Crassula Tetragona or Bonsai Pine – Succulent Plants for Dry Landscapes or Houseplants

Crassula tetragona are drought tolerant plants that look a bit like pine boughs with the needles sticking out the sides, or a green bottle brush. They are often used in bonsai pots to look like pine trees. In the ground, they grow up to 4 feet tall. They will branch at the tips and can be used as a low informal hedge. Its leaves, which look like thick pine needles, are about an inch long. Its color can vary from green to deep bluish-green. They can take full sun to light shade, love heat, and are easy to root and grow.

Like other Crassula, these do well in dry gardens with other succulents and cacti. As houseplants, give them up to 6 hours of sun per day. They should also do well in bright, indirect light. These perennials are drought tolerant and only need water once a month or so. In summer they have broad, flat flower clusters that remind me of Queen Anne’s Lace. The flowers are produced at the tips of its branches. Flower color can vary from white to yellow. Visit www.theGardenPages.com for photos. Crassula are hardy to 40 degrees. Light layers of frost have survived in my garden. But all that water stored in its leaves and branches will freeze if exposed to low temperatures for a long time.

Crassulas are easily propagated by cuttings, so you don’t need to spend a lot of money to have a lot of plants. These plants branch at the tips and can get a bit heavy. Trim the top to create more succulents for your garden. If you plant the cutting facing up, it will continue to grow that way. If you place a cutting on its side, the cutting will develop roots along the branch and form several plants. In my yard, the dog sometimes throws a few branches here and there. Those branches take root without my help, thank you. So little by little I’m growing larger clumps of Crassula around the garden with no time or effort on my part, great.

Xeriscape with drought tolerant cacti and succulents has become popular here in the arid Southwest. My crassula is growing in both full sun and shade, in heavy alkaline clay soil. They poke around my cactus and their fluffy branches provide a nice contrast to the flat green cactus pads. They are watered once a month (if I remember correctly). They’re pretty, carefree, and always look green when everything else has been fried. If you think you have a brown thumb, this is the plant for you!