Pachyphytum Oviferum (Moonstone Succulent) Care | 14 Easy Rules |

Pachyphytum Oviferum or moonstone plant is an endemic plant in Mexico. I am sure It could be one great addition to your greenery collection.

Just like the many of the other succulents, you could easily maintain the moonstone succulents.

If you wish to add one of these plants , you only need to supply it with sufficient moisture , the right amount of light, and the most appropriate soil mix.

Pachyphytum Oviferum

How do I identify Pachyphytum Oviferum

This plant can rise to 4 inches  in height and could be 12 inches wide as well. Their stems will be  white. Further it will contain about 15 leaves.  

The leaves are egg shaped, fleshy and thick and would have various colors. You could spot them in blue-purple or in blue-green colors.

This formation looks like an almond and hence why they have inherited this name.

The blooming usually takes place in the earlier stage of spring. The colors of the flower petals would be red and orange colors. Flower sepals will also carry the same colors as the leaves of this plant.  

Onelook care guide

Botanical NamePachyphytum Oviferum
Common NameMoonstone plant
Plant TypeSucculent
Mature Size4 inches  high 
12 inches wide
Sun ExposureFull sunlight to partial sunlight
Soil TypeWell draining / sandy
Soil pHNeutral
Bloom TimeSpring
Flower ColorRed-orange
Hardiness ZonesZones 10a to 11b.
Native AreaMexico
ToxicityNon toxic
Average price12 USD
Pachyphytum Oviferum

How do you take care of Pachyphytum Oviferum? 

Light Requirement 

These plants can  withstand both  full sunlight as well as the  partial sunlight.

Consider you are growing a Pachyphytum Oviferum plant in an area where the sunlight is very harsh and very hot, then you have to take necessary action to shield the plant from the harsh sunlight particularly in the afternoon hours.

A bright sunny location in your garden would be healthy for the moonstone plants to grow well. When they are grown in a bright sunny post, you can easily fulfill the lighting requirement of the plant.  

If you are growing these plants indoors, ensure that you grow them in a bright sunny place. It is better if you can place it closer to a sunny window.

You have to rotate your Pachyphytum Oviferum plant once every few days. That will allow the  whole plant to get an adequate amount of sunlight.

 If the plant has discolored  leaves and a discolored  stem you will not get that same elegant look  you get from other moonstone plants which get adequate sunlight.

Therefore, if it is not possible for you to provide sufficient sunlight, you could alternatively supply a grow light as they could to those plants.

Temperature and humidity

Pachyphytum Oviferum plants would prefer to grow  in USDA hardiness zones 10a to 11b. The regular temperature  you get here would be around 30o F to 50o F (-1.1oC – 10o C). 

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These moonstone plants can thrive in lower temperatures up to  20o F (-6o C). if you expose your plants to any temperatures below it  could be fatal for it.

Literally, it is not possible for you to expose these plants to frost.  We need to protect our beautiful Pachyphytum Oviferum plants from frost.

You could relocate the outdoors grown plants indoors, whenever you could see a forthcoming freezing temperature.

It is important that you grow these plants in a pot or in a container which could be easily moved in and out from the house.  

When it comes to the humidity, moonstone succulent plants would enjoy the drier air conditions. They would usually thrive in average room humidity which is about 40% humidity level.  

Is it cold hardy?

This is the kind of a plant which cannot  thrive in freezing temperatures. Hence ensure that you safeguard the Pachyphytum Oviferum succulent from such weather conditions. 

Hence,  you should take necessary actions to protect them. These plants will not withstand temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

Pachyphytum Oviferum

Hardiness Zone

Pachyphytum Oviferum succulent plants would love to grow  in USDA hardiness zones of between 10a to 11b.

Watering Requirement

Watering is very similar to many other succulents. Only thing you need to make sure of is that the soil has to be in dry condition before you water it again .

If you adhere to this simple principle in watering, you will not let the plant suffer from root rot.

If you are not sure whether you need to water your plant or whether you need to wait a little longer, you could simply touch the leaves of the plant and realize whether the plant needs water or not.

If the leaves are firm and fleshy that means they still have water  in the plant.

When you do this, ensure that you do it for the bottom leaves. Do not touch the leaves which are in the center and in the top as that could leave marks on your plant and  It wont look good on the plant.

Pachyphytum Oviferum plants are a little contradictory with the other plants when it comes to watering during the winter season.

We need to water them more  during the winter season. Winter is the moonstone plant’s growing season and hence why they want more water.

Soil Requirement Type / pH

Moonstone plants would not love to be in moist soil. As such, you could let them grow in a soil mix which is draining well and fast.

You could mix a few elements such as sand, perlite pumice into the soil mix to fasten the draining.

If you mix all these three elements and put it in the soil mix, that would be the perfect medium for them to grow. Alternatively, you could provide compost as well.

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If you are not that enthusiastic in doing all these, you could simply buy a cactus mix or even a succulent mix and let them grow in those.

Flowering and Fragrance

The blooms of the Pachyphytum Oviferum plants would take place during the winter season to early stage of spring season. The colors of the flowers are  red-orange. 

They will have sepals which are fleshy and have the same color like the foliage of the plant. They look like a bell in shape.

Pot size Potting and Repotting

You should use a terracotta pot or a clay pot which has an adequate number of drainage holes. It will avoid the menace of over watering and the repercussions of it such as root rot.

If you use these kinds of pots, they could  make a healthy environment for these moonstone plants to grow.  These material’s porosity allows better air circulation.

In fact, terracotta pots tend to evaporate water faster when the outside environment is hotter. This means we need to water these plants a little bit more on hot days. 

In terms  of repotting, it is crucial to do so, especially if you have bought the plant from the store recently.

Moreover you could consider repotting your Pachyphytum Oviferum plant if it has overgrown the pot or the container.   

When you repot, ensure that you use a  new soil mix  which is well draining . Furthermore, ensure that you keep the stem in the same depth in the new pot like it used to be in the older pot. It will avoid the stem rot.

Avoid touching the leaves during this process. You should do repotting only in their active growing season which is the winter. Refrain in watering until the plant  settles  in the new soil mix.

Pachyphytum Oviferum

Where to Plant 

When you consider a place where you need to plant the moonstone plant,  you need to choose a place where it is sunny and gets full sun right throughout the year. 

In case you get extreme heated conditions and harsh sunlight, ensure that you protect your  plant from those unhealthy conditions.

Further you should take necessary steps to protect them. Ideally you have to select a shady spot for it particularly during afternoon hours.

Fertilizer and time of year

Pachyphytum Oviferum succulent plants do not depend a lot on feeding. You could simply apply fertilizers once a year. Spring is the best time to do it,

Dormancy

These succulents go dormant during the summer season.

Can it be toxic to pets?

These succulents are completely non toxic to your domestic pets as well as to humans.

Having said that, if by any chance your pet has consumed a part of this plant, it may tend to go through gastrointestinal disorders and vomiting.

Common bugs and  illness issues

In terms of bugs and illness issues, you have to be especially careful with mealybugs as they are the type of bugs which could commonly harm your Pachyphytum Oviferum plant.

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When mealybugs have infected your plant, they could halt the growth of the moonstone plant. 

In addition to this, your moonstone succulent could suffer from root rot as well. Over watering could be the major cause for this. As soon as you notice this, cut back in watering and repot them in a new soil mix.  

Special Care tips

You do not need to do any pruning for these Pachyphytum Oviferum plants. Further you could go ahead with succulent cuttings, when you have to  take off the dead leaves only.

You should take off the dead and the damaged leaves as that will help the plant to  protect from rotting.

Avoid contacting the healthy leaves of this plant since chances are that the body oils could leave unusual spots on the plant.

We could grow them either  indoors or outdoors. If you have grown them outdoors, make sure that you provide them with sandy soil and it has excellent drainage. 

Pachyphytum Oviferum 2 1

How do you propagate Pachyphytum Oviferum  

It is easy to propagate the moonstone plants through leaf cuttings. Firstly, you need to trim a young leaf from the center of the Rosset. Let the cut edge become callous.

It would usually take a day to get it dried. Then place the leaf in a little moist and fast draining potting mix.

Wait for some time until a new rosette develops. When you spot the offset has formed roots, repot the new rosette once it has made sufficient new roots. Do not forget to pluck off the older leaf.

If you wish to have faster results and if you want to speed up this process, you could dip the leaf cutting in a rooting hormone.

Then place it in your soil mix. Furthermore, you could use sand for excellent drainage instead of utilizing the potting medium.

Pachyphytum Oviferum plant benefits

Moonstone plants are aesthetically elegant plants which could be a great display  for indoor greenery. They would perfectly fit in containers as well as in pots.  

They could be great additions for your outdoor garden as well.

Related questions 

Is Pachyphytum Oviferum an indoor plant?

You could grow them as indoor plants. If you consider growing these indoors, ensure that you grow them in a bright sunny place.

It could ideally be closer to a sunny window. You could rotate your moonstone plant once every few days. That will allow the  whole plant to get an adequate amount of sunlight.

If the plant has got discoloured  leaves and a stem  you will not get that same elegant look like you get from other moonstone plants which get adequate sunlight.

Therefore, if it is not possible for you to provide sufficient sunlight, you could alternatively supply a grow light to provide extra light. 

Should I mist my Pachyphytum Oviferum?

You could do a light misting to them when you have  placed them in cacti mix in a tray.

Credit to: Succulents Box
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About author

I’m Dr. Chamika, As a hobby love talking about plants and showing you that taking care of indoor plants. My website is knowledge I’ve learned over the years and continue to learn about growing succulents. If you’re a succulent lover, then you have come to the correct place.