Description

Miniature Pine Tree is a succulent, glabrous shrub native to South Africa. The upright stems with tree-like habit will reach about 2 feet tall with an equal spread. The opposite, light green leaves are awl-shaped and will reach up to 1.50 inches long. The plants have been used in dish gardens for their pine-like appearance. They are of easy culture and hardy in the landscape in USDA zones 9-11. In the greenhouse, the plants bloom in the spring with very small white blooms. Individual blooms are 1/8 inch long. They are quite showy when in bloom. Crassula tetragona need full sun to light shade with a well-drained soil mix. In the greenhouse, we use a soil mix consisting of 1 part peat moss to 1 part loam to 2 parts sand. The plants are well watered and allowed to dry thoroughly before watering again. Plants are fertilized only once during the growing season. The plants are fairly slow growing and do not need to be re-potted very often. During the winter months, the plants are moved to the cold room and the temperature is dropped to 48 degrees F and plants are watered only enough to keep the leaves from shriveling. When grown in the landscape, the plants are hardy down to 28 degrees F. Crassula tetragona plants are propagated by division of clumps or from leaf and stem cuttings.