Cotyledon Silver Storm: Care and Propagation Guide
Cotyledon Silver Storm (Cotyledon orbiculata ‘Silver Storm’) is a succulent plant that is native to parts of South Africa. This plant grows in the form of a shrub with several clusters of silver-green leaves that often grow with a red border.
The leaves either grow up to a certain height or remain close to the ground. The flowers of this plant are orange or red in color and usually bloom on their own tall stalks or spikes.
Related Post:
25 Types Of Cotyledon Succulents (With Pictures)
Contents
How To Care For Cotyledon Silver Storm
Cotyledon Silver Storm is fairly simple to take care of and is a very common choice for houseplants. Not only are their needs easy to figure out, but they are also excellent as decorative plants because of their lovely leaves.
Light
Cotyledon Silver Storm is native to regions where it gets tons of natural sunlight. This succulent can be grown outdoors or indoors as long as it gets some amount of sunlight every single day.
Very direct and intense sunlight in the morning is tolerated well by Cotyledon Silver Storm but direct sunlight in the afternoon can damage the leaves of the plant.
If you have outdoor Cotyledon Silver Storm, then use a sheet to protect the leaves of the plant during the hours of intense sunlight. If you have an indoor plant, then make sure you keep it in a spot that gets partial sunlight throughout the day.
Water
Cotyledon Silver Storm, like most succulents, is extremely sensitive to overwatering but can tolerate underwatering to a reasonable degree. Any amount of excess moisture can lead to the formation of rot in the roots of the plant.
If your Cotyledon Silver Storm is underwatered, you will easily be able to tell. The leaves of the succulent will not have enough water stored and they will become soft to the touch.
In that case, you should go ahead and water the plant. At other times, you must be extremely careful not to overwater the plant. Cotyledon Silver Storm should only be watered if the soil is dry up to a depth of four inches.
Alternatively, if the leaves of the plant are plump, then that means that there is water stored in the plant and you do not need to water the plant.
While watering, you must take care not to put water on the leaves of the plant as that can lead to rotting and damage.
Though this may vary according to climate, you can water your plant once every five to seven days during the summer months.
Cotyledon Silver Storm enters a period of active growth in the winter and needs to be watered more heavily during that time.
To know when this period is coming, examine the bottom leaves of the plant. If they are dry, then you need to start increasing the quantity of water.
Soil
Cotyledon Silver Storm has one crucial requirement from the soil. The soil can be of any poor quality but it should be well-drained so that there is no accumulation of moisture around the roots of the plant.
You can buy a pre-made succulent potting mix to plant your Cotyledon Silver Storm or you can make your own by combining regular potting soil, sand and perlite or pumice.
Climate
Cotyledon Silver Storm is native to regions with hot climates and can tolerate high amounts of heat. However, it cannot tolerate low temperatures and can especially die during frost.
Cotyledon Silver Storm should not be kept in temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit for sustained periods of time without protection. Temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit can kill the plant completely.
These succulents, especially those kept outdoors, need to be protected from frost during the winter months. You can protect your succulent with a sheet during frost.
Fertilizer
Cotyledon Silver Storm can be nourished with fertilizers around once a month during their active growth period. For this, you can use the fertilizers available for succulents by diluting them and then putting them in the soil.
Potting and Repotting
Cotyledon Silver Storm needs to be potted in well-drained soil, ideally in a container that has drainage holes.
The roots of the succulent do not take up a lot of space and grow slower than the leaves of the plant. As a result, the plant needs to be repotted only about once every two years. The plant should ideally be repotted in the month of April.
How To Propagate Cotyledon Silver Storm
New Cotyledon Silver Storm plants can be propagated from the leaves found in the center of the rosettes of the plant. After cutting the leaf, keep it outside for about a day. After that, the leaf can be dipped in a rooting mixture and then potted in a moist soil mixture.
The leaf cutting will soon lead to the growth of rosettes of the succulent. As the rosette grows its own root, it can be transferred out of this soil into well-drained soil that is suitable for Cotyledon Silver Storm.