Are you looking for a captivating addition to your succulent collection? Look no further than Moonstones!
Pachyphytum Oviferum, commonly known as Moonstones, is a perfect succulent with a unique look that you’ll simply want to have in your home or garden. These succulents are easily identified by their exotic aesthetics, featuring round, silvery, egg-shaped leaves that vary in colour from peach, pink, pale green, and bluish purple.
Perfect as a house plant and garden plant, Moonstones is a slow-growing succulent that is relatively easy to care for. The plant is cold-hardy and has basic succulent growing needs and requirements.
Ready to learn more about growing and caring for Moonstones? Keep reading below!
About Moonstones
- Pachyphytum Oviferum belongs to the family of Crassulaceae and the Pachyphytum genus.
- Native to Mexico, this succulent grows on rocky cliffs at about 1200 meters altitude.
- The botanical name of the Moonstone succulent is Pachyphytum Oviferum, which is a reference related to the shape of its leaves. Another common name of this succulent is Sugar Almond Plant, which is a title it has won thanks to the appearance of its leaves.
- Moonstones succulents look fantastic in all interior and exterior spaces, thanks to their unique colour and appearance. You can plant them in your outdoor space or in a container and grow them inside your home or office. Either way, these succulents will make a unique focal point.
- If you want to grow your Moonstones in a container, use a colourful pot that will evidentiate this succulent’s lovely colours.
- This succulent is really sun-loving. It requires full sun all year-round to thrive. So, choose a sunny spot to keep it. In scorching temperatures, Moonstones needs some shade and protection from sunburn.
- Moonstones don’t perform well in moist or soggy soil. For this reason, you need to ensure that the soil has good drainage to allow excess water to pass by.
- In terms of water needs, like most succulents, Moonstones have minimal water requirements. These plants only need water when the soil is dry. Moonstones don’t like wet feet, and overwatering can cause their roots to rot.
- Moonstone plants are rather cold-hardy to some extent. These plants can survive temperatures as low as 20°F (-7° C).
- Moonstones succulents are not considered to be toxic to humans or pets. However, if ingested in large amounts, they can cause some stomach upset symptoms but nothing too serious. However, it is still a good idea to keep the plant out of your kids’ and pets’ reach because the plant is really fragile.
- Like most succulents, Moonstones are susceptible to pest infestation, especially mealybugs. These scale insects suck the sap out of the leaves and stem of your succulent, affecting its growth. In case of mealybug infestation, you need to treat your succulents immediately, or the plants will eventually die.
- Cotton or waxy deposits on the succulent, yellowing and dying leaves, and distorted plant growth are all signs of mealybug infestation. Get rid of mealybugs by dipping cotton balls in an alcohol solution and using it to remove all visible mealybugs.
Moonstones Features: An Overview
- Moonstones are slow-growing succulents that can reach up to 4 inches (10 cm) in height and 12 inches (30 cm) in width.
- These succulents feature white stems that grow up to 12 inches (30 cm) long with bluish-green to bluish-purple leaves that resemble almonds in shape and that are beautifully arranged in a rosette. The leaves are usually 2 inches (5 cm) long and 1 inch (2.5 cm) wide.
- In winter and early spring, Moonstones actively grow and produce blooms featuring red-orange petals and sepals that have the same pigmentation as the leaves.
- The flowers produced by Moonstones have a bell shape and have no fragrance.
Growing Moonstones
Growing Moonstones succulents is a relatively low-maintenance task, especially for experienced gardeners who have other succulents in their plant collection. If you are a novice grower, don’t worry. Caring for your Moonstone won’t be that difficult. As long as you respect your plant’s most basic growing needs, your Moonstone should thrive and grow healthy and happy.
First of all, consider the plant’s light requirements. More precisely, remember that Moonstones is a sun-loving plant and prefers to grow in full sun all year-round. So, choose a sunny spot to grow your succulent. If you live in an area with scorching temperatures during the hot season, pick a spot that receives partial shade in the afternoons to protect your succulent from sunburn.
If you keep your Moonstones succulent indoors and don’t have a sunny window, you can use a grow light. Also, don’t forget to move the plant outside in summer so that it gets enough sunlight in the hot season.
Another thing to do to help your Moonstones succulents thrive is to provide them with regular feeding. Feed the plants monthly in the spring and summer months with a fertilizer specially made for succulent plants.
Moonstone plants survive and thrive with little to no pruning. The only thing you can do to keep the plant’s neat appearance is to remove dead leaves and damaged leaves, especially in case of a severe pest infestation.
Planting Moonstones
Planting Moonstones isn’t difficult either. All you have to do is to keep in mind the minimum growing requirements of this succulent. You have to consider factors like its lighting needs, soil requirements, and temperatures preferred.
To plant your Moonstones succulents, pick a sunny spot in your garden where the plant will get full sun all day long. If you want to grow your succulent indoors, plant it in a container and place it at the sunniest window in your home.
As mentioned above, this succulent hates moist and soggy soil. If the soil doesn’t provide good drainage, the plant can die from root rot. So, make sure you use well-draining soil. Use sand, regular potting soil, and perlite soil to make a mixture that will make the ideal potting medium for the succulent.
Moonstones are cold-resistant succulents, and they can survive chilly days no colder than 20°F (-7° C). If you live in an area with a climate that gets chillier than that in the cold season, it’s best to grow your Moonstones in a container and bring it indoors during winter.
Pink Succulent Pachyphytum Oviferum (2 Inch), From Amazon
Watering Moonstones
When it comes to watering your Moonstones, the plant isn’t very different from most other succulents. It has relatively minimal watering needs. Keep in mind that overwatering will kill the plant because it causes root rot. Overwatering your Moonstones is a sure way to kill it. So, it’s better to underwater your succulent than to overwater it.
Since it is a succulent plant and stores enough water in its stems and thick leaves, your Moonstone will only require regular watering when the soil becomes dry. If you’re a busy gardener and you have other plants that require more attention, your Moonstone won’t mind growing in dry soil for a little while. Yet, one peculiar thing about Moonstones is that the succulent actively grows during the cold season, so the plant will need more water in the winter.
To make sure that you don’t overwater your succulents, you can practice the “soak and dry” watering method. More precisely, only water the plant after the first few inches of the soil are completely dry.
In case you pour too much water into the plants’ containers, let it sit for a few minutes for the plants to get enough of it and then remove the excess water.
Propagating Moonstones
If you want to propagate your Moonstones and obtain more plants, you have two ways to do it. Moonstones can be propagated via leaf-cutting and cuttings.
To propagate your Moonstones via leaf-cuttings, you need to:
- Cut leaves from your plant during the growing season, in winter. Avoid watering the plant two days before cutting.
- Place the leaves in a cool environment for a couple of days until they become slightly dry.
- Put the leaf flat in a little sand container and water it lightly.
- Once the cuttings develop roots that are at least 1 inch (3 cm) long, transfer the new plant in a small pot and grow it as you do with your mother plant.
Leaf-cutting is the most common method used for propagating Moonstone plants because it ensures successful propagation and fast results.
To propagate your Moonstones via cuttings, you need to:
- Cut off 2-3 layers of leaves starting from the bottom of your succulent.
- Cut the stem leave it for a few days to heal.
- Introduce its head into the soil to root and don’t water or expose it to sunlight.
- After the stem has developed its own root system, care for it as you do you’re your mature succulents.
In Conclusion
Moonstones succulents are fantastic succulent plants to grow in your indoor or outdoor space because they are eye-catching and aesthetically pleasing.
Moonstone plants feature diverse shades and an exotic appearance, and they are easy to care for. They resist pretty cold temperatures and can also survive prolonged periods of drought. There are very few things that can kill your Moonstones, including overwatering, freezing temperatures lower than 20°F (-7° C), and a severe mealybug infestation.
If you pay attention to its minimal growing needs and requirements and protect it from these potential harms, your Moonstones will repay you by being a wonderful addition to your indoor or outdoor garden.
Are you growing Moonstones? Share your experience in the comments below!
