Albuca spiralis

Harriet · Post by **Harriet** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 6:22 pm

Went a little crazy (some would say "crazier"

) and started ordering stuff for spring. One of the plants is an Albuca spiralis. I believe it to be a winter grower, and I love the spirals, but I am sorely lacking any other information about its care.

I'm especially interested in how much water it requires during the summer (dormant?) season, whether it wants a deep or shallow pot, and, of course, the soil it likes...

It has not arrived yet, so I'm trying to prepare for it. Any and all advice is welcome ... please?!

Buck Hemenway · Post by **Buck Hemenway** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 9:26 pm

It is a winter growing bulb, Harriet, I think you probably have a number of them. In any case, a little water, every now and then in the hot months, and water like crassula and other winter growing succulents in the cooler months. It will probably lose its leaves when the weather turns hot and then start growing them when it feels like it. Start the water then.

Harriet · Post by **Harriet** » Sun Feb 13, 2011 10:03 pm

Only sad thing about this plant is that it may/will loose its leaves until next winter, and I won't know if it is alive or not until then! eeek!

Does it want cactus type soil mix?

Buck Hemenway · Post by **Buck Hemenway** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 12:50 am

Cactus mix will be good. Don't worry about it. Just a light watering every 3 to 4 weeks and it will do fine.

Harriet · Post by **Harriet** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 1:43 am

What? Me worry?

Thanks Buck!

lancer99 · Post by **lancer99** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:04 am

Agreed 100% with Buck. Mine is in a normal (i.e., not shallow) clay pot, with a standard succulent soil. Once the leaves/flower stalk appear, I water it daily. In a month or two, the leaves will start to fade, and I'll cut back fairly quickly on the watering.

As Buck implied, this is a pretty easy grower, so don't do an Alfred E. Neuman

-R

Harriet · Post by **Harriet** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 6:43 am

Thanks Robert.

What do you consider "standard" succulent soil? We have beaten cactus mixes to death, but not so much the "succulent" mixes. My non-cactus succulents seem to do fine in the mix I use for cactus, but I'm guessing many succulents want a little more organic matter in the mix? Or am I just imagining things again?

lancer99 · Post by **lancer99** » Tue Feb 15, 2011 8:20 am

No, you're absolutely right.

I started using a "standard" succulent mix of 2 parts Scotts Topsoil to 1 part washed Napa 8822 last spring, and it worked out better than I expected. I think maybe in your more humid climate, there's less need to make a distinction between soil that's appropriate for cacti and soil that's appropriate for succulents.

-R