How to Care for a Zebra Succulent

Environment

Choose a clay pot with lots of drainage holes in the bottom. Clay pots are ideal for succulents because they cause the soil to dry faster. Make sure the pot has multiple drainage holes in the bottom, so that it drains easily when you water it. It’s okay to keep succulents in pots made from other materials, such as ceramics or plastics, but just be aware that the soil stays wet for longer in these types of pots.

Use a potting mix made for succulents if you’re potting your own plant. Succulent potting mixes drain very well to simulate the desert-like soils that succulents typically grow in in the wild. This gives the roots plenty of air and prevents them from getting oversaturated and rotting. Succulent potting mix is the same thing as cactus potting mix. If you want to make your own succulent potting mix, combine equal parts potting soil, sand, and perlite.

Put the plant where it will get 4-6 hours of indirect sunlight daily. Choose a location where the succulent will get partial sun, ideally early in the day. Make sure the area is shaded in the afternoon, especially late in the afternoon when the sun is hottest. For example, if you live in the Northern Hemisphere, on a window sill in front of a south-facing window is an ideal spot. As long as your zebra plant gets enough sunlight, it can possibly bloom in the late summer to early autumn. Keep in mind that this doesn’t always happen, so don’t get concerned if your succulent never flowers. If you keep your zebra plant in full sun, it could get sunburned. Artificial light is ok to use, if your room lacks windows, just turn on the lights! If your zebra plant starts to develop many dried-out-looking, brown tips, it might be getting too much sun. Try moving it to a more shaded location to remedy this problem.

Maintain a temperature between 65–80 °F (18–27 °C). Zebra plants do great indoors year-round at regular room temperatures. Only keep them outside if/when the outdoor temperatures are in this range. If you live in a regular 4-season climate, it’s okay to move your succulent outdoors during summer months and bring it back indoors when the temperatures start to drop. There are no special humidity needs for zebra plants.

Watering and Feeding

Water zebra plants once every 2-3 weeks from spring to summer. Wait until the soil dries out and the leaves start to curl. From spring to summer, this normally happens about once every 2-3 weeks, depending on how hot it is where you live. The soil is dry if you stick your finger in about 1 in (2.5 cm) deep and don’t feel any moisture. If you have the plant in a really big pot, you can water it every 3-4 weeks, instead. If it gets really hot and dry during the summer where you live, check the soil weekly and water the plant every 7-10 days if the soil is drying out quickly. If you notice yellowy, mushy-looking leaves on your zebra plant, you might be overwatering it. Try watering it less to see if this fixes the problem.

Water your zebra plant every other month or so during the winter. The soil doesn’t dry out quickly and the plant goes dormant in the winter. Don’t water your succulent any more than once every other month until spring comes. If the soil still shows signs of moisture, wait until it dries out completely to water your succulent. Always err on the side of under-watering your succulents, rather than over-watering them.

Pour water into the soil until it drains out of the container's bottom. Slowly pour water into the soil around the succulent. Move your hand in a circular motion around the container as you pour to saturate all the soil. Stop watering when you see water coming out through the holes in the bottom of the container. Deep, infrequent watering is the key to encouraging healthy succulent growth. It nourishes and hydrates the roots and makes the leaves look nice and plump. Avoid pouring water directly on the succulent because this can cause the leaves to go mushy.

Apply diluted liquid fertilizer 2-3 times in spring and early summer. Dilute a balanced liquid fertilizer, such as a 10-10-10 fertilizer, to half strength by mixing 1 part fertilizer with 1 part water. Pour the fertilizer into the soil to feed the plant. Zebra plants don’t feed heavily, so there’s no need to fertilize them outside of the spring and early summer growing season. A 10-10-10 fertilizer contains 10 % nitrogen, 10 % phosphate, and 10 % potash.

Maintenance

Trim off dead leaves with sharp clippers or scissors. Look for totally dried-out, brownish leaves from time to time. Cut them off as close to the base of the plant as possible to remove them and keep your zebra plant looking nice. Note that this is mostly for aesthetic purposes and doesn’t affect the growth or health of your succulent at all. However, If the leaf is infected, it may stop the disease from spreading.

Repot your zebra plant in the spring if it outgrows its original container. Choose a pot that’s just 1-2 sizes bigger than the original container. Fill the bottom of the pot with some succulent potting mix and carefully lift the zebra plant out of its old pot and set it on top of the soil in the new pot. Fill the sides of the pot in with more potting mix. Make sure any new pot you use has multiple holes in the bottom, so the soil drains when you water it.

Watch out for pests like mealybugs on your zebra plant’s leaves. Examine your zebra plant regularly, like when you’re watering it, for a cottony wool-like substance on the leaves. Look for tiny moving bugs as well, which can either be mealybugs or spider mites. Wash the leaves with neem oil or insecticidal soap if you ever see any pests on them and rinse the oil or soap off thoroughly with clean water. Neem oil is a natural pesticide extracted from the neem tree.

Propagate pups from your zebra plant when it is 2–3 in (5.1–7.6 cm) tall. Look for new baby zebra plants growing beside the main plant during the growing season from spring to summer. Break the pup off, trying to keep some of the roots attached to it, and plant it in its own container. Note that this is totally optional and is just a fun way to grow your succulent collection! Leaving the pups growing beside the original succulent won’t hurt it at all.