The Chinese Dunce Cap is a perennial succulent plant that belongs to the plant family Crassulaceae, Genus Orostachys. These succulents are native to Japan, Mongolia and Northern China. They flourish in cold, mountainous regions and grow quickly in the spring, summer and autumn.
They form open rosettes of lavender-gray leaves that can grow to a diameter of 2 inches. The rosettes produce tiny plantlets on thin stems that spread out up to 6 inches away from them to form a clump. After some time, the rosettes make small pale yellow flowers with greenish bracts on spikes.
This species has beautiful leaf shape and color, are easy to propagate and maintain, and has a certain ornamental value.
Care Tips
Light: It is very light-loving and best to have full sunlight during its growth period. In the summer, it is better to put it in a place with sufficient diffused light and sunlight in the morning and evening. And in winter, it is better to put it in a sunny balcony to avoid prolonged shade, otherwise it will easily lead to the excessive growth of the plant and affect its shape.
Water: It’s better to follow the method of watering only when it is dry and not dry, otherwise it will lead to waterlogging and rotten roots and rotten leaves if we are not careful. Therefore, in the summer, we should water 3-5 times a month but 2 times a month in other seasons.
Soil: They need to be drained well, but they’re able to adapt to both nutrient-rich and nutrient-poor soil.
Potting: It is recommended to use ceramic pots. Ceramic pots have a certain degree of permeability. Clay pots lose water too quickly, and plastic pots tend to retain water for too long and permeability is poor.
Temperature: They are very sensitive to high temperature, so they need to be placed in a cool place that’s well ventilated in the summer. The suitable temperature for their growth is 15℃-25℃. The temperature in the winter should not be lower than 3℃ because at low temperatures, it’s easy for them to suffer frostbite and may even die.
Humidity: Chinese Dunce Cap grows well in average household humidity levels. It doesn’t like too much humidity.
