Haworthia splendens PP265 #10 SOLD OUT
Description: Haworthia splendens is one of the species that forms the backbone of my Haworthia hybridization program. It contributes white spotting and red color tones to my hybrids. In addition to using splendens in hybrids I have also been breeding 100% pure splendens lines. The goal of my splendens breeding program is to accentuate the white spotting, shininess and pink color tones and also to select against leaf tip dieback which can be a problem in pure splendens. My latest splendens lines are crosses of the best splendens selections I have been breeding over the years with selected splendens plants bred by others. The current offering is from my PP285 Haworthia splendens series which is a cross of one of my PP47 super pink splendens plants to an unusual Japanese splendens. It takes several years for pure splendens seedlings to develop their beautiful traits. The plants in this offering are 5 years old and I must admit I was stunned as I was going through the pictures of them. They are each unique individuals, not mass produced clones.
A word about pure splendens care: don't over-fertilize them. It's known in plants like lettuce that too much nitrogen can cause calcium deficiency that results in leaf tip necrosis. I believe the same thing can happen in Haworthia and splendens is especially sensitive to this phenomenon. Also, keep the leaves dry over the winter and don't water too much when it's cold. I have been watering my haworthia less and less over the winter. If some leaf tip dieback or leaf rot occurs, don't despair - the plants will grow out of it. The splendens are looking more white than pink because of the season and their age. They will color up over next summer and reveal more pink hues.
Prickly Pete breeding program:
I have been hybridizing Haworthia for close to 25 years. Most of my hybrids are multi-generational complex hybrids created from carefully selected parental stock. I breed to intensify and combine leaf and window coloration, leaf texture and leaf shape traits.
Leaf coloration is influenced by the interaction of the pigmentation of the leaf and the coloration and the windows. The windows can be clear or can have spots which vary in size. In hybrids the spotting often turns the entire window opaque. I strive for obtaining reds, pink, purple, orange, phosphorescent green and iridescent blue.
Leaf texture can be smooth or bumpy or bristly. In some of my hybrids I get red colored spines and bumps.
Haworthia can have many variations in leaf shape. I use plants like truncata in my breeding to introduce variations in leaf shape.
In 2005 I started numbering my crosses to keep track of them. So my numbers are labeled as PP#. For each PP cross there will be multiple siblings, all genetically unique individuals that will express slightly different traits. Therefore you will be obtaining a one-of-a-kind plant that no one else has. I hope you take good care of it. The seedlings will change as the age and pigmentation will usually intensify over time.