Picture taken 5-1-09.
Haworthia emelyae
This drought tolerant member of the Aloaceae family is cold hardy in zones 10a-11 (30-40 degrees F). It grows to about 6 inches in height. It is light green and kind of resembles a miniature Aloe. Now, I bought this from Lowe’s and the tag says it is the herbacea species, but it looks kind of like a different species to me. The tag says they grow best in filtered light, but other information suggests sun to part shade. Mine has been growing well in morning sun during the summer. This is another plant I re-planted into a larger pot with the WRONG mix. I almost lost it until I re-planted it into a smaller pot with the correct mix. It still has been touch and go but the plant seems to be hanging in there. They are supposed to have white blooms but mine has not bloomed yet. As with all Haworthias, it is summer dormant, so most of the growth will occur in the fall-spring or early summer. They are drought tolerant, but water thoroughly when dry and avoid damp soil especially in cooler months.
Use a professional soilless medium when re-potting specially formulated for cacti and succulents. I grew up using my own mixture of soil, some organic matter from the compost pile and a little potting mix because it has vermiculite in it for aeration. I would throw in a little sand with cactus because, heck, they are from the desert! Well, that doesn’t work so well with succulents! Soilless doesn’t mean “artificial” dirt! It means that there isn’t any top soil in the mix. The mix is a blend of organic materials like bark, sphagnum moss, vermiculite, etc. Some mixes have bat guano, worm castings, etc. in it also. The professionals know what they are doing! We have to learn by experience… Experience tells me to use a professional mix!
Picture taken August 7, 2009.
The brownish coloration in the above picture is normal during the summer when it is in the dormant period. It will continue to grow slowly during the summer, but most of its growth will take place in the fall through spring. It is winter when I am writing this and it is completely green and growing like crazy! It is AWESOME!!!
Hawortha emelyae growing like mad for two months!!! Picture taken on 12-16-09. Ignore the date in the picture... I borrowed the camera and the date is wrong.
