Titanopsis hugo-schlechteri
T. hugo-schlechteri, known as jewel plant or living rock, is an evergreen succulent appreciated for its gravel-like foliage that is colored in shades of blue, gray, green, purple, red, or pink.
Made up of two-inch rosettes, T. hugo-schlechteri has spoon-shaped, succulent leaves with triangular tips covered with a mix of small and large flattened bumps that are white to reddish brown in color.
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Unlike the roughly textured leaf tips of this succulent, the bases of the leaves are both smoother and more brightly colored.
Speaking of color, living rocks tend to have more pink hues in their foliage than the other Titanopsis species.
This succulent has a mat-like, clumping growth habit, reaching four to six inches wide and two to four inches tall at maturity.
The one- to two-inch flowers appear in winter, and are usually yellow, though sometimes they can be pink.
Our guide to growing concrete leaf plants gives an overview of the Titanopsis genus and how to care for these unique succulents.
In this article, we will focus on titanopsis jewel plants. Here’s what I’ll cover:
What You’ll Learn
T. hugo-schlechteri is native to Namibia and South Africa, where this mesemb grows in desert or dry shrubland – either in limestone flats or in limestone soils covered with red sand.
They blend in with the rocky environment, making them hard to spot until their winter blooms appear.
Known by the common names jewel plant and living rock, this succulent species is a member of the Titanopsis genus along with three other species, often referred to as concrete leaf plants.
Quick Look
Common name(s): Jewel plant, living rock
Plant type: Evergreen succulent
Hardiness (USDA Zone): 8b-11b (outdoors)
Native to: Namibia, South Africa
Bloom time / season: Winter
Exposure: Full sun, some light shade in summer
Soil type: Gritty succulent and cactus growing medium
Soil pH: 6.5-8.5, slightly acidic to alkaline
Time to maturity: 2 years
Mature size: 4-6 inches wide x 2 inches high
Best uses: Houseplant, xeriscape
Taxonomy
Family: Aizoaceae
Subfamily: Ruschioideae
Genus: Titanopsis
Species: Hugo-schlechteri
This genus is a member of the Aizoaceae or ice plant family, also called the fig marigold family.
This family includes numerous other succulents, many of which are also mimicry plants – botanical species which have evolved to hide their plant-like attributes.
Some of these mesembs include lithops (Lithops spp.), baby toes (Fenestraria rhopalophylla), ice plant (Delosperma lehmannii), split rock (Pleiospilos nelii), and tiger jaws (Faucaria spp.).
A recipient of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit in 2012, this species makes an excellent houseplant and can also be cultivated outdoors year-round in USDA Hardiness Zones 8b to 11b.
How to Grow
If you have a sunny, south-facing windowsill or a good grow light, jewel plant will be an excellent houseplant.
Outdoors, it’ll need protection from too much rain, and looks beautiful in a xeriscape.
Let’s go over what this plant needs to thrive:
Soil
Jewel plants need a potting medium with excellent drainage.
This medium should be made up of around 85 percent mineral content and 15 percent organic matter, with a pH between 6.5 to 8.5.
This is a higher percentage of grit than is in most commercial cactus and succulent potting soils, so it’s best to make a mix of your own.
I like to start with Rosy Soil’s Houseplant Mix for the organic matter.
You can find four- or eight-quart bags of Rosy Soil Houseplant Mix available via Walmart.
You can use a variety of materials for the mineral grit, including pumice, lava gravel, coarse sand, or limestone gravel.
Light
This titanopsis needs full sun – that means six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day. Indoors, a bright south-facing window, grow lights, or a combination of the two will work.
If you’re using a light meter to assess lighting conditions for your houseplants, you’ll need six to eight hours at 1000 foot candles.
In the height of summer, when temperatures are high, you can offer a bit of light shade from the intense rays of the sun.
Water
Since these succulents are adapted to extremely well-draining soils and arid climates, it’s important to allow the growing medium to dry thoroughly between waterings.
T. hugo-schlechteri is dormant in summer, and mature specimens can be watered extremely sparingly during these months, as long as that light shade is provided.
Juvenile specimens will fare better with a bit of summer watering.
Need a sign to tell you when to water? Look for leaves that have started to shrivel.
When you water, either choose the bottom watering technique or use a watering can with a narrow spout to direct water evenly over the growing medium, allowing it to run out of the drainage holes at the bottom of the pot.
And be sure never to let the living rock sit in a saucer of water – ever!
A soggy growing medium, which is inevitable when letting pots sit in saucers of water, is a pathway to root rot for most houseplants, but is especially so with succulents!
Temperature and Humidity
Titanopsis jewel plants prefer a temperature range of between 65 to 75°F, with a drop of 10 to 15 degrees at night.
Living rocks are hardy down to 14°F for short periods, as long as the roots aren’t wet.
Wondering if you need the help of a humidifier for your succulent houseplant?
Not this one! Jewel plants prefer a humidity level of 40 percent or less.
If the humidity levels are much higher than this in your location, excellent air circulation is important – use a fan if needed.
Fertilizing
As with most other succulents, titanopsis jewel plants aren’t adapted to rich soils, so feed them once a month during the growing season with a gentle fertilizer.
I like to use Dr. Earth’s Succulence Cactus and Succulent Plant Food, available from Arbico Organics.
Repotting
You can repot your jewel plant every two to three years to refresh the potting medium. If it becomes root bound, then transfer it to a pot that’s one size larger than the existing container.
If you purchase a specimen that is planted in the wrong growing medium or a pot that’s far too big, go ahead and repot immediately.
Since this titanopsis is dormant in summer, early autumn is the best time to carry out this maintenance task!
Where to Buy
If your local gardening nursery has an excellent selection of different succulents, you may be able to score a titanopsis jewel plant locally!
There are also many online succulent vendors who sell these mesembs.
Titanopsis Hugo-Schlechteri Plant
You can purchase a live T. hugo-schlechteri specimen in a two-inch pot from Planet Desert via Amazon.
Propagation
Want to try your hand at propagating living rocks? You can grow new specimens from seed or via offsets.
From Seed
You can grow jewel plants from seed, and this is best done in spring.
Here’s how:
Fill pots or trays with growing medium, then cover with a thin layer of coarse sand, leaving an inch to a half inch gap at the top.
Mix the seeds with a teaspoon of horticultural sand, and sprinkle over the surface in the pot or tray.
I like to use a bio-ungicide that contains beneficial Trichoderma fungi to prevent pathogens from thriving, such as Mikro Root, available via Arbico Organics.
This biofungicide can be mixed in the spray bottle with water and used to water in the seeds.
After watering, place the pots or trays under a humidity dome or cover with plastic wrap to maintain high humidity.
Situate them in a warm location, such as on top of a heat mat, and provide bright, indirect light and steady moisture from the spray bottle or via bottom watering.
Expect the first seeds to germinate within a few days, with stragglers germinating within a month.
After a month, reduce the amount of humidity by gradually opening the bag or dome, or poking holes in the plastic wrap.
Also, gradually reduce time on the heat mat and expose seedlings to more direct light.
Keep caring for the T. hugo-schlechteri seedlings in their nursery pots or tray for at least a year before transplanting.
Our guide to propagating succulents from seed has more information.
From Offsets
Since living rocks are prolific offset producers, it’s easy to grow new pecimens from their babies or pups.
To do this, remove the plant from its pot, and use a clean, sterilized pair of scissors or pruners to snip off an offset.
Before you return the mother plant to its pot or transplant the offset, allow them both to callus over for a week. Set them in a dry area out of direct sunlight.
Once the wounds are callused, return the mother plant to her pot, and transplant the pup – and then wait another week before you water either of them.
Learn more about propagating succulents from offsets here.
Managing Pests and Disease
Living rocks don’t tend to be very attractive to deer, however, some outdoor succulent gardeners do have issues with rabbits nibbling on these mimicry plants.
They aren’t particularly prone to insect infestations, but specimens that are stressed are more likely to succumb to pest pressure.
Check the foliage regularly for the usual pest suspects – succulent mites, scale insects, and mealybugs.
Periodically lift the titanopsis out of its container and examine the roots, especially if the plant is failing to thrive.
If you see any white ovals the size of a grain of rice on the roots, this could be a sign of root mealies.
Rot is the disease you are most likely to encounter and it’s usually caused by using the wrong type of growing medium, overwatering, or insufficient drainage.
Find tips for dealing with rotting succulents here.
Polish Off Your Jewel Plant Education
Now that you know how to care for jewel plants, yours should shine for years to come!
Just remember to provide plenty of sunlight, allow the growing medium to dry thoroughly between waterings, and make sure the drainage is excellent!
If you still have questions about growing titanopsis jewel plants, feel free to drop them in the comments section below – or use that space to share photos of your own living rocks!
Ready for more tips about growing cacti and succulents? Check out these guides next:
