Graptopetalum – ghost plant – is a succulent that develops a rosette shape stem which may trail or hang, occasionally flowering in spring to summer, with little yellow blooms.
Their thick, fleshy leaves and stems hold excess moisture, so the plant can withstand long periods without rain.
They have beautiful silvery grey to bluish green foliage that has a pinkish tinge to the edges of leaves, when young.
However, the plants have colour changing abilities. In full sun, the best location, they will have yellowish pink, pearlescent, and slightly translucent colours.
They will also grow in partial sun, with slightly leggy results.
Those grown in punishing heat turn grey, with pink overtones. Grown in partial shade they produce bluish-grey tones.
The plant grows from the centre of the rosette, which can give a mature leggy appearance, easily fixed by pinching back.
The stems are fairly brittle and detach easily, but don’t worry as it reproduces itself. Any rosette that breaks off has the potential to root and start a new plant.
Even a leaf that drops off will root below the parent plant and produce a new rosette quickly. The new plant will feed off the leaf, until it shrivels up and falls off, by then the new plant will have rooted and sprouted new leaves.
They thrive in a mixture of peat, sand, or other grit, topsoil and a little bit of compost that has excellent drainage, with moderate water.
If the fleshy leaves are looking shrivelled, water, but be careful as overwatering is the main cause of root rot and pest infestations.
