Light: Provide bright, indirect lighting to see signs of active growth in your succulent. Full, direct sun can lead to leaf scorch. Unlike cacti, they like more filtered light for optimal growth.

Haworthia and Gasteria can tolerate low light levels if kept dry (similar to jade plant).

Temperature: 60-90 F

Humidity: low

Water: Water when the top 2-4” of potting mix feels dry. You may only need to water 1-2 times each month (in winter even less). Both of these plants can tolerate variance in watering patterns better than aloe.

Repotting: Repot as necessary every 1-4 years. You may not need to upgrade container size, just refresh potting mix. Growth rate is determined by your plants water and light availability.

Rather than using a “cactus and succulent” potting mix that has no water retention, I encourage the use of fresh general purpose mix in combination with a sparing watering routine.

Fertilizing: Either…

1. Water Application: Incorporate fertilizer into your watering cycle once per year. Dilute an all purpose fertilizer (20-20-20) by half OR use your favorite fertilizer rated for houseplant use in your water.

2. Slow Release: Incorporate slow release fertilizer pellets into the top inch of potting soil every 6 months. Apply the rate indicated for indoor plants on the label. If no recommendation for houseplants is present, apply 1/4 to 1/2 the listed rate.

These guys are closely related to Aloe. Haworthia, Gasteria and Aloe species are commonly crossed amongst each other to create interesting new hybrids.

(Listed in order of commonality…)

• Root decay caused by overwatering

• Mealybugs

• Soft brown scale

• Leaf tip burn if kept extremely dry

Are zebra cactus and ox tongue safe for pets?

Yes

Where did they get their common names?

From their appearance of course! While zebra cactus is not really a cactus, it tolerates drought just as well as a cactus (better than most other succulents) and it has a striped pattern.

As far as ox tongue goes, if you’ve ever seen a cow’s tongue, you may know where that name comes from… it’s black!