The brood-leaf, which originates from Africa, belongs to the thick-leaf plants and thus to the succulents. As the name "brood leaf" might suggest, the "brood" forms in the form of small daughter plants on the leaves of the plant.

The brood leaf needs little attention

Plant the brood leaf

The location for your brood leaf should be bright, if possible sunny. However, the blazing midday sun should be avoided. If it is outside, protect your brood leaf from wind and rain. Dry heating air, on the other hand, does not damage the brood leaf.

It is best to plant your brood leaf in a water- and air-permeable clay pot that is at least two centimeters larger than the root ball of your plant. The soil should be well drained and loose. Slight lime content is not a problem. Special cactus or succulent soil is well suited. You can also mix regular potting soil with sand.

Water and fertilize the brood leaf

You should only fertilize your brood leaf during the growth phase and it does not need large amounts of water either. Root rot occurs easily in waterlogged areas, so good drainage is important.

Diseases and pests of the brood leaf

The brood leaf is relatively robust and, with good care, is rarely attacked by pests or diseases. If the humidity is too high, it reacts quickly with powdery mildew. You can easily recognize this by the stunted growth, gray or whitish spots or curled leaves. If the brood overwinters too warm or is over-fertilized, the flowers will not appear and long, thin shoots will form.

The brood leaf in winter

The brood leaf is not hardy. Accordingly, it should only be outside in summer, but it is also very suitable as a houseplant. In winter it needs a cool break at around 10 °C, otherwise it forms horny shoots. Water very little so the root ball doesn't dry out completely and stop fertilizing until spring.

The essentials in brief:

  • Location: bright, if possible sunny
  • Soil: loose, permeable, slightly calcareous
  • easy-care
  • robust
  • Avoid waterlogging
  • water moderately to little
  • only fertilize in summer
  • Pruning encourages bushy growth
  • Hibernation at about 10 °C

tips

In a bright location, your brood will grow bushy with beautiful leaf colouring.

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Care tips