Famous for their dark green leaves and white stripes, zebra plants can be a great addition to your house.
If you care for it properly, you’ll have a stunning color palette of green, white, and maybe even gold.
However, that doesn’t come without a price. These plants can be tricky to maintain.
You need to consider the best soil for zebra plants, lighting conditions, watering routine, etc.
If this is your first time caring for a plant, it might be a tad overwhelming.
Don’t worry, though!
In this article, we’ll show you how to create the ideal environment for your zebra plants.
What’s The Best Soil for Zebra Plants?
When you think of soil, strive for something rich, light, and a little bit acidic. Most importantly, though, it has to drain water in a balanced way.
That’s because zebra plants hate excessive watering. Ideally, your soil should be able to get rid of the excess water but maintain enough moisture to keep the plant hydrated.
You can easily find this kind of soil in any local gardening store.
African Violet potting mix seems to be a popular choice. It has good water drainage properties and its pH ranges between 6-6.5.
You can also use a cactus potting mix, as it consists of organic materials. That means it can drain water well.
Mix Your Soil Yourself
If you want to make sure your soil is well-balanced, you can mix it yourself.
Luckily, it’s not that hard, and you have a variety of options to choose from.
You can mix one part perlite, one part potting mix, and one part peat moss.
Perlite allows more air to reach the roots of your plant. Along with peat moss, it can also improve your soil’s drainage abilities.
If peat moss isn’t available, leaf mold can be a good alternative. You can replace perlite with vermiculite if you want.
Some zebra plants, such as Haworthia Glabrate, thrive best when you add gravel to your soil mix.
Some might suggest adding fine sand to your mix, claiming it increases the soil’s absorption abilities.
However, it can easily clog your soil. So, it’s better to avoid it altogether.
How to Know if You’re Using the Wrong Type of Soil?
Generally, you can tell you’re using the wrong type of soil if your zebra plant isn’t growing as well as it should be.
Don’t attribute the problem to your watering regime right away.
Zebra plants’ soil can retain moisture for 2-3 weeks. So, you can tell you’re not using proper soil by touching its surface.
If it remains damp for too long, that means it doesn’t have good draining properties.
If it dries out too quickly, on the other hand, then it can’t retain moisture for enough time, preventing your plant from staying hydrated.
You can also look at the color of the leaves. If you water your plant properly, but it still slowly develops yellow and brown leaves, that’s often an indication of root rot.
Root rot can be caused by poor soil maintenance, whether it’s excessive watering or soil fungi.
How Often Should You Water Your Zebra Plant?
There isn’t a specific watering regime to follow. It depends on the type of your plant.
To identify whether your plant needs water, touch the surface of its soil.
If it’s moist, then you should wait until it gets dry. If it’s too dry, though, then you’ve waited for too long.
Since they originate in Brazil, zebra plants are used to warmer atmospheres. So, make sure you use room-temperature water.
You can use a moisture meter to make sure your soil has a balanced level of moisture as well.
This modern tool can identify the moisture levels of any subject it touches. Some moisture meters can even detect acidity, light, and temperature levels, with accurate results.
How Often Do You Have to Change the Soil?
If you’re growing your zebra plant in a pot, you won’t have to change the soil for 2-3 years, as they grow quite slowly.
During this period, you may have to add some ingredients to improve its drainage properties every now and then.
Generally speaking, though, you won’t face any problems with your soil if you provide the ideal growing circumstances.
If you decide to repot your plant, though, it may take some time to get used to the new environment. So, don’t freak out if the leaves droop a little bit. It’s part of the process.
What To Look for When You Plant a Zebra in Your Garden
Pouring too much water onto your plant isn’t the only way to overwater it.
If you’re going to grow your zebra plant in your garden, the first thing you need to consider is the ground’s saturation levels.
Saturation levels refer to how much water is in the cracks between the soil particles in your ground.
If they’re high all the time, planting your zebra on the ground can be a fatal mistake.
Ideally, you want to grow your zebra plant in a spot where it gets enough light for the soil to dry quickly.
Avoid placing your plant under direct sunlight, though. It can tolerate it, but not for long. Indirect sunlight would be more tolerable.
How to Fertilize Your Zebra Plant
Fertilizing a zebra plant is pretty straightforward.
While there are different types to choose from, liquid fertilizer would be the most effective choice.
Since you add it to the water you pour into your soil, you have more control over the dose than with fertilizer sticks.
Keep in mind you should add a small amount of liquid to your water. Adding too much can damage both the soil and the roots of your plant.
Final Thoughts
Now you know that the best soil for zebra plants has good drainage properties. It can get rid of excess water to prevent rot and maintain enough moisture to keep the plant hydrated.
While you can find the right kind of soil in gardening stores, you can make it yourself if you want the right balance between its components.
Just use ingredients that stimulate moisture retention and water drainage, and you’ll have the best soil for your plant.
Growing up with a mom who filled her home (inside and out) with all sorts of plants, Lisa got her start in gardening at a young age. Living now on her own with a home and yard full of plants (including an indoor greenhouse), she shares all the gardening tips she’s gained over the years.