Your propeller plant needs plenty of sun to produce those show-stopping blooms, and regular watering (without leaving the soil soggy) is essential. They might be drought-tolerant plants, but they won’t bloom if you leave them parched.
Your Go-to Guide for Growing and Caring for Propeller Plants
Gemma Johnstone is a gardening expert who has written 120-plus articles for The Spruce covering how to care for a large variety of plants from all over the world. She’s traveled all over Europe, living now in Italy.
Published on 11/06/23
Trending Videos
In This Article
Expand
Back to Top
The propeller plant is a low-maintenance succulent that’s a popular, easy-to-care-for houseplant. The plant gets its common name from the grayish-green, sickle-shaped, curving leaves that resemble airplane propellers.
This cold-sensitive plant is easiest to grow indoors in a bright spot with a well-draining potting medium. It also offers a pop of summer color in hot, dry xeriscape gardens when its striking red clusters of tiny flowers bloom.
| Common Name | Propeller plant, Airplane plant, Scarlet paintbrush, Sickle plant |
| Botanical Name | Crassula perfoliata var. Falcata, Crassula perfoliata var. minor |
| Family | Crassulaceae |
| Plant Type | Succulent |
| Mature Size | Up to 24 inches tall and 12 inches wide |
| Sun Exposure | Full, Partial |
| Soil Type | Well-draining |
| Soil pH | Acidic, Neutral |
| Bloom Time | Summer, Fall |
| Flower Color | Orange-red, Scarlet-red |
| Hardiness Zones | 9-11 (USDA) |
| Native Area | South Africa |
Propeller Plant Care
Here are the main care requirements for growing a propeller plant:
- Position in a full sun position or one with bright, indirect light. Too much intense sun can result in leaf scorch.
- A well-draining potting medium is a must.
- Water deeply once the soil is dry, taking care not to overwater
- Provide a warm and dry environment.
Light
The propeller plant does well in a window that receives bright, indirect sunlight. You can opt for a sunny south-facing window, but be aware that too much intense afternoon sun can scorch the leaves. Around three to four hours of direct sun is plenty or six to eight hours of indirect sun.
If you’re growing the plant outdoors, pick a site with morning sun and afternoon shade to prevent problems during hot summer days.
Soil
One of the most important care requirements for your propeller plant is a well-draining potting medium. These plants hate soggy roots. A premade cactus soil will do the trick. Alternatively, make your own rocky blend using potting soil mixed with aerating, lightweight pumice and/or sand, fine gravel, or perlite.
Propeller plants can handle any soil pH but prefer it when they are acidic or neutral.
Water
While drought-tolerant propeller plants can handle a little neglect waterwise, the leaves look their healthiest when they receive ample water in the warm growing season. Reduce watering frequency significantly during the semi-dormant winter months.
One of the biggest killers of this plant is overwatering. Soggy soil leads to root rot, so wait until the potting medium is dry before rewatering.
Check moisture levels in the soil with your finger rather than judging by sight. When watering succulents like the propeller plant, water slowly and deeply from the base of the plant, ensuring it isn’t sitting in standing water.
Temperature and Humidity
Your propeller plant isn’t cold-hardy. It will struggle to survive if temperatures drop below 20°F. This is why they tend to be best as houseplants.
Even in the house, keep this plant away from drafty doors and windows and avoid rooms that experience extreme temperature fluctuations.
These plants are happy with average home humidity levels and don’t appreciate when things are too sultry.
Fertilizer
Propeller plants are undemanding succulents that can manage without feeding. However, fertilizing once or twice with a diluted cacti formula during the growing season can help to promote vigorous, healthy growth.
Propagating Propeller Plants
If you want to expand your succulent collection, it’s easy to do this from an existing healthy specimen. The most popular way to propagate a propeller plant is via leaves, but you can also create new plants from offsets and side shoots.
Follow these steps during the growing season to propagate this succulent from leaves.
- Carefully remove an entire healthy leaf at the base (where it connects to the stem). Do this by gently wiggling and twisting it loose. The leaf must remain intact. If you accidentally damage the leaf, discard it and try loosening another.
- Storing the leaf in a warm, dry, shady spot for 72 hours can help to callus over the base in preparation for planting. This helps promote strong root growth.
- Put the leaf in a tray containing a well-draining potting medium. Ensure the callus base is touching the surface of the medium.
- Place in a spot that receives bright, indirect light rather than in direct sun as this can cause leaf scorch.
- Wait a few weeks for tiny roots to appear at the base of the leaf before watering. Even then, water conservatively to avoid root rot and carefully direct the water droplets to the roots to avoid pooling water on the leaf.
- Continue to water when the soil is fully dry.
- Let the old leaf fall off the new growth naturally rather than pulling it off as it shrivels up.
- After a few months, once the roots are around 1 inch long, transfer the plant to an appropriate pot or its spot in the garden.
- If you are placing the pot in a spot receiving direct sunlight, introduce it to this position gradually over a few days to a week to reduce the chance of leaf scorch.
