A Complete Guide to Haworthia truncata Varieties and Care Tips to Help You Grow a Plant That Overflows Its Pot

Just hearing the name Haworthia truncata makes this plant sound like something belonging to royalty, and in fact that is not far from the truth. According to historical records, during the Chu-Han Contention in China, Liu Bang once kept such a plant in his tent, and because its shape resembles a fan, it was called "jade fan" (yu shan).

A complete guide to Haworthia truncata varieties: how do you grow it so that it overflows its pot? This plant likes to live in warm, humid places, and while it is growing we can mist it more often, but we must not let water droplets remain on the leaves for long periods, because when sunlight falls on the leaves the droplets absorb a large amount of energy, which will scorch the leaves.

We can tie up the Haworthia truncata with a plastic bag; when it carries out photosynthesis it will produce a certain amount of moisture, and this will keep the moisture produced by the plant retained. In such an environment the plant's leaves will be more lustrous and the patterns will be very clear. After the Haworthia truncata enters its growth period, we need to fertilise with diluted fertiliser, twice a month, and after fertilising place it in a cool, ventilated spot to reduce injury to the plant caused by rising temperatures from exposure to the sun.

Repotting Haworthia truncata is generally done in spring. When repotting, we should prune away old and rotten roots and stems cleanly. The soil we use for Haworthia truncata is best if it has a certain fertility and at the same time good drainage, which will prevent root rot. Garden soil from our neighbourhood mixed with pond mud will both work; those who have the means can also mix some fish bones or melon and fruit rinds into the potting soil as fertiliser, which is also excellent.

We also need to pay attention to the light for Haworthia truncata, because sufficient light helps it maintain its growing temperature. In summer, at midday we must provide shade, because too high a temperature will speed up evaporation from the leaves and yellow leaves are likely to appear. In winter, the midday sun must not be missed, as this is probably the warmest time of the day; at other times it should be kept indoors to maintain the temperature.

Haworthia truncata also needs attention when it comes to pruning and pests and diseases. Anything growing too fast or any dead leaves should be cleared away as soon as possible to reduce the loss of nutrients. At the same time we must do a good job of protecting against insect pests; we can use chilli water or garlic water, applied once a month, which can also effectively prevent pest invasion. There are many varieties of Haworthia truncata, such as Batman, Baiya Haworthia truncata, Mammoth and so on, so we can choose the plant we like to grow.