Pink Ice Plant 411 (Oscularia Deltoides)

[StarDragon]

PIPHealth.jpg (50.74 KiB) Viewed 1881 times

I had some questions regarding health & growth patterns of this Pink Ice Plant. I have tried to research the growth habits of these plants & I could not find much of anything specific. Also, I apologize for the mediocre quality, the lighting in the room was sub par.

Are the rough, withered parts of the upper stems, just below the pink stems, normal for ice plants? Normally, I would apparently consider that a sign of the plant being in declining health, however, its has been this way for over a month, with the outer most branches & some small growth on the lower stems remaining healthy all of this time. If the unhealthy looking stems were due death, this plant would have been dead over a month ago.

What is the growth speed & dormancy routine of Pink Ice Plants? As I stated, I have had this plant over a month & I have not noticed any new growth. Is this plant dormant or a slower grower? I realize that the heat & more intense sunlight of west Texas may have an impact on the plant's behavior.

[esp_imaging]

Your plant looks like Oscularia deltoides (common names are often not very helpful - they may apply to several different plants, or different plants in different parts of the world, or they may have just been made up by a local nursery and no-one else in the world has a clue what they refer to).
It's older growth does turn woody over a few years, so it's probably nothing to worry about.
In the UK it can be treated as a summer grower, and will grow several inches per year. Kept cool and dry in winter it wil go dormant, with water (and growth) from spring until autumn. Where you are, it may also go dormant if very hot, so may be best treated as a spring / autumn grower. It can tolerate moderate frost if dry.

[StarDragon]

Thanks

I'm aware that common names are frequently not very helpful & Oscularia Deltoides may have been the name of this plant, but I wasn't totally certain given the various hybrids & cultivars available in cactus & succulent plants.

[iann]

Looks a little thirsty, but basically still alive. The pink colouring is probably just due to very high light levels. Old stems dry out as the plant spreads.

It will do much better in the ground than in a pot, but it might be borderline in the winter. Cuttings are very easy. It will grow to maybe a foot high, but is floppy and spreading so really a ground cover.

[greenknight]

I would prune it back and plant the tips as cuttings. It will grow back bushier, and you'll have new ones, too.

Good info on it here - http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/SUCC ... _deltoides" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[StarDragon]

I actually already took some cuttings & know that the pink is there as a result of more intense sun light, but thanks anyway. Glad to know its definitely still alright.