Crassula morgan’s beauty, is one of the most wonderful succulent you would come across in the succulent world.
It is in fact a succulent hybrid and it is well known for its silvery green colored leaves and for their flashy pink blooms.
This is in fact a cross between Crassula perfoliate var.minor and Crassula mesembrianthemopis. This is called Morgan’s pink in common.
You may consider growing them even if you have a limited space to do gardening. Moreover, they would be quite handy to use for fairy gardens and for living walls as well.
So, if you are excited to discover these beautiful plants, I urge you to read this article since I will be covering the right care tips you need to follow as well as the issues you may come across and the propagation methods of them.
How do I identify Crassula morgan’s beauty?
Crassula morgan’s beauty usually grows as a compact succulent. They would usually be less than four inches in height.
Further their diameter would also be the same as the height. Crassula morgan’s beautiful cactus has leaves which you can spot in a fleshy silvery green color.
They would grow along the stems in a dense manner. Besides, Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus produces blooms in bright pink.
They would produce flowers in clusters. Crassula morgan’s beautiful cactus would usually flower in winter and in spring. Those flowers have a fragrance as well.
Size of the plant
As aforesaid, Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus would stay under 4 inches when they grow to their fullest.
Growth rate
Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus is a slow growing set of plants.
One look care guide
| Botanical Name | Crassula morgan’s beauty |
| Common Name | Morgan’s pink |
| Plant Type | Succulent / cactus |
| Mature Size | Under 4 inches in height |
| Sun Exposure | Full sunlight to partial shade |
| Soil Type | Well draining |
| Soil pH | Neutral |
| Bloom Time | winter and in spring |
| Flower Color | Bright pink |
| Hardiness Zones | USDA hardiness zones 9b-11b |
| Toxicity | Toxic |
| Average price | 10 USD |
How do you take care of Crassula Morgan’s beauty?
Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus requires easy-care maintenance from you. Hence, they would be perfect choices for both beginners and for experienced gardeners as well.
It is important that you look after the Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus well so that they can flower with attractive pink blooms.
Light Requirement
Crassula morgan’s beauty cacti are a special set of plants as they stand different sunlight levels.
Having said that they cannot perform well in low light conditions, but they will manage to survive. The exposure to low light for extended periods would be unhealthy for the plants.
If you grow them starved of adequate sunlight, chances are that they would become etiolated and develop leggy growths.
I recommend growing the Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus in areas where they can gain bright sunlight.
As such a bright sunny windowsill would perfectly suit them if you wish to grow them as indoor plants. If you find it difficult to supply sufficient sunlight for them, you need to place a full spectrum of grow light closer to the plants.
This is something which anybody can afford as they are not costly.
You can find Grow lights which come in different shapes and in different sizes and you can use them to supplement them with additional light.
That will allow you to fit them into your house be it a modern or a traditional house. Etiolation is not something which could damage your Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus. However, it would make them look unpleasant.
When the plants are starving for sufficient sunlight, they would tend to bend toward the best possible lighting source they can reach, Consequently, they would grow leggy and etiolated.
Further their leaves will grow whilst having so much space between the leaves. Hence, I urge you to try to prevent that condition from occurring. Unless it would make the plants look very unattractive.
If you live somewhere where there will be warmer conditions right throughout , you can grow them outdoors. When you grow them outdoors, you can grow them under filtered and partial sunlight.
Having said that, they can stand some direct sunlight as well. However, never expose them to direct sunlight during the intense hottest parts of the day.
Furthermore , if you need to shift the plants to outdoor lighting conditions, ensure that you do it in a way where they will have enough time to adapt to these conditions.
If you end up exposing the plants for outdoor full sunlight at once it would traumatize the plants. It could be so annoying as those burnt spots will remain on the plants forever despite what you do to get rid of them.
Just like the etiolation, sunburn does not create any unhealthy impact for the Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus despite the fact that they make the plants look less fascinating.
As such you need to slowly accustom the plants to full sunlight as aforementioned. You can do this over several weeks.
You can easily identify the sunburnt spots on the plants as you could spot them as discolored patches. You could spot those either in brown or in black.
Further, if you keep exposing them to intense sunlight without shifting them to a shady place, it will even result in the death of the plants.
Temperature and humidity
If you grow the Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus as indoor plants, you do not have to worry about the temperature aspect of the plants at all.
That is simply because it is very rare that they will go through drastic changes in temperature. Having said that , ensure that you do not place them closer to drafts as they would cause drastic changes in temperature and in humidity.
Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus do not tolerate frost. As such needless to mention, if you live in areas where there will be much colder conditions, you need to shift them indoors during those times.
When the weather gets warmer during spring, you may consider bringing them outdoors.
As such if there is any forecast of a colder temperature which is expected to drop to 32 degrees Fahrenheit, you need to act as aforesaid.
Having said that if such weather is predicted for a couple of nights, you can just cover the plants with frost clothes too.
Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus can stand heat. Having said that, if there is any heat wave along with direct sunlight, you need to protect them from those conditions also.
When they get extreme heat, it will fasten up the water evaporation. Hence you need to water them more frequently during hot summer.
Further if you spot your precious plants leaves are wrinkled or shriveled you need to water them more often.
Is it cold hardy?
USDA Hardiness Zone
Crassula morgan’s beautiful cactus’s preferred hardiness zones are 9b-11b.
Watering Requirement
Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus would require thorough watering yet infrequently. I recommend soaking the plants well with water and then let them wither after that.
Ideally once the plant completes absorbing water , the excess water needs to move through the draining hole.
Next, allow the soil to dry before you water them again. Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus has sensitive root systems which are vulnerable to root rot.
Further, what is more concerning is that you would hardly spot root rot unless it has spread to a severe level.
Further you can identify that when you repot them too. Literally if you spot any black rotten roots, it literally means the plant is in rot.
Further, if the stem and the lower leaves also have started to rot, it is very unlikely that you can save the plants. Hence why it is important that you water them well as it will directly impact the plant well being.
If you are unsure whether your Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus are dry or not, you can simply place a soil moisture meter in the soil and check the status of it.
If the soil is moist, you need to wait for some more days and then water. On the other hand, if the soil is dry, you can water them right away.
You need to change the watering schedule depending on the location where you live and, on the location, where you grow them.
Further, keep an eye on the season also when watering the Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus. If you are going through a colder season, you need to water them less frequently.
On the other hand, if the plants are experiencing hot summer conditions, you can water them more often.
Soil Requirement Type / pH.
Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus would perform well if you provide a potting medium which is well draining.
That will avoid any potential over-watering which could take place that would lead to root rot. I encourage you to add elements such as coarse sand, gravel, perlite and pumice as those will be quite effective in enhancing the drainage.
Do not use substrate which has peat moss, clay, and coconut coir as the draining of the soil mix would not be benefitted from that and it would only bring an unhealthy impact on the plants.
If you are someone who wishes to try things on your own, you can make a soil mix on your own.
Having said that , what many people commonly use is a commercially made succulent and cactus soil mix to grow the Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus.
That will be convenient for them. Besides, you can also have the option of buying a succulent soil mix and add elements aforementioned to better the draining further.
Pot size Potting and Repotting
It is important that you choose the right pot for the Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus to grow. If you end up using the wrong pot, it will deteriorate the health of the plants.
You need to pay special attention to the pot’s drainage when selecting a pot for these plants. You may find hundreds of attractive looking pots.
However, what is important is to check whether they have at least one draining hole as that is what the plants need in the pots.
Having said that, you may also use pots which do not contain any draining holes too. However, I really don’t recommend using them as you need to be extra careful in watering them if your pots lack draining holes.
Chances are that you may end up providing water in excess most of the time despite how experienced you are in gardening.
Moreover, you may also drill one or two draining holes by using a relevant tool l in your pots. If you are handy in using that equipment, drilling drainage holes would not be that challenging.
Besides, you need to proceed with pots which are made of terracotta material as they would evaporate the excess moisture faster.
Refrain from using glazed or ceramic pots as the excess water absorption is not that great when we compare it with terracotta pots.
Where to Plant
You need to plant the Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus in a spot where they can gain sufficient sunlight. Moreover, always grow them in a soil mix which is explained in the above .
Further I urge you to grow them in a terracotta pot due to the reasons mentioned above.
Fertilizer and time of year
Best is to feed the Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus with a succulent fertilizer which is half-diluted. Consider feeding them in their active growing season as then it would be beneficial for the plants’ healthy growth.
Flower
Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus produces flowers in pink and they carry a sweet fragrance. They would produce flowers in winter or in spring.
Dormancy
Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus will be in dormancy during winter.
Toxicity
Crassula plants in general are toxic for pets as well as for humans.
Common bugs and illnesses
Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus are prone for root rot as explained in the above.
Additionally, they may also come across regular pests’ attacks from mealybugs. In addition to mealybugs, spider mites and aphids are also attractive for Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus.
How to propagate Crassula morgan’s beauty
Propagate by offsets
Using offsets propagation methods is one of the easiest ways of conducting propagation of these plants. You could spot these tiny offsets forming around the base of the plants.
You can simply remove those while using your fingers. Once you obtain the offsets, you need to clean the old soil around the plants so that you can observe the plants root system well.
Further when removing the offsets, ensure that you remove it much closer to the mother plants. You can either pull the offsets off or even separate them using a sharp knife and a pair of scissors.
When you remove the offsets, you need to allow them to wither for a few days. That will help to avoid any potential rot which would take place.
When they are dry, you can go ahead and grow them in a container which you have filled with a fast draining soil mix.
Propagate by cuttings
Many people tend to grow the Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus by stem cuttings. However,cutting propagation is more time consuming to form the roots when compared to the offsets method.
However, when you select stem cuttings, you need to select healthy stems or leaves so that you can rely on the success of the propagation process.
You may obtain the cuttings by using sharp clean scissors or even pruning shears. Ensure that you use sharp tools for this purpose so that you will not accidently damage the plants.
Next, leave them in a warm and dry place where they can develop callousness. If you wish you may also dip them in a rooting hormone so that it will help the cuttings to root faster.
Next place the cuttings in a potting medium which is explained in the above. Water them sparingly and once you spot them, they have formed roots, you can continue treating them as regular plants.
Propagate by seeds
Using seeds to propagate the Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus is uncommon. That is because it would require a little longer to form the roots and chances are that it may not even succeed.
If you still wish to do this, either you need to collect the seeds from a plant which you already have or purchase them from a nursery. Next you can grow them in a well draining soil mix.
You may simply sprinkle the seeds across the soil layer.
However, when sowing you do not have to sow them way too deep in the soil so that it would not help them to germinate. Ensure that you keep the soil mist until you see they start producing the seedlings.
When you spot them forming seedlings, you need to water them lightly and when they are well established, you can consider transplanting them.
Conclusion
To conclude, I hope this article gave you a broader view of how you need to look after the Crassula morgan’s beauty cactus. If you ensure that you adhere to aforesaid facts, they will flourish, and you will feel accomplished
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