Pickle Plant Indoor Care is important if you want to maintain it healthily. Several factors, including overwatering, inadequate or excessive light, significant temperature variations, underwatering, a lack of nutrients, soggy soil, an abundance of nutrients, root rot, and pests and diseases can be responsible for flawing this stunning plant. Therefore, implementing the best strategies when growing them is vital.
Pickle plants have plump green leaves covered in small hairs. They can reach a maximum height of up to 50 cm when grown in the wild. They gained their name because of their appearance. You can expect blooms amid the leaves during the warmer months if well cared for. These plants are succulent shrublets with strong branches and thick, fuzzy leaves that grow on short stems.
The branches are known to grow to a height of 18 inches before bowing with their weight and are therefore considered a rare and exotic succulent. This plant is exceptionally drought tolerant and devoid of pests and diseases and is native to Southern Africa. The information in this blog post will give you essential information to care for your plant and keep it happy.
What Is A Pickle Plant
A pickle plant, also known as Delosperma echinatum, is a small hardy evergreen shrub with short, barrel-shaped leaves. The appealing short, white, bristly hairs on the light-green leaves provide texture to the plant’s overall appearance. In the spring, it produces profusions of tiny, shimmering flowers in white or yellow colors.
Pickle plant bloom is attractive as it enhances the overall look of its surroundings. This drought-tolerant succulent thrives in pots and is a fantastic addition to any indoor or outdoor garden. Bees and other pollinating insects frequent the flowers in search of pollen and nectar. This plant likes growing in valley bushvelds in full or partial sunlight, bordered by thick riverine scrub.
It has a moderate growth rate, is evergreen, and frost hardy which is great for beginner gardeners. To thrive, pickle plants require a well-drained soil that is amended with compost. They can also be grown as a ground cover on edges near fences or rock features. For the best result with container growing, pickle plant indoor care should be efficiently implemented.
Best Soil for Pickle Plants
If you want to see your pickle plant flower, then growing it in nutrient-rich soil is advised. These shrubs enjoy bright, indirect light to thrive when planted in an effective environment. However, fertilizer is not often required and like many succulents, these plants don’t need frequent repotting. However, when you do decide to transfer your plant, be sure to select potting soil that drains exceptionally well.
The leaves of this unusual-looking succulent resemble little pickles and have tiny white hairs that give them the appearance of cacti. Even though they don’t have a lot of demands to grow well, pickle plant indoor care is necessary if you want them to grow to their full potential. To begin with, planting them in the best growing medium will afford you a flourishing shrub. A nice choice is a cactus or succulent soil blended with coarse sand or perlite.
Alternatively, the proportion needed to make a top-notch DIY potting soil for succulents will include a mixture of two parts sand, two parts gardening soil, and one part perlite or pumice. This combination yields the best results when the three components are mixed together. This translates to three cups of sand, three cups of soil, and a cup and a half of perlite or pumice.
How To Grow A Pickle Plant
Pickle Plant is quite adorable with its plump little gherkin-shaped leaves. Knowing how to maintain and grow them is important in keeping them in good shape. They have the wonderful quality of being easy to maintain if the proper care strategies are provided.
These low-growing succulents are also great options for hanging baskets due to their distinctive appearance. In this instance, pickle plant indoor care is a must! Learn how to successfully grow them with the tips below.
Growing Tips:
1. Watering recommendations
The most important chore when growing pickle plants is providing proper watering. Keep in mind that they don’t require a lot of moisture because they are succulents. It’s crucial to water your plant thoroughly and let the soil dry completely before repeating the process. This is because overwatering can eventually destroy them.
2. Light recommendations
The sunny South African region is the natural home of pickle plants. These plants prefer bright shaded light to grow their best. That is why, if you’re growing these succulents indoors, placing them in a window that faces west or south is best.
3. Environmental recommendations
These perennials can also be grown outside in warmer areas. They are more resistant to cold than many succulents, but they won’t survive an extremely hard freeze. Also, keep them away from chilly, drafty environments, as you would other houseplants.
4. Propagation
Cuttings are the simplest method of propagating a pickle plant. Fortunately, the procedure is not too difficult. Use 3-inch long cuttings and remember to remove the bottom leaves. Thereafter, give the clippings a day or two to callus and replant them in soil that drains well. It is best to take your cuttings during the spring, summer, or fall seasons for propagation.
Delosperma Echinatum Care – Essential Tips
Knowing how to take care of a pickle plant is important if you are planning on growing them in your home. You would be glad to know that succulent plant maintenance is pretty simple. However, if container planting is what you’re going for, then pickle plant indoor care strategies vary slightly from the ones grown outside. Here’s everything you need to know about effective caring for these gorgeous shrub-like succulents.
Pickle Plant Succulent Care Tips:
- Repotting your plant every three years is advised to keep them thriving.
- If you are planting them in pots, always ensure that they have sufficient drainage holes to safeguard your plant’s roots.
- Remember to pick a pot that is one or two sizes bigger than its current one when transferring your plant.
- Pruning your plant in the spring season will prevent it from spreading out too much especially if you’re growing it indoors.
- Although pickle plants are often fairly pest and disease-resistant monitoring them from time to time will save you a lot of trouble should an infection start.
- Yellowing or damage to the leaves or stems can be indications of webbing or insect invasions.
- Always treat any suspected pest or disease right away with neem oil, organic insect repellents, or soap and water.
- The non-toxicity of the pickle plant is another fantastic quality and is therefore a fantastic choice if you have any worries about pets or small children.
Here’s a video with additional Delosperma Echinatum Care.
Conclusion
Pickle plants are exotic succulents that are quite unusual, making them a fantastic choice for any environment. It typically grows as a mat in rocky environments in South Africa. Its prostrate growth pattern allows its slender stems to reach manageable lengths which is great for in-house growing. The pickle plant indoor care tips above will help you to grow a thriving plant if properly implemented.
Keep in mind that these plants should be placed somewhere dry and sunny, but out of direct sunlight to prevent the burning of the leaves and roots. Remember to replant in an appropriate, fast-draining potting mix once it has dried up. These adorable succulents’ hardiness is one of the main reasons so many people adore cultivating them.
However, although they are hardy, neglecting them for long periods of time is not recommended. If this happens, your shrub can incur serious damage or die. Also, the foliage will become burnt from too much sun exposure if not properly protected. Sunburned leaves will remain scorched for the duration of the plant’s life even though new growth will have a green texture. Here’s a link with more information about the beautiful pickle plant.