Haworthias who?

[nachtkrabb]

Hi folks,
Please help me with my Haworthia-collection. I am not sure about the names, and with one not sure about what to do.

Names: The following two are of different stock, the first one from Barcelone, the second from Zurich. The first can't get enough sun, the second is more shy. The first definitely has windows, but not the second. Both look quite different to me, but both are said to be Haw. cooperi. Can that be true...?

DSCN9192-364-Haworthia.JPG (132.47 KiB) Viewed 2077 times

DSCN9200-007-Haworthia.JPG (163.08 KiB) Viewed 2077 times

Right: Haw. fasciata and left: Haw. attenuata clariperla -- hope the names are right?

DSCN9202-130-136-HawFasciata-HawAttenuataClariperla.JPG (173.81 KiB) Viewed 2077 times

These Haw.s cymbiformis don't look too good. They share their pot with the Haw. fasciata and Haw. attenuata clariperla, see picture above. I am thinking of taking the H.cymbi.s out of that pot and separate them. What do you propose?

DSCN9206-006-HawCymbiformis.JPG (158.05 KiB) Viewed 2077 times

Yes, I know, there is a Haworthia-thread. But there nothing happened when I posed my questions, so here is the 2nd try.
Looking forward to interesting suggestions,
Nachtkrabb

[mmcavall]

Hello, Nachtkrabb,
I'm not any expert, hope I can give you some helpful suggestions.
I would guess the first one is cooperii, but perhaps the second one is not (maybe cymbiformis?).
As for fascista x atenuata, they are very similar and I never learned to distinguish them.
About growing Haworthias: I find this genus very easy, maybe they like my climate, because I have tried different kinds of mix, pot materials and shading levels, and they are always fine.
I suggest you to repot them in much smaller pots. As they are relatively big or multibranched, you could divide each species in 3 or 4 "heads" and plant each head in different mixes , pot materials and give them different sunlight intensities (always using small pots). This way you will find the best combination for you plants in your conditions.
For the plants you show in the pictures, anyway, I would tend to use clay pots with topsoil, or plastic pots with topsoil +grit, and provide light shade (avoiding full sun).
Hope it helps you to find the best way in your conditions.

[nachtkrabb]

...oh gosh, now my browser has deleted it all... again....

Thank you VERY much for your answer, mmcavall. That is a very good idea to divide the big pot into many smaller. Maybe then the tiny-weeny get enough of what they need and grow better. And I can find out what they like without too much danger.

What is "topsoil"? Is that a product, or a mixture of soil? Grit I know.

The smallest plant in the last is a H.cymbiformis for sure, so I am sure that th one in the 2nd picture isn't -- they are very different: Form, growing habits, size.

Nachtkrabb.

[mmcavall]

Well, I knew the word “topsoil” here in the Forum and I understood it as “the soil that you have in the backyard”.
Going a little further, I would describe it as pure soil that is in the first layer of the soil, just below the grass or below the dead leaves. It is red-brown or dark-brown. You can model it in balls, but the balls will break if pressed.
(It is not blackish soil, which contains too much organic matter and cannot be modeled in balls; also, it is not so claysh - if there is too much clay, the ball doesn’t break when pressed, instead, it kneads).
Please anyone correct me if my definition of topsoil is wrong!
Anyway, my description above is what I think as suitable for Haworthias, according only to my experience with a few species.

[nachtkrabb]

.....aaaah! You mean "Mutterboden" or "Humus" (German).
Thank you.

[mmcavall]

Not exactly!
Please see here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humus
Humus is concentrated in the “O” layer in the figure. Topsoil is “A”.

[nachtkrabb]

Got it, thanks.