Adromischus filicaulis: Care and Propagation Guide
The Adromischus filicaulis of the Crassulaceae family is mainly found in South Africa. This plant is characterized by fleshy and cylindrical leaves that taper at the top.
The leaves further have multiple red spots on them while the leaves themselves are greyish-green in color. The plant usually reaches a height of around 14 inches once it becomes fully mature.
The flowers are yellow and pink in color when they bloom. The plant itself has a slow growth rate along with fibrous roots while the stems are usually erect.
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Contents
How To Care For Adromischus filicaulis
To care for the Adromischus filicaulis, there are several things that you need to keep in mind. You need to maintain these care conditions to make sure that the plant grows healthily and to its full potential. Let’s look at the conditions suitable for its growth.
Light
Adromischus filicaulis tends to require a good amount of bright sunlight during the day. However, they can experience sunburn if they are exposed to too much direct sunlight and hot temperatures.
To prevent this, you can keep the plant under the sun during the early morning. Once the temperature starts rising, you can shift them into the shade.
You should also avoid immediately exposing them to bright sunlight. Once their dormancy period ends, you can introduce them to sunlight slowly so that they do not burn.
Indoors, they are best placed on very bright places, such as any sunny window ledge or the top shelf of the greenhouse. Their compact habit allows a collection to be maintained in a small space.
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Water
Adromischus filicaulis does not require you to water them too often. Moderate levels of water should be enough every few days, depending on how fast the soil dries up.
However, make sure you do not overwater these plants as this could lead to root rot. You should wait for the soil to become dry before you water the plant again.
In the summer, Adromischus filicaulis requires water about every 10-15 days. In the winter, water only once a month at most.
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Soil
Adromischus filicaulis requires porous and well-draining soil that can quickly get rid of excess water without retaining it or letting it collect. You can easily find a soil mix that is made for growing succulents in a local or online store.
You can also make this soil mix on your own by combining some potting soil with peat, sand, perlite and limestone.
To add to the draining element, you can place this soil in a large well-draining pot or one that has holes to prevent water from pooling in the soil.
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Climate
Adromischus filicaulis tolerates cold, frost-free conditions during the winter if kept dry. It is as well to keep water off the foliage during the winter. It is frost hardy to 19°F (-7°C).
Fertilizing
Fertilize Adromischus filicaulis every 2-3 weeks with fertilizer for cacti and succulents.
Add a fertilizer that contains plenty of potassium and low levels of nitrogen. It would be enough if you add this during the growing season. You can also dilute it with water to ensure a slow release and to reduce its intensity.
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Pests and Diseases
Overall, you might not face too many issues with this plant in terms of pests and diseases. However, there are still some chances of pests like mealybugs which you can get rid of using a pesticide or insecticide. You can also try using rubbing alcohol.
Apart from these, caterpillars and snails might also get attracted to these plants that you can try to spot and remove.
Root rot and swelling can also take place if you overwater or overfertilize these plants. Discoloration can also take place in some cases, in which case you can change the light or soil conditions.
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How to Propagate Adromischus filicaulis
Adromischus filicaulis can be propagated from leaves and cuttings. Place the leaves against the side of the pot so that the stem end is just touching the soil.
Some Adromischus filicaulis drop their leaves easily, and although each leaf will form a new plant, it can be a challenge to grow a large specimen. In other cases, leaves for propagation must be carefully detached with a sharp knife.
If you are using cuttings for propagation, the method is more or less the same as above. For this, however, you will need to cut off an offset from a larger and more mature plant. Make sure you do so carefully without damaging the stem. You might also need to water this preparation more frequently.
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