How Often Do Haworthia Bloom

How Often Do Haworthia Bloom
Haworthia cooperi var truncata

In the right environment, the Haworthias plant blooms about once a year during the summer or autumn season. This plant grows a long stem from which the flowers develop. This long stem is often referred to as the flowering stem. The probability of your Haworthia flowering depends on the availability of resources and how healthy the plant is.

The Haworthia plant is a pretty succulent that originated from Southern Africa. The plant has different varieties but they share similar features such as having small foliage, growing in bundles, and so on. However, aside from the beautiful appearance of the plant, one other interesting detail about this plant is how it flowers.

If you grow Haworthia in your home garden, you might have noticed that it grows quite an unusual stem from where it flowers. Here’s all you need to know about this plant’s blooming process, what to do when it flowers, and how to keep the plant healthy so that it blooms beautifully.

Do Haworthias bloom?

Yes, the obvious answer to this question is that the Haworthias plant blooms. Unlike other plants, the Haworthia plant produces flowers from its long flowering stem. The flowers are typically white with a yellow center. This gives it the appearance of a white star. It is important to note that Haworthias may not always bloom. The plant is only likely to produce flowers if it gets all the requirements it needs for growth and development. Thus, a blooming Haworthia is an indication that the plant is thriving.

Windowed Haworthia (cooperi "Ice Lantern"

How often do Haworthias flower?

As earlier explained, Haworthias flowers about once a year. They may do this either during the summer or autumn season. Of course, if the conditions are not right, the plant may not bloom at all. Also, the flowering time may vary from one variety of the plant to the other. The Haworthia is not a monocarpic plant. This means the plant does not die once it flowers. It can continue to bloom year after year given the right conditions.

When do Haworthias flower?

There are different species of the Haworthias plant. Usually, the climate in a place determines the type of Haworthias plant that grows there. While some species grow in places with abundant rainfalls, others can thrive even with irregular rainfalls. The different species of Haworthia tend to bloom at different times of the year. In almost all cases, you can expect the plant to flower once a year either in the summer or autumn season. However, it is more common for them to do so during the long summer days.

Different types of Haworthia plants 

How many Haworthia plants are there?

There are a number of different types of Haworthia plants, all of which are native to South Africa. The most common type is the green Haworthia, which is characterized by its thick, fleshy leaves. The Zebra Haworthia, as its name suggests, has leaves that are stripey and white in color. The Fairy Washboard Haworthia has very distinctive leaves that resemble the ridges on a washboard. Lastly, the Haworthia Cooperi is a small plant with rosettes of white-spotted leaves.

How early do Haworthias bloom?

The Haworthias plant grows slowly. Due to this slow-growing nature, the plant is not likely to produce flowers right away unless you came home with an already matured plant. In general, it’ll take between 2 to 3 years before the plant is matured enough to begin blooming. But some may not flower at all especially if they’re not getting all the nutrients they need to thrive.

How does the Haworthia plant flower?

Unlike other plants whose flowers grow from the leaf stalk, the flowers of the Haworthia plant grow from the stem. This is known as inflorescence. When the flower is about to bloom, it develops a long stem. Generally, the plant grows to about 4 to 20 cm. However, the flowering stem typically grows about 16 inches longer than the rest of the plant.

Most of the plant’s stems are shaped like the aloe vera plant, but the flowering stem it develops tends to have a long and skinny appearance different from the rest of the plant. If a mature plant is well cared for, the stem can grow quite long. As it grows, buds appear along the ends of the stem from which the flowers bloom. While blooming, the Haworthia resembles a completely different plant species. Since the Haworthia plant can produce flowers several times without dying, the flowering stem can grow significantly throughout its life.

Haworthia cymbiformis

How to keep the flowering stem healthy

The health of the plant and the flowering stem will determine the probability of inflorescence occurring in your Haworthias plant. Typically, the plant will require more water when it begins to flower. It is important that you watch the plant as it grows and gradually increases how much water it gets as the stems start to grow longer.

Generally, the flowering stem will grow to around 16 inches each flowering season. After the flower blooms die, you can cut the stem off. The long length of the stem will give your plant an awkward appearance if it is not cut off. However, this should be done carefully to prevent damaging the plant in the process. Usually, most people leave about 1 to 2cm from the point of emergence of the flowering stem. You should use a sterilized pruner or scissors to trim the stem to prevent damaging the plant

Haworthia Zebra Cactus

Additional care tips for your Haworthias

Generally, the Haworthia plant is very easy to take care of. It is one of those houseplants that you can keep for several years with minimal care requirements. Some of the things to do to take care of your plant and ensure it flowers include:

  • Water the plant regularly. However, don’t overdo it. The plant prefers to have the soil dry in between watering for optimal results. Too little water can cause the plant to dry out and too little water can cause root rot which also causes the plant to die. Usually, the plant should only be watered when the top 1 or 2 inches of the soil feels dry. Typically, you can water it every 10 days or stretch it out for up to 20 days during the winter.
  • Haworthias don’t need to be fertilized. Unless there is a problem with your potting mix, to begin with, you don't have to fertilize the plant for it to thrive. All you need to do is repot the plant every couple of years with a fresh potting mix to keep it thriving
  • The temperature requirements of this plant are quite moderate.
  • Keep Haworthia away from direct sunlight.
  • Although they can grow outdoors, the plant should be brought inside the house during the winter season so that they do not get damaged by the frost.

How do you get Haworthia to flower?

Usually, it takes a few years before the Haworthia starts flowering. However, there are a few things you can do to encourage growth. One of the tricks you can use is to give the plant some extra light. Note that this does not mean you should expose the plant to direct sunlight as this can cause sunburn.

A little bit of extra indirect light can help the plant grow and flower faster. In addition to meeting the light requirements, you should also ensure that your Haworthia plant meets all the basic care requirements such as watering and nutrients needs.

Conclusion

Unlike other plants that grow a death bloom and die after blooming, the Haworthia plant continues to grow after blooming. This allows it to flower several times over without dying off. Usually, the plant will flower once a year during the summer or autumn season as long as it gets all the basic care it needs to thrive.