There are more similarities between Crassula ovata hobbit vs Gollum than differences. The Hobbit plant is scientifically called Crassula ovata hobbit. On the other hand, Crassula ovata Gollum is the scientific name of the Gollum plants.
Further, both these plants are native plants in South Africa. Apart from the name, the only difference between Crassula ovata hobbit vs Gollum is how they form their leaves.
Are Crassula ovata hobbit and Gollum the same?
No. They are completely different plants.
In fact, Gollum plant leaves are nearly tubular in shape. Further, many people think gollum plant leaves resemble a trumpet shape.
On the other hand, Hobbit plant leaves tend to grow in a curled back manner around themselves.
You could find the Hobbit plants growing in rocky hillsides where they can gain full sunlight and rainfall in their natural habitats. Gollum plants are usually grown as houseplants in cooler regions.
Jade Gollum and Jade Hobbit plants are very attractive plants. In fact, both these plant trunks become thick as they mature and grow older.
Further they would tend to develop interesting stem patterns as well. They are both identical to each other and one could find it difficult to recognize which plant it is also.
Why these plants named as hobbit and gollum?
The two names (Hobbits and Gollum) remind you of the extraordinary author J.R.R. Tolkien and his books (Hobbits and lords of the rings).
Toklien’s character Gollum is what has given its amusing name for Jade Gollum plants. Gollum is a disfigured hobbit which you would come across this and Jade Gollum plants also look a little disfigured or misshapen from their original jade plant. That is what has caused them to inherit this name.
Crassula Ovata Hobbit plants tend to take a small shrub type succulent
I must say there are discussions about naming these two plants. But if you are a fan of Tolkin’s work you may have the urge to plant these two plants in your garden.
How to identify Crassula ovata hobbit vs Gollum
Crassula ovata hobbit
Usually, Jade Hobbit plants grow as a shrub type. Further they show an erect growing habit as well. You could see how their trunk has segmented and branched.
You could easily use them for bonsai without any hassle. They would consist of fleshy leaves. Moreover, those leaves would tend to take the look of a spoon.
Hobbit plant leaves have red tips the same as gollum plants. You could mainly spot them once you expose them to bright sunlight.
Generally, they would form their new growth in red. In terms of flowering, they would produce blooms in clusters. They will resemble stars in shape.
White or pinkish white would be the colors of those blooms. Further they would consist of pink stamens as well.
You could identify them with their flowering during fall and in early winter since those two seasons are their flowering seasons.
Having said that, you could expect them to flower given that they get their basic growing requirements fulfilled only. The Hobbit looks kinda similar to Gollum plants too.
Hobbit plants are renowned as a slow growing set of plants. They would usually rise to 3 feet (90 cm) in height. In terms of width, they could be about 2 feet (60 cm) once they grow to their fullest. Further , their leaves would be 2 inches long.
Crassula ovata Gollum
You could identify the crassula ovata Gollum plants by looking at their leaves and flowers. This is somewhat an unusual plant which is sturdy and evergreen.
They would usually grow in a tree-like shape. In terms of height, they would be about 3 feet. In terms of width, they would be about 1-2 feet.
Gollum plants also consist of fleshy leaves and those leaves would be tubular shaped. They would further consist of red tips as well.
You could identify them by their flowering. They would usually produce flowers during late summer with small white pinkish colored blooms. Those blooms would usually resemble stars in shape.
One look care guide
| Botanical Name | Crassula ovata “hobbit” | Crassula ovata “gollum” |
| Common Name | Hobbit Fingers, Finger Jade, Organ Pipe Jade Plant and Hobbit Jade. | Hobbit Jade, Gollum Jade and Trumpet Jade |
| Plant Type | Cactus and Succulents | Cactus and Succulents |
| Mature Size | 3 feet (90 cm) in height. 2 feet (60 cm) in width | 3 feet. Further they would be about 1-2 feet in width. |
| Sun Exposure | Full SunPartial Shade | Full SunPartial Shade |
| Soil Type | Well-draining soil mix | Well-draining soil mix |
| Soil pH | 6 | 6 |
| Bloom Time | Fall / Winter | Summer |
| Flower Color | White or pinkish white | White/ white pinkish |
| Hardiness Zones | 9b-11 | 8b – 11 |
| Native Area | South Africa | South Africa |
| Toxicity | Toxic | Toxic |
| Average price | 17 USD | 12 USD |
Care; Crassula ovata hobbit vs Gollum
Both Gollum and Hobbit plants would require the same care treatment. If you provide them with their basic growing requirements, they will flourish and reward you with beautiful plant in return.
Size
Hobbit plants usually rise to about 3 feet (90 cm) in height. Apart from that they would be about 2 feet (60cm) in width once they are fully matured.
Leaves would be about 2 inches long. On the other hand, Gollum jade plants would be about 3 feet in height and 1-2 feet in width.
Growth
Both the Hobbit and Gollum plants are slow growing plants. You could grow them either indoors. Further you could grow them outdoors if you live in the below mentioned USDA zones.
Light Requirement
These two plants would perform well, if they can gain both full sunlight and partial shade. If you grow them outdoors, best is to provide them with sunlight for at least four hours per day.
It has to be ideally morning sunlight. On the other hand, you could expose them for partial sunlight preferably in the afternoon hours.
When you grow them as indoor plants, you should grow them near a bright sunny window.
In case, if you expose them to low light levels for prolonged periods, it could badly affect their vibrant colors.
If we take Hobbit plants for example, chances are that you will not spot them in their red tips if you fail to provide them adequate sunlight levels.
Temperature and humidity
Jade plants grow in hot and dry drought conditions when they are in their natural habitats. Ideal temperature to provide them would be 65-85 degrees Fahrenheit.
The lowest temperature they could thrive would be 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you have grown them outdoors, and if the temperature drops below the aforesaid temperature, best is to shift them indoors.
In terms of humidity, they would prefer to have low humidity levels. So, you need to avoid placing them near bathrooms. If you expose them for high humidity levels, it will cause root rots in the plants.
Is it cold hardy?
These plants are not cold hardy plants. I would recommend growing them as indoor plants if you live indoors unless you live USDA zones 9b-11.
If you live in USDA zones 9a-11, you could grow them outdoors since they over winter in those zones. You may consider shifting them outdoors during summer as it would help them to thrive well.
Zone
Crassula ovata hobbit’s preferred USDA zones would be 9b-11. On the other hand, Crassula ovata Gollum’s preferred USDA zones would be 8b-11.
Watering Requirement
You could apply the soak and dry method when watering both these plants. You could simply water these plants thoroughly which will allow them to have a good soak.
After that ensure that excess water is draining out from the draining holes.
When you water them again, ensure that the top layer of the soil is dry. When I say top layer, it has to be ideally the top two inches of the soil.
When watering them in winter, you need to make sure that you are watering them only to avoid them becoming shriveled.
Soil Requirement Type / pH
Usually, the soil medium would be providing the essential nutrients and the required minerals for these plants before they get fertilizers.
In addition to that, it is vital that you provide them with a well-draining soil mix for both Hobbit and Gollum plants to thrive well.
Unless it would make these plants vulnerable for root rots. The most recommended is to go ahead with a specially designed cactus or a succulent soil mix to grow them.
Alternatively, you could grow them in a regular soil mix in which you have added pearlite and coarse sand at the correct ratios.
Alternatively, you may make your own soil mix by mixing two parts of sphagnum peat moss, one-part coarse perlite and one part of coarse sand.
That will give you a rich organic soil mixture in which these plants could thrive well. Usually, the succulents in general would prefer to have slightly acidic soil where the ph. would be around 6.
Flowering and Fragrance
Hobbit plants
If we take Hobbit plants into consideration, they will make flowers in clusters. In terms of the shape, they would resemble star shape.
On the other hand, their bloom colors would be white or pinkish white. Apart from that, Hobbit flowers would comprise pink stamens. You could expect the hobbit plants to flower during fall and in early winter.
However, hobbit plants will flower only if you fulfill their growing requirements. Literally, you need to provide a period of cold before they approach their dormancy.
To do that, you could leave the plants outdoors and place them in an enclosed patio or porch. You may leave them like that for a few weeks.
Gollum plants
Gollum plants would usually bloom during late summer. Further their blooms would be small and white pinkish in color. They would also tend to take a star shape.
Pollutants such as bees and other helpful insects are attractive towards Gollum plants flowers.
Pot size Potting
Both Gollum Jade and Hobbit jade could perform well in any type of pot as long as they have enough draining holes. However, best would be to grow them in terracotta pots.
Terracotta pots are porous where the soil will dry faster without retaining any moisture within.
Where to Plant
When selecting a place to plant, you need to mainly see whether the plant will get enough sunlight. As aforesaid it has to be full sunlight during morning and partial sunlight during afternoon.
Fertilizer and time of year
Best recommended is to feed these plants once every fortnight when they are in their actively growing season.
If not, you could feed them once every three to four years during the rest of the year. They would usually grow actively during the summer season.
Having said that, keep mind that these are all slow growing sets of plants.
You need to skip fertilizing them during the winter season. You could consider feeding them only if they do not receive optimal bright filtered sunlight during the winter season.
Further you may use a liquid fertilizer to feed them.
Dormancy
Hobbit Jade goes dormant during the winter season. During this period, they would slow down on their growth. If not, they will completely halt their growth too.
You should minimize watering them during dormancy. Always wait until their soil becomes dry in condition and only then water. Gollum jade would go dormant during fall and in winter.
Other plants Pairs Well With
Aloe vera plants could pair well with these plants.
Can it be toxic to pets?
Both Crassula ovata Hobbit, crassula ovata Gollum are toxic for animals such as dogs’ cats and horses.
In case, they consume this plant and ingest it could make them vomit and cause a slower heart rate as well. In addition to that it would cause depression and lack of coordination as well.
They could be mildly toxic on many occasions. However, chances are that there could be serious repercussions such as convulsions when they get poisoned too.
I would recommend humans also to not consume them as they could be mildly toxic if they eat it. There could be health issues such as diarrhea and vomiting if they consume them and ingest them.
Common bugs and Illnesses
Hobbit and gollum plants suffer from fungal diseases and it could be most commonly over watering which could cause these issues.
When they suffer from fungal infections, you will see how they shed their leaves. When you under water them, you may spot them forming brown patches on their foliage.
In that circumstance you need to immediately start watering them.
Apart from that, these plants may come across pests’ attacks such as mealy bugs, spider mites and scales insects. They could also create problems for these plants.
You could identify the mealybugs from their white cotton substance appearance. You could mainly spot them during the primary flowering season.
You could spot scales on the succulent stems, and they are usually quite hard. To treat them you could use insecticides. You could scrape the sales off with a fingernail to get rid of the scales.
How to propagate crassula ovata hobbit
You could propagate crassula ovata hobbit from both leaf cuttings and from stem cuttings. If you are using the leaf propagation method, you should first twist a leaf from the stem.
When you take it off make sure that you do not harm the leaf. Ideally you have taken off the whole leaf without leaving any part of it on the stem. That will give you successful results of the propagation.
Once you obtain the leaf, you need to leave it in a dry place for a few days so that it becomes callous. After that you may lay it on top of a well draining soil layer.
Alternatively, you could even insert it into the soil too. You could see how those calloused edges form roots and within a few Week’s time you will see how they form new plants.
If you wish you may use a rooting powder so that it could speed up the rooting process. You could follow the same process when propagating them through the stem cuttings.
They will form new plants faster than the leaf propagation method.
How to propagate crassula ovata Gollum
You may use leaf cutting method or the stem cutting method to propagate the crassula ovata Gollum plants. You could follow the aforesaid guidelines when conducting the leaf propagation for these plants as well.
When it comes to stem cutting propagation of the Gollum plants, you should use a sterilized knife or sharp pair of scissors to make the cutting. You need to cut a tube from the plant base.
Let those cuttings dry for a few days. After that only you could place them in a well-draining soil mix. Skip watering them for a couple of days and then resume watering them.
You may apply the soak and dry method.
How to repot them
You could consider repotting these plants during spring, summer and in fall.
Consider that you are someone who lives in a climate where the winter season arrives early, then I would recommend you report them during spring and in summer as those two seasons would be the best.
Keep in mind that you need to avoid repotting them during winter as it is their dormant period.
You should water these plants two prior to repotting them. Best is to keep these plants on the dry side when you repot them.
To start off, you should first loosen the root ball from the pot. After that you may fill the pot with a potting medium which will allow the top of the root ball to be even or slightly above the pot top.
If the soil medium is light, chances are that your plant would sink due to its weight. In that circumstance you could consider adding a handful of compost. You may add the mix around the root ball.
Crassula ovata ogre ears vs gollum
According to my research, Crassula ovata ogre ears and crassula ovata gollum are the same plants. But there are arguments about this idea.
Conclusion
Trust this article was useful to enhance knowledge on the crassula ovata hobbit vs gollum plant. So why wait? start gardening one of these wonderful plants.
Read next: Black succulents | 13 Unique Black Beauties For Your Garden |
