overwatering and Argyroderma
Quick answer
If overwatering is what's going on with your Argyroderma, the most likely cause is: Argyroderma are winter-growing Aizoaceae that, when kept moist out of season, absorb more water than they can store inside their single pair of fleshy leaves; the bodies become overly inflated and in some cases split or burst, the same failure mode the cultivation literature flags for the closely related stone plants Lithops and other Aizoaceae.
Start here:
- 1. Hold water completely from late spring through summer so the plant enters its natural dry dormancy and the old leaf pair is allowed to shrivel as its moisture reserves are recycled into the emerging new pair.
- 2. Resume watering only in autumn when the new leaves show signs of losing turgidity, in a small shallow pot filled with one part soil-based potting compost, one part sharp sand and one part 3–4mm potting grit so excess moisture drains before the body can split.
Why overwatering happens to Argyroderma
Argyroderma
Argyroderma are winter-growing Aizoaceae that, when kept moist out of season, absorb more water than they can store inside their single pair of fleshy leaves; the bodies become overly inflated and in some cases split or burst, the same failure mode the cultivation literature flags for the closely related stone plants Lithops and other Aizoaceae.
How to correct overwatering on Argyroderma
- 1
Hold water completely from late spring through summer so the plant enters its natural dry dormancy and the old leaf pair is allowed to shrivel as its moisture reserves are recycled into the emerging new pair.
- 2
Resume watering only in autumn when the new leaves show signs of losing turgidity, in a small shallow pot filled with one part soil-based potting compost, one part sharp sand and one part 3–4mm potting grit so excess moisture drains before the body can split.
Keep overwatering from repeating on this Argyroderma
Dress the pot with quartz gravel and position the Argyroderma in the brightest available light, sheltering outdoor plants from rain in summer so the dormant body never sits in cold wet compost and the cycle of overinflation and leaf split cannot begin.