The Propeller Plant (Crassula Falcata) Learn How to Plant, Grow and Maintain

Jade Plant  

The Propeller Plant or Aeroplane Plant is endemic to The Cape of Good Hope, South Africa. It is a tender succulent with amazing-shaped leaves and a stunning red-orange flower that smells of cinnamon and lasts for weeks.  Crassula is a succulent that is usually grown as a stand-alone plant or in dish gardens of multiple succulents.

As with all plants, you must first get right the soil, light, temperature, fertilization, propagation, toxicity, and maintenance of this plant. After that the Propeller Plant will reward you with many beautiful sights of its most unusual fire engine red cinnamon flower and propeller-shaped leave.

How To Grow A Propeller Plant

Propeller Plant is a succulent plant that has grey-green tick leaves, and its flowers are bright red orange. Believed me that it is effortless to grow a Propeller Plant and suitable for indoors.

• Sunlight Is Vital for The Propeller Plant.

You need to at least give 3 hours of sunlight a day to your Propeller Plant. 4-6 hours of indirect sunlight is perfect. When put indoors, this means it should be facing the south window. And your Propeller Plant needs partial shade if put outdoors.

• The Water Requirements When Growing a Propeller Plant

In the spring and early summer months, when you observe your plant is actively growing, you need to water it regularly because when your succulent is in the process of actively growing, the more it needs water.

Still, water it moderately, too much is not good, because overwater is prone to decay. Just add water when the soil is so dry after touching.

Most succulents can endure a bit of neglect in watering; they can still thrive. That’s why it is perfect for the beginner who forgets to water their plant.

The appropriate way of watering your succulent plant is the “soak and drain” method. In doing this, it needs to bring your Propeller Plant to the sink and give it a good soak, permitting your water to drain out of the drain hole in the bottom of your pot.

• The Soil Needs for Propeller Plant

Like any succulents, proper draining of soil mix is required since the plant is apt to root rot. You are free to choose a specially formulated soil for cacti and succulents or add coarse sand and perlite to ordinary potting soil—succulents like slightly acidic soil with a pH of about 6.

• The Fertilization of Propeller Plant

When fertilizing a Propeller Plant, it is vital to fertilize it with a cactus fertilizer or an all-purpose liquid fertilizer that is half-strength diluted.

The best time in doing your fertilization is in their actively growing stage in late spring. Remember you need to fertilize once a month during the summer months. The ideal range temperature for Propeller Plant

The Propeller Plant is growing actively in warm temperatures above 64°F (17° C). While, during winter months, it can survive in temperature down to 20°F (-6.7°C).

• Diseases And Insects That Will Harm Propeller Plant

Just like most succulents, fungal infections will appear due to over-watering. That’s why you need to be careful about the amount of water you’re going to put. When you over-water your plant, it will show itself with limp leaves that will easily fall off.

A rotting root is a sign of fungal infection, so you need to look for it. Remove the rotting roots and put a fungicide on the infected part if you find one- this is an ideal treatment you can offer to your Propeller Plant. The spired mealybugs are insects that cause a problem for your Propeller Plant. A mealy bug looks is a tiny insect having a cotton-like appearance, and sometimes a spider web is visible under leaves, so better get rid of the spider and its traps.

Ways of Propagating Your Propeller Plant

The good thing about propagating your plants is you can get new plants out of them. Propagating Propeller Plants is easy because you are just going to cut a portion of its stem or leaf.

In propagating crassula falcate from the leaves, you should twist the leaf carefully and gently remove it from the plant’s stem successfully. And, after getting the leaf, you need to allow the leaf to be callous for 2-3 days. After allowing it to be callous, it is finally ready to plant.

Put the calloused overleaf on the side in well-draining soil. After a few weeks, the roots will eventually attach the leaf to the soil and after a few months, a plant will occur at the tip of the leaf. The same as cutting the stem, the only exception when propagating its stem, you will use a whole section of the stem that has been calloused over.

Then you need to insert the stem into potting soil and expected to grow larger soon. Leaf cuttings differ to stem cuttings is what they can offer. A leaf-cutting will offer many small plants free while cutting the stem for propagation will initially give larger plants.

The Propagation of Propeller Plants from Offsets

Propeller Plant will sometimes self-propagate through sending out offsets- tiny plants that are the same as the parent plant. The first thing you’re going to do is cut the offsets away from its main plant using a sterilized knife. And let the offsets develop callouses in a few days. And lastly, l=plant the offsets into a good draining soil.

Beware Of the Toxicity of Propeller Plant

Some types of crassula (particularly a jade plant) are not suitable to pets because it is toxic. Crassula falcate is considered non-toxic towards humans and pets, but even it is non-toxic. It would help if you still were careful around small children and pets.

Even it is safe for animals and humans; you should still avoid it for children and pets because they might chew or eat it when it is reachable. And this might have mild effects when ingested.

How to Maintain the Propeller Plant

Propeller Plants yield flowers during the summer and fall months. Its velvety grey-green grow in opposite pairs with a twisted pattern arranged in an overlapping way. Its leaves also grow in slight angles that produce an appearance of an airplane propeller.

The flower’s first appearance is like tiny buds in a large cluster and a little red-orange when it starts. Its scent is attractive – it smells of cinnamon. The orange-red blooms of the bright Propeller Plant entice butterflies and bees.

Remember that if you want this as an indoor plant, it won’t grow as quickly as it would outside in the garden with the other plants that are enjoying summer. You will have to wait for it to flower. You’ll wait a long time for this.

Origins and Common Names of the Propeller Plant

A Propeller Plant is a succulent plant that belongs to the family of Crassula Falcata. The plant is a native plant from South Africa, specifically around the Cape of Good Hope.

Crassula Falcata is affectionately known as the “Propeller Plant.” As the plant grows, expect it to reach up to 29 cm (9″) tall and about 30.5 cm (12″) in diameter. The Propeller Plant which belongs to Crassulaceae Family.

The name of Propeller Plant is given to this plant because of the shape of the leaves and how they grow, which has a slight angle.

This peculiar plant is also known as the “Propeller Plant” and “Airplane Plant.” Don’t be confused with the airplane plant-chlorophytum.

We can quickly identify where the common names of this succulent come from by just looking at its leaves. Its leaves are shaped like propellers.

Final Thoughts

If you have a ‘green thumb’ and have an interest in planting, then succulents are best to fulfill your interest. It’s also perfect for those first-timers or beginners who are interested in having succulents plants. This is because Crassula Falcata doesn’t need much maintenance.

Some succulent plants are hard to grow indoors, but the Propeller Plant is not. It is easy to grow, even when it has less exposure to the sun.

Its appearance is beautiful on its own, but the most catching part of the plant is its dense cluster that may appear in the fall and summer.

However, the same with other plants, there are things we should bear in mind when handling this plant. I hope we have given you all the information you need to produce beautiful Propeller Plants with great ease.

Jenny Marie
Tribal Writer

Edited By
rong>Patricia Godwin

Patricia Godwin

Patricia has many years of experience as a content writer on various subjects, but her first love is gardening. She’s never met a plant she didn’t like and, consequently, she writes about every type of plant you can think of. Once an avid gardener with a herb garden, a succulent rockery, and a rose garden – to mention a few. Nowadays, she’s constantly on the move searching for interesting plants to bring to your attention; and explain to you all the details you need to grow, care and maintain these plants.

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