Succulents are good houseplants. Because they look very beautiful and need minimal care. If you like to grow rare succulents. Then you should go for the Haworthia cooperi plants. They do not have the normal shape green leaves like other succulents. It has transparent rosette pattern ball-shaped leaves. Haworthia cooperi care is easy even new growers can start their plant collection from this plant.
For Haworthia cooperi care, grow it in bright, indirect sunlight, well-draining soil, and normal humidity. The room temperature should be 65 to 90 degrees F. Less fertilization is required for happy Haworthia cooperi.
In this article, we will explain all the growing needs of Haworthia cooperi. Every important factor is discussed in detail. Take quick notes and start growing Haworthia cooperi in plant pots.
About the plant
Haworthia cooperi is a member of the Asphodelaceae group of plants. It has fleshy soft green leaves with transparent tips and margins. Whereas some rare varieties of Haworthia cooperi have 100% transparent leaves.
Window Haworthia, Cushion aloe, and star window are its few common names in different regions of the world.
Haworthia cooperi produces white flowers in the summer season. But it does not bloom when we grow it indoors. This plant needs perfect conditions to bloom. Such growing conditions are only possible in its natural place.
Haworthia cooperi care guide
To grow this plant in your plant pots you need to follow the best guide. Below are the final steps of its growth and care. Read each section and find out the basic needs of Haworthia cooperi and the common problems.
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Haworthia cooperi Light requirement
Haworthia cooperi needs indirect bright light. Give it bright light for 5 hours per day and it will thrive like crazy. Do not put it in direct sunlight. The bulbous leaves cannot handle the highly intense rays of sunlight.
Therefore, the east-facing sunny window is the best place for the Haworthia cooperi plant pot. Sunlight just after sunrise will not cause any serious problems. But after 2 hours of sunrise, you need to protect it from direct sun rays.
If you are living in an apartment and do not have a sunny window. The only possible way is using the grow light. Put the plant in any part of the house and install grow light over it. The distance between the light and the plant should be between 18 inches to 24 inches.
For good Haworthia cooperi care use grow lights that release less heat with 150 watts of power. Under this light, you can only grow one Haworthia cooperi plant. To grow more than one plant you need to buy 300 watts of grow light.
Haworthia plants do not grow tall so they will not look good in an outdoor garden. Also, the hot waves and direct sunlight are not good for Cooperi growth. Plant pots are best to use for caring Haworthia cooperi.
Soil
This plant needs fast-draining lightweight soil. The soil should not become soggy when watered. The good news is you can use cactus potting soil for growing all types of Haworthia plants. If you have good knowledge of potting mixes then you can make Haworthia cooperi potting soil at home.
I use
1 part potting soil + 1 part coarse sand + 1 part perlite
This mixture works well for my Haworthia cooperi. It drains the water in minutes and this property of the soil keeps my plants safe from extra water. Some growers use shredded bark and aquarium gravel instead of perlite. But in my opinion, perlite is better than the other two options.
Do not use 100% garden soil for Haworthia cooperi care and growth. The garden soil becomes dense and heavy when you water the plants.
Do not add any organic material to the soil to support the plant. Because these materials release an unpleasant smell. This will spread to all parts of your home. Instead of organic material, you can use pre-fertilized cacti potting soil. This will cost you some bucks but it has everything in it to grow succulent plants. It also reduces the need for fertilization by up to 70%.
Watering Haworthia cooperi
Water your Haworthia cooperi only when the soil gets dry. These plants like to live on the little dry side. In the summer months, you need to give more water. Probably once in 7 days depending on the soil condition. In the winter season reduce the water supply to once in 30 days.
Soil check is mandatory before every watering session.
The deep watering technique is best for watering Haworthia cooperi. Let the water go down to the roots and comes out through the drainage hole. Then cut the water supply and leave the plant to drain excess water.
Then move the pot to a clean and dry place.
Note: No succulent plant likes to live in wet soil. Be careful not to do overwatering. Once you see water coming out of the base immediately cut the supply.
Excess water is the real enemy of Haworthia cooperi plants. Because these plants store water in their leaves. Then they use this water to make food. This is the reason they stay healthy and active even if they forgot to water for weeks.
Do not use plastic pots because they do not have pores in them. They do not let the water evaporate quickly. Whereas clay and terra cotta pots have tiny pores. These pores let the fresh air comes and dries the potting soil. This process saves your plants from accidental over-watering.
Even if you put the plant pot outside it still needs the same amount of water. And you need to follow the same deep watering technique.
Humidity
You will be happy to know that you do not need to do anything about the humidity. The reason is the normal range of the home humidity is perfect for Haworthia cooperi care. Generally, our home humidity stays between 40 to 65 %. This range is enough to grow succulents. Humidity above 70% causes leaf rot problems.
High humidity is necessary for tropical plants.
You need to focus more on indoor air circulation. Because good ventilation decreases the chances of root rot and leaf rot. It reduces the air moisture and moisture around the plant pot.
You do not need to buy a humidifier or use any other method of increasing humidity.
Temperature
The ideal range is 60 to 70 degrees F. If you live in the USDA zones 9 and 10 then you do not need to worry about the temperature. The environmental conditions in these two zones are perfect to grow and care for Haworthia cooperi succulents.
Otherwise, you need to maintain the room temperature. Summer days are not the problem because this plant needs warm weather to grow.
The problem comes in the winter season when the temperature drops below 10 degrees C. This freezes the tissues in plant leaves and also block light absorption.
Therefore, you need to make some arrangements to keep the room warm. Do not turn ON the heating vents. The dry hot air makes the plant weak and dry its leaves.
Sudden changes in room temperature also affect plant growth. The normal temperature of the house is good for growing Haworthia cooperi plants.
Fertilizing Haworthia cooperi
Haworthia cooperi aka Cushion aloes plant does not need a high amount of fertilizer. Any type of houseplant succulent fertilizer will do the best.
Starting days of fall and spring are the perfect time for fertilizing. Use water-soluble nutrients only in limited quantities.
Dilute them according to the instructions.
Repotting Haworthia cooperi
Cushion aloe plants do not grow large in size and this is the reason they do not need repotting. Repotting is only necessary if the soil of the pot is too old and you want to Re-fresh it. If you fresh the soil after 2 to 3 years then you can use one size big pot. After that use the same pot every time you Refresh the potting soil.
Starting of spring is a good time for repotting the Cushion aloes plant. Remove the plant from its pot and clean the roots. Do not use water to clean the roots. Just remove the soil from the roots with your hands. Then put the plant in its new potting soil and give it some water.
Use clean drinkable water and put the plant in its place.
Propagation
Stem cutting is the most successful way of propagation. Look for the healthy plant leaf and cut it from the plant. Then put the plant leaf on the newspaper so that the wound can heal easily.
Then take the new pot filled with potting soil and put the leave on the soil. Leave it over the soil until it develops roots.
The second method of propagation is offset. These are the small succulents that grow at the base of the plant. Take them out of the pot and plant them in a new pot. Within 4 weeks the offsets will develop roots. Once they develop roots then you should follow the Cushion aloes growing guide.
Plant pests
The cushion aloes plant is resistant to common bugs and pests. It is hardly getting any pest infestation. Fungus gnats are the main problem in Cushion aloes plants. Too much moisture in the soil triggers the fungus gnats.
Therefore, limit the use of water while caring for Haworthia cooperi and other succulent plants. They will not harm the plant. But having them on your lovely plant is a headache. Use neem oil spray to get rid of them.
Neem oil has the properties to kill small bugs and prevent plant infections. To protect your plant, you need to use diluted neem oil before the infection. Take a spray bottle to add water and 1 teaspoon of pure neem oil. Do not use insecticidal soap ad pesticide sprays on these plants. Plants will not tolerate the chemical composition of these products. Neem oil is the best natural solution to all plant problems.
Diseases
This succulent plant has only one main disease and that is root rot. This is only possible when the extra water sits in the bottom of the plant pot. Or the plant pot does not have a draining hole to remove the extra water from the pot.
So, you need to water the Haworthia cooperi water very carefully. Follow our guidelines and have happy-growing Haworthia cooperi plants.
Brown leaves of Haworthia cooperi
The leaf color only starts changing when this plant is exposed to direct sunlight. Or the indirect light in the room is too bright for the small bulbous leaves.
Change the location of the pot and the problem of brown leaves will get solved. But you cannot make the brown leaves green again. Just remove them from the plant. It will develop new leaves healthy leaves shortly.
