These guidelines are for the care of "windowed" or retuse haworthia. Cultivation is relatively easy.

General tips: Haworthia are endemic to regions of South Africa where it rains during the winter. Thus they grow a lot when the temperature is cooler. Unlike many succulents, Haworthia tend to grow all year and do not have strict dormant periods. Bring indoors if there is a threat of frost.

Soil: My favorite soil mix is about 3/4 to 4/5 pumice and 1/4 to 1/5 coir-based soil with some coarse gravel mixed in. I also add very small amounts of gypsum (a calcium source) and clay soil. Pumice and coir are superior components for succulent soil mixes and should be sought out if one is serious about succulent cultivation.

Watering:   Water about once a week all year. They love the cool California winter rains that turn other succulents to mush.

Feeding: I tend to fertilize with 1/4 strength fertilizer every other watering or so.  I use a fertilizer with micronutrients and silica I find in hydroponics stores.

Light: Proper light is essential to good Haworthia cultivation. Plants grown with insufficient light will be unattractive and unhealthy. Too much shade results in ugly green plants sensitive to pathogens. Too much sun can also be problematic. The trick is to give them enough sun to bring out their nice colors and not much more than that. Several hours of morning or late afternoon sun is best.  Protect from strong sun during the summer and during the transition from winter to spring. Since Haworthia are winter growers making sure they get enough sunlight during the winter months can be challenging and is important to keeping them attractive looking.

Problems: Haworthia are generally not as susceptible to pests as many other succulents. Mealybugs can be a very annoying problem with many succulents and certain mealies can be particularly stubborn to get rid of. If you have them in your collection you need to hit them hard- An imidocloprid based product is best since it does a good job of killing the mealies and is reasonably safe compared to other systemic insecticides. The best way to deal with pests is prevention. Always quarantine new plants for 1 month before placing them close to your other plants. Leaf tip die back can be a problem with some haworthia as well. Click here for more info.