By Jennifer Poindexter
Do you enjoy growing succulents around your home? If so, you must consider growing a conophytum pageae lips plant. As the name suggests, this succulent is a round green plant with two red slits in the center. The slits resemble a pair of lips and is where the plant blooms.
If you’d like to add this unique plant to your home, you’re in the right place. I’m going to walk you through what you should know to grow this plant successfully. I’ll share what growing conditions are best, how to plant and care for a conophytum pageae lips plant, and more.
Consider the following information if you’re interested in how to grow a conophytum pageae lips plant:
Growing Conditions for the Conophytum Pageae Lips Plant
The lips plant enjoys a warm growing location. This plant is native to South Africa and is only hardy in planting zones ten and eleven.
For this reason, the plant cannot withstand temperatures below 35-degrees Fahrenheit. If you live outside of planting zones ten and eleven, don’t fret.
You may still grow this plant indoors. The main thing is to ensure you have a container that can support this succulent.
The conophytum pageae lips plant grows to be approximately three feet wide in the ground but only a half foot when growing in a container. It’s a compact, clustering plant.
You should expect to see blooms, similar to a daisy, from fall until the early months of summer. These blooms are typically pink or white.
Whether growing this plant in the ground or in a container, be sure to select a growing location with bright, indirect light.
This plant does best when receiving light in the morning with some protection from the hotter afternoon sun. Too much sunlight during this time can scorch the foliage.
You must also plant in well-draining soil. It’s recommended to select a soil meant specifically for succulents and cacti.
However, the soil doesn’t need to be nutritious as these plants grow well in poor quality dirt. If you can supply these few basic needs, your conophytum pageae lips plant should thrive under your care.
How to Plant a Lips Plant
The most common ways to grow a conophytum pageae lips plant is by either purchasing an established plant or propagating by division from a plant you already have access to.
If you purchase this succulent for your home, begin by selecting a growing location that fulfills all the needs listed above.
Whether you’re planting in a container or in the ground, dig a hole large enough to support the plant’s root system.
From there place the plant in the hole and backfill it with soil. If you have an established plant that you’d like to divide, begin by ensuring the plant has multiple heads on it.
Once you’ve determined this, gently remove the plant from the soil. Use a spade to ensure you remove the root system with it.
Use a sharp, clean knife to divide the heads and roots into multiple new plants. Place each new cutting into a container filled with well-draining soil.
The plant needs bright, indirect light as new roots begin to form. This process should take approximately one month.
These are the most common ways to add this succulent to your home as a houseplant or as an outdoor plant in your landscape.
Pick the method which works best for you and begin brightening up your home with this unique plant.
Caring for a Conophytum Pageae Lips plant
Most succulents are known for being low-maintenance plants. This is why so many people incorporate them around their home.
The conophytum pageae lips plant is no different. Let’s start with discussing how to care for this plant by learning the appropriate watering technique.
When watering your new succulent, be sure to practice the deep watering method. This means you’ll water the plant for longer periods of time, fewer days of the week.
Using this watering method, encourages the plant to develop deeper roots as it digs for water in the soil between watering sessions.
However, if you grow this succulent in a container, be advised that you may need to water more frequently as there isn’t as much soil to pull from.
You’ll know when to water the plant again by testing the soil. Insert your index finger into the dirt next to the plant.
If it’s dry to your second knuckle, it’s time to water again. Ensure this plant dries out completely between watering sessions.
The next thing you must pay attention to is humidity and fertilizer. These are two steps you should skip when caring for this plant.
This succulent doesn’t like oversaturated growing conditions, so no extra humidity is needed beyond what naturally occurs outdoors or in your home.
Also, the conophytum pageae lips plant isn’t a heavy-feeder. Therefore, it shouldn’t need any extra nutrients.
Finally, be mindful to repot this succulent once every three years or as-needed. If the plant begins to look overcrowded in its container or growing location, remove it.
Then transplant it into a larger container or area with more room for the plant to spread out. This might be the only time you may want to consider adding fertilizer as it could help the plant become established.
Even then, you should use an all-purpose fertilizer and dilute it by 50%. These are the few steps you must take when caring for a conophytum pageae lips plant.
Garden Pests and Diseases Which Could Impact the Conophytum Pageae Lips Plant
The last things we should discuss when learning how to grow this succulent are the potential risks to this plant.
Most plants are prone to some type of disease or pest. The conophytum pageae lips plant is no exception. This plant is most commonly impacted by root rot, slugs, snails, caterpillars, and mealybugs.
If your plant experiences root rot, chances are it’s being overwatered or growing in a soil that doesn’t drain adequately.
You should transplant the succulent into a new growing location with better draining soil and ensure you test the soil prior to watering each time to avoid oversaturation.
In some cases, you may need to allow the plant time to dry before transplanting. You may also need to trim any rotten roots from the plant.
Keep in mind, root rot is a tough disease for plants to overcome, so even if you try every idea mentioned here your plant may not bounce back. Therefore, it’s best to avoid this disease when possible.
Should you notice your plants are infested by any of the insects mentioned above, treat them immediately with an insecticide.
You may also sprinkle coffee grounds around the base of your plant or add diatomaceous earth to the foliage.
The caffeine in coffee grounds is thought to deter snails and slugs, and the diatomaceous earth creates dangerous terrain for these pests to crawl through.
You may also try handpicking caterpillars from your plant to keep them from using your succulent as a snack.
Be mindful of any potential threats to your plant. The sooner you catch the problems, the less time pests and diseases have to destroy it.
You now know how to plant, care for, and protect a conophytum pageae lips plant. Though this plant looks unique, what it requires to thrive is not.
This is a low-maintenance succulent with only a few specifications for growing conditions. Provide the few needs mentioned here and hopefully, you’ll have the opportunity to watch this plant thrive under your care.
More About Growing Succulents
https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/know-how-know-more/2017-12-15-growing-succulents-beyond-basics
https://hortnews.extension.iastate.edu/growing-succulents-indoors
https://garden.smith.edu/sites/garden/files/final%20succulents%20%26%20cacti.pdf
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