Delosperma lehmannii
Succulent plants are a showcase of adaptations to rugged conditions – and with its odd leaves and bright yellow flowers, ice plant (Delosperma lehmannii) is both weird and wonderful.
If you’re the type of person drawn to beauty in less conventional forms, ice plant may appeal to you.
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With chunky-textured foliage and unusual leaf shapes, this species stands out from the more well-known, rosette-shaped succulents like echeverias.
In this guide, we’ll discuss what makes ice plant special and how to cultivate it in your indoor or outdoor space.
Here’s what we’ll cover:
What You’ll Learn
Ice plant is an evergreen succulent appreciated for its unusual foliage, which is both chunky and angular.
The rounded diamond-shaped leaves grow in opposite pairs, overlap somewhat, and have smooth skin. This foliage is grayish green to blueish green, or medium green when cultivated in less intense light.
With an underground tap root, this species has a spreading growth habit, and reaches six to eight inches tall, with an eight- to 12-inch spread.
Some of the stalks grow upright and are less densely covered with fleshy foliage, revealing the pinkish purple stem between the leaves – these upright shoots produce flowers.
The other stalks are trailing, and the leaves on those are more compact.
The yellow flowers are about one and one half inches wide, and are borne at the end of upright stems, appearing in summer and autumn.
Quick Look
Common name(s): Ice plant
Plant type: Evergreen succulent
Hardiness (USDA Zone): 9-11 (outdoors)
Native to: South Africa
Bloom time / season: Summer, autumn
Exposure: Full sun, direct sunlight
Soil type: Gritty succulent and cactus growing medium, well draining
Soil pH: 6.6-7.3, slightly acidic to neutral
Time to maturity: 2-5 years
Mature size: 12 inches wide x 6-8 inches high
Best uses: Hanging baskets, houseplant, rock gardens, fairy gardens, window boxes, xeriscaping
Taxonomy
Order: Caryophyllales
Family: Aizoaceae
Genus: Delosperma
Species: Lehmannii
Native to South Africa, these succulents grow in semi-arid shrublands, or in rock crevices.
In the wild, ice plant is native to a very small range – an area measuring just 27 square miles!
Sadly, this range is shrinking due to habitat loss from urban growth and mining damage, and ice plant is now considered critically endangered according to the South African National Biodiversity Institute.
Ice plant is a member of the Aizoaceae or fig marigold family, and is commonly known as a mesemb, a term used to describe mimicry plants from South Africa.
Relatives include other mesembs such as lithops, concrete leaf plant (Titanopsis spp.), split rock (Pleiospilos nelii), baby toes (Fenestraria rhopalophylla), and tiger jaws (Faucaria spp.).
There is a D. lehmannii lookalike in the succulent world – Astridia velutina, which has white flowers, but is otherwise the same.
Braunsia maximilani, commonly known as beads lampranthus, can also look remarkably similar.
The leaves of beads lampranthus don’t have the same angular appearance as the subject of our article though, so it’s fairly easy to distinguish when you know what to look for.
Another potential identity mix up is with other species – and there are quite a few! – that go by the same common name, ice plant.
You may have seen other members of the Delosperma genus on the perennial bench at your local garden center, some of which have pink or purple flowers – many of these are also commonly called ice plant!
And then there’s Othonna capensis, a fleshy species also known as ice plant as well as by the cute moniker, little pickles.
How to Grow
In addition to growing ice plant indoors, gardeners in USDA Hardiness Zones 9 to 11 can also grow it outdoors in containers or in the landscape.
A candidate for a collection of blue succulents, you might also consider including it in a succulent planter with other mesembs, or even in a fairy garden.
Outdoors, ice plant can be allowed to spill out of window boxes, or used in rock gardens or xeriscapes as a ground cover.
Let’s have a look at their growing requirements:
Light
Ice plant thrives in full sun, that’s to say six to eight hours of direct sunlight, but it will tolerate partial shade.
Foliage will tend to be more blueish gray and compact in more intense light, while with less sun, it will be a greener hue and may become leggy.
Be sure to acclimate your ice plant to full sun gradually if you’re moving it from a location with lower light to avoid scorching.
Water
This species is actively growing in spring and autumn, and that is when it will require the most water, so check it frequently during those seasons.
Throughout the year, allow the growing medium to dry thoroughly between waterings.
When you do water, water deeply by placing the pot in a bowl and using the bottom watering method.
Let the specimen soak up water for at least 10 minutes or so, then return it to its usual location.
Soil
As with most succulents it’s important to get the growing medium right.
Use a mix formulated for cacti and succulents mixed with plenty of grit.
I like to start with a medium such as Rosy Soil’s Cactus and Succulent Mix, available in four-quart bags from Walmart.
Rosy Soil Cactus and Succulent Mix
Use one part of this mix, with one part additional grit like coarse sand or small-grade pumice.
The pH range should be between 6.6 to 7.3.
Temperature and Humidity
The preferred temperature range for ice plant is between 60 and 80°F.
And while it can handle some frosty weather, it is only hardy down to 24°F.
Ice plant grows best with low to moderate humidity – a range of 40 to 50 percent is ideal.
If your humidity levels are higher than that, be sure to provide adequate air flow around the specimen and use a fan if needed.
Fertilizing
Fertilize once a month during the growing season, using a gentle fertilizer formulated for succulents and cacti, such as Dr. Earth’s Succulence Cactus and Succulent Plant Food.
It’s available in a 16-ounce pump bottle via Arbico Organics.
Repotting
Ice plants should be repotted or have their growing medium changed out every two to three years.
If yours is filling up its pot with roots, you may need to repot sooner than this.
Where to Buy
If your local garden center has an extensive selection of succulents, they may carry ice plant, but be aware that it’s not very widely available.
Ice plant tends to be easier to find from online succulent sellers.
You’ll find D. lehmannii specimens in two- or four- inch, plastic or clay pots, available from the Succulents Box Store via Amazon.
D. lehmannii f. variegata is the variegated form and has beautiful, chunky, yellow and green leaves.
This variegated succulent is much harder to find than the straight species.
Propagation
You can propagate ice plant from seed or via stem cuttings. Unlike many succulents, you can’t propagate these from leaf cuttings.
From Seed
Growing from seed is easy but it’s pretty slow and you may have trouble finding seeds.
If you manage to lay your hands on some seeds, here’s how to sow them:
- Start by filling clean, sterilized seed starting trays or 3.5-inch nursery pots with growing medium. Make sure the growing medium fills the pots or trays to about an inch of the rim.
- Scatter the ice plant seeds on the surface, mist with a water bottle, and cover with a humidity dome.
- You can use a transparent plastic bag as a humidity dome for a small number of pots, or place several pots or a tray into a clear plastic bin with a lid.
- Place the covered trays or pots in a location with indirect bright light and keep it warm, between 75 to 80°F, using a heat mat if needed.
- Keep the potting medium moist but not soggy, watering from the bottom or with a spray bottle.
- The seeds should germinate within a couple of weeks, though there may be some stragglers that are slower to pop up.
- When most of the seeds have germinated or a month passes, start to acclimate the young seedlings to less protective conditions, gradually lowering humidity.
- Remove from the heat mat and gradually increase light exposure, but keep the soil moist.
Continue caring for them in the same containers until they reach their one-year birthday – after that point, you can consider transplanting.
Learn more about growing succulents from seed here.
From Stem Cuttings
If you’d like to propagate ice plant from cuttings, wait until spring or early autumn when the plant is actively growing.
Take stem cuttings that are at least three inches long, and remove the bottom inch of leaves.
Apply some rooting hormone and then set the cutting in a dry location to allow the stems to callus over for a few days.
Choose your pots according to the number of cuttings you’re starting. Three cuttings will fit nicely into a two- to three-inch pot.
Fill the pot with growing medium and insert the cuttings about an inch apart.
Water the medium to keep it moist but not soggy.
New growth, which may take several weeks to appear, is a sign that they have successfully rooted.
You won’t need to transplant this ice plant until it outgrows its pot.
Transplanting
Whether your plant was grown from seed or cuttings, eventually you’ll need to repot it into a different container.
Choose a container that has drainage holes and is just one size larger than the current pot. Make sure you have a suitable potting medium, like the one mentioned above.
When you have the supplies, remove the specimen from its pot.
If you are switching to a new type of growing medium, remove most of the medium from the ice plant’s roots.
When potting with the same type of medium, you can just loosen up the outer roots of the root ball.
Hold the specimen in the new container and fill in around the root ball with growing medium.
Withhold water for a week after transplanting.
Managing Pests and Disease
If you’re growing ice plant outdoors, you’ll be happy to know that deer and rabbits tend to avoid them but watch out for snails and slugs.
As for insect and arachnid pests, ice plants are fairly resistant, but be on the lookout for the pests that typically affect succulent houseplants: mites, scale, aphids, and mealybugs.
In addition to checking the foliage of your ice plant for these pests, lift the specimen out of its pot and check the roots periodically as well. Root mealies, a type of mealybug, can occasionally be found feasting underground.
The only disease you’re likely to encounter is root rot, which causes soft, discolored foliage and stems.
If your ice plant seems to be rotting, the cause is likely insufficient drainage, overwatering, or an oversized planter.
Learn how to deal with rotting succulents here.
Nothing Vanilla About it
No need to feel under pressure when it comes to this baby – your plump-leaved ice plant will appreciate plenty of direct sunlight, attentive watering, and some nice gritty potting soil.
Now that your ice plant education is complete, do you need help troubleshooting a problem? Leave your questions, comments, and ice plant photos in the comments section below!
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