents as well.
Direct Sunlight
Although the zebra plant enjoys bright, indirect light, avoid leaving it out in the hot afternoon sun for lengthy periods of time. The sun’s intensity can eventually lead to dryness and stress, which causes the leaf tips to turn yellow, red, or white.
Place it close to an east-facing window so that it can get 1-2 hours of the gentle morning sun.
Too Much Fertilizer
Do not feed the plant every one to two weeks. It will cause the soil to become too salty, which will make the leaves become yellow.
It is preferable to fertilize the plant once every three to four weeks during the plant’s growing season, which is in the spring and early summer. During the winter, avoid feeding the plant.
Lack of Humidity
The edges of the plant’s leaves may become brown due to a lack of humidity. Keep the plant on a pebble tray with water in it to increase humidity to avoid this from happening. A humidifier is another option for this.
Chlorine or Flouride in Water
Hard water, which contains fluoride and chlorine, can cause salt to build up in the growing media and eventually cover the roots, making it impossible for the plant to absorb water. The plant will experience a draught-like situation as a result, which will cause the leaves to turn brown and yellow.
Utilize rain, spring, RO, or well water. If you’re using tap water, let it sit for the entire night to allow the salts to dissolve.
Should I remove the zebra plant’s brown tips?
Zebra plants thrive with proper care. They can be difficult to care for because they are native to tropical or arid conditions, where they might be difficult to grow. They require moist soil and like humidity levels of about 60 to 70 percent. Avoid placing your zebra plant in the sun; filtered light is preferable.
According to House Plants Expert, Aphelandra squarrosa typically blooms in the late summer or early fall. The flowers emerge from tiny leaves, or bracts. The plant has to be clipped after the blooms have bloomed and have begun to wilt and die. To maintain the health of your plant, remove the bract and any dead stems and leaves using sterile pruning shears.
Both underwatering and overwatering can harm zebra plants. Brown tips on your zebra plant may be a sign of insufficient humidity. The other species can also display these signs; if the tips of your zebra succulent or zebra haworthia are turning brown, dryness is probably at blame.
How frequently do Zebra plants need to be watered?
When the potting dirt around zebra succulents has sufficiently dried out, water them. The zebra plant’s typical watering needs are met by giving it a good soak once every two to three weeks to prevent root rot. Before watering your zebra succulent, make sure the soil is dry.
Knowing how frequently to water zebra succulents, also known as zebra Haworthia and Haworthiopsis fasciata, is crucial because they are prone to root rot brought on by excessive watering and poorly draining soils.
Zebra succulents can go into a state of hibernation in the summer as a response to high temperatures and as a method to cope with dryness, thus they have varied watering needs at different times of the year.
To avoid water stress and maintain the health of your zebra plant, the ideal watering schedule should be used in conjunction with coarse, well-draining, succulent soil and the appropriate pot.
For additional information on how to determine your climate’s conditions and the best times of year to water your zebra succulent, keep reading.
Why are my zebra succulent’s tips becoming brown?
Zebra succulents experience drought stress as a result of little or excessive watering, which causes the brown tips on their leaves. Zebra leaf tips turning brown as an indication of stress is also caused by hot temperatures, strong air currents, and intense sunshine.
Being smaller and more compact than most succulent species, zebra succulents (also known as zebra Haworthia, zebra cactus, and Haworthiopsis fasciata) may be more vulnerable to drought stress if planted in adverse conditions.
If the zebra plant’s lower leaves are also becoming brown and crispy, it means the soil is drying up too quickly for a variety of reasons or the plant is not receiving enough water.
For a variety of causes, zebra succulent leaf tips may experience drought stress:
- watering insufficiently.
- not watering enough frequently.
- Convection currents and wind currents indoors or air conditioning currents outdoors.
- The soil dries out too soon since the zebra succulent is close to a heat source.
- Due to the drought, potting soil has dried out and become hard, making it more difficult for water to get to the roots.
- too much heat.
- exposure to the sun’s rays.
Read on to find out why the tips of your zebra plant’s leaves are becoming brown and how to fix it.
Why are brown spots appearing on my zebra plant?
When the top 25 percent of the soil is dry, water. Water the plant until it runs out of the drainage holes, being careful never to wet the foliage. Discard any extra water from the saucer after a few minutes.
Water spots that collect on the leaves of the plant from overhead watering can promote fungi like leaf spot, and too much water may run off and pool at the base of the plant, creating crown rot.
How much light are required by zebra plants?
Light. Since zebra plants are accustomed to growing under a canopy of trees in warm, humid settings, they do best in indirect light or partial shade. While complete shadow may prevent your plant from blooming, direct sunlight can scorch the foliage and should be avoided.
How can an overwatered zebra plant be fixed?
You may tell something is wrong when the vivid green and white leaves on your zebra plant begin to turn yellow. The main causes of yellow leaves are listed below.
The Problem: Overwatering
Overwatering has been a common mistake made by plant owners. It sounds strange to not water a plant for several days at a period, yet frequently that’s exactly what the plant needs.
Check the soil if the leaves on your zebra plant are turning yellow. It needs to dry out if it still feels wet or if there is standing water after you water it.
Another telltale indicator of overwatering is if the stems are mushy and soft. The roots can’t obtain the oxygen they need to absorb the water when the soil is overwatered and not draining. Root rot results from this, which can be lethal.
The Fix
Take the overwatered zebra plant out of the soggy soil as soon as you detect the problem to save it. Look closely at the roots—are they all mushy and black? If so, your plant might not survive.
If only a few of the zebra plant’s roots appear to be harmed or dead, you might try pulling them out and repottiting the plant in new soil. Within 1-2 weeks, your plant should start to perk up if your efforts were successful.
The Problem: Underwatering
If your zebra plant is thirsty, you should be able to tell a little more easily. The soil needs water as soon as possible if you insert your finger into it and it feels dry to the touch more than 2 inches down.
Other signs of underwatering include withering, brown-tipped leaves, and dry, crinkly leaves.
If you believe this to be the case, water your plant well until water is pouring out of the drainage hole without restriction. If this were the only problem, your zebra plant might recover quickly.
However, a leaf that has turned yellow will never again be green. Anytime you see any leaves that are brown, yellow, or otherwise damaged, you can take them out.
The Problem: Cold Drafts
Temperature is a definite factor for zebra plants. They thrive in warm, humid environments in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America, where they are native.
Your zebra plant’s leaves may turn yellow and fall off if it is regularly exposed to temperatures below 65 degrees Fahrenheit, such as next to a drafty window.
If possible, relocate the plant away from drafty windows and try to improve the insulation there. Since space heaters tend to dry the air out too much, they could cause more harm than good.
The Problem: Not Enough Light
The placement of the yellow leaves is one of the best signs that your plant isn’t getting enough light. You can assume that it needs more if it predominantly appears in the lower leaves or in locations with less light.
If you don’t have someplace else to put your zebra plant and it isn’t in bright, indirect light, think about adding a grow light as a supplement. Fluorescent full-spectrum plant lights are available for purchase and come in a variety of designs and sizes.
Another straightforward choice is to purchase a full-spectrum light bulb made exclusively for indoor plants. Use this to create a little desk lamp that is movable so you can place it directly over your plant.
Does a zebra plant enjoy direct sunlight?
Zebra plants can grow successfully inside if they receive the proper ratio of light, warmth, moisture, and nutrients.
- 1. Keep your zebra plant in a spot that receives some shade. Zebra plants are native to Brazil, where they thrive in their natural habitat under a forest canopy in partial shade and intense indirect light. Aim for balance because too much shadow will prevent the plant from blossoming and too much direct sunlight will burn the foliage.
- Water often. The key is to continuously water your zebra plant without drowning it in water. This can be achieved by regularly soaking the soil in lukewarm water that seeps out of the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot. To maintain appropriate drainage, keep an eye out for signs of root rot on the stems and use a perlite-rich soil mixture.
- 3. Fertilize your plants while they are growing. During the spring and early summer, apply a water-soluble fertilizer designed for flowers and foliage every other week. Your zebra plant will bloom in the late summer to early fall if you fertilize it.
- 4. Every year, repot your zebra plant. Zebra plants benefit most from an annual repotting, ideally in the spring. You can also propagate your zebra plant during this repotting time by giving stem cuttings to friends or moving them to different pots in your yard or house.
- 5. Handle pest issues. Your zebra plant might become damaged by insects such as mealybugs, spider mites, whiteflies, and aphids. Clean the leaves and stems with insecticidal soap or mist them with neem oil to get rid of an infestation.
- 6. Keep the humidity high. Put a few ice cubes in a glass of water or get a hygrometer to accurately measure the humidity in your house or greenhouse. After a few minutes, if the glass doesn’t develop any condensation on the outside, the room is probably too dry. To raise the humidity level, you can have a humidifier nearby, or you can put your plants in a well-lit bathroom or kitchen, which has higher moisture levels.
- 7.When handling your zebra plant, put on gloves. Zebra plants are not poisonous, however some people’s skin may become irritated by the sap. To prevent any potential irritation, put on gardening gloves when repotting your zebra plant or cutting a wilting flower bract.
How is a zebra plant maintained indoors?
Bright, filtered light is ideal for your zebra plant. It can tolerate a few hours of direct morning sunlight, but it should stay out of the sun for long periods of time, especially in the afternoon, as this might scorch the leaves. Low light conditions are inhospitable to zebra plants.
When the top 25 percent of the soil is dry, water your zebra plant. To avoid root rot, moisten the saucer completely and make sure to drain any extra water. Water should not be sprayed directly on the leaves because this can promote crown rot by funneling down the stems.
Your zebra plant needs between 60 and 70 percent humidity to thrive. The plant won’t survive in conditions with low humidity because the leaf margins will turn brown and new leaves might not form properly. To increase humidity, group plants together to create a humid microclimate, put a humidifier nearby, or use a pebble tray. Away from air vents, which could be drying to the plant. Perhaps a sizable humidity dome with a vent would be useful.
For optimum growth, your zebra plant prefers temps of 65°F and above. Steer clear of chilly drafts and abrupt temperature swings.
During the spring and summer, apply a liquid houseplant fertilizer once every one to two weeks, diluted to half the recommended concentration for optimal results. In order to properly feed your plant, never add fertilizer to dry soil. Instead, wait until the soil is humid.
Although the zebra plant is thought to be non-toxic, we advise using gloves when handling it because the sap might irritate delicate skin.
Your zebra plant might generate numerous flower spikes if the correct circumstances are present. The stunning, vivid yellow flowers, which can last for up to six weeks on the plant, are actually bracts, a form of modified leaf structure. Simply trim the stem as close to the plant’s root as you can when the bracts begin to turn brown. After flowering, your plant will enter a resting phase during which it will consume less water. Until you notice new leaf growth, you should also stop fertilizing during this resting period.
How can a zebra plant become bushy?
I advise choosing an African violet potting mix if you choose to utilize potting mixes. Those include adequate water-absorbing substance to maintain the soil’s moisture.
Would you rather create your own potting soil? No issue! I use a mixture that consists of 2 parts peat moss, 1 part coarse sand or perlite, and 1 part garden soil. If you choose, you can substitute coconut coir for peat. Leaf mold is also quite effective.
For optimum growth, your pH level should be in the somewhat acidic range (5.6-6.0). Avoid making your soil too acidic for this plant. You keep your soil’s pH within the proper range, make sure to test it.
Fertilizer
Zebra plants are tiny, ravenous creatures. It takes a lot of food to grow those blooms! Aim for feedings every one to two weeks during the spring and summer growing seasons.
It’s recommended to feed your aphelandra squarrosa using a water-soluble, quick-release plant food. Choose a balanced fertilizer mix and dilute it in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. Winter is not the time to fertilize.
Repotting
Don’t rush the annual repotting of your zebra plant. In fact, despite being rather rootbound, it grows nicely! The majority of varieties may thrive and bloom in a 5–6 pot.
Repotting should be done in the spring, before the plant emerges from its winter hibernation, if you do chose to do so. Use a pot that is just one size larger than the current pot. Repot the plant in new potting soil after removing as much soil as you can from the roots without hurting them.
Pruning
Pay close attention to your flower bract. It’s crucial to get rid of flowers as soon as they start to fade. The lower leaves could start to droop and fall off if they are left on the plant for too long. Only stems with leaf tufts at the top will remain after this.
Once the bract has died, you can cut the stem and leaves back to a pair at the base of the plant. In the spring, this will promote a bushier growth pattern.
Propagation
Zebra plant propagation is rather easy and can be accomplished through stem cuttings or air layering.
Cuttings should be buried in a mixture of damp peat and perlite. To keep the moisture in, wrap them in plastic. These trimmings ought to be 4-6 inches long. Put them somewhere warm, between 70 and 80 degrees, and with some shade.
Choose a healthy stem and cut out the leaves in the middle of the stem to air layer. Do not forget to have a few inches of naked stem on hand. Afterward, cut a hole into the stem midway.
To keep the wound open, insert a toothpick. Next, apply rooting hormone to the wound’s surface. Sphagnum moss that has been soaked is wrapped around the wound. Wrap it with plastic to keep it in place. To stop moisture from evaporating, secure the plastic wrap’s ends to the stem with a tie.
You ought to be able to observe roots forming in the moss about a month to a month and a half. Once the plant is established, you can trim the stem and pot it again, but make sure to maintain a high humidity level.
Zebra Plant Flower Production
This kind of plant is difficult to get to bloom. When you locate a zebra plant for sale, the blossom is frequently already present. How can you make your zebra plant bloom once more?
Start by concentrating on the plant’s foliage and ensuring that it survives the winter. For two months in the winter, relocate the plant to a cooler area. Bring it back to a warmer setting with plenty of bright lighting once spring arrives.
Before your plant blooms, it needs roughly three months of bright, indirect light. Blooming is stimulated by the brightness of the light. It doesn’t really matter how long the day is!
Your plant should blossom in three months if it receives enough sunshine, fertilizer, and humidity. Once the flower bract has finished blooming, trim it back. If your timing is right, you might be able to encourage another bloom to emerge in the fall.
Your plant might not flower if the humidity, lighting, or water level are off. That might not be a problem because it looks stunning as a plant with foliage!