It is an airplane propeller, all right, but it is a kind of propeller that does not make a plane fly. It is stuck to the ground or, more specifically, to a clay pot. It is an airplane propeller plant, whose scientific name is Crassula falcata. People sometimes still refer to it by its long-discredited botanical name Rochea falcata. Also answering to the common scarlet names paintbrush and sickle plant, the airplane propeller plant has sickle-shaped leaves that are gray-green in color. These leaves, which can grow up to eight inches long, have a slightly roughened surface and a twist away from the stem.

Basically a bushy plant, it has several growing points but it usually develops only one stem up to one foot tall in cultivation. This stem grows in a slightly diagonal way. The plant produces a dense cluster of little scarlet or orange-red flowers in summer on a forked flower head.
Here are 5 tips on growing an airplane propeller plant:

• Lighting – The airplane propeller plant needs bright light, with a few hours of direct sunlight every day. When grown under inadequate light, it will develop spindly growth. Without sunshine, it will not flower.

• Temperature – The plant grows well in either warm or cool condition, but the temperature range it likes best is between 45 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit. Anything higher or lower will significantly affect its growth.

• Watering – Water moderately, making sure that the potting mixture is thoroughly moist. But allow the top two-thirds of the mixture to dry out before watering again.

• Feeding – The airplane propeller plant needs feeding only during its active growth period. Apply standard liquid fertilizer every two weeks.

• Potting and repotting – It will grow best when grown in a mixture of one part coarse sand or perlite to three parts of soil-based potting mixture. Unlike other plants, which grow so fast that they need to be repotted every year, this succulent needs repotting only once every two years.

Here are addtional 6 tips on container gardening:

• Put an inch of pebbles or clean gravel in the bottom of a container. Drill drainage holes if it has none. Use a soil mixture with one-third peat moss to prevent caking.

• The bigger plants should be in the middle or toward the back. Leave plenty of room for them to grow. Cover the final soil with a layer of mulch to prevent splashing and the soil from drying.

• Be extra careful when watering container pants. A lot of water will be needed during the hot days, but overwatering is a problem with shade-loving plants.

• Do not put shade-loving and sun-loving plants in the same container.

• Almost any object can be a container, provided it has good drainage.

• Create an arrangement by allowing for the shape and structure of your plants. Plant for texture, bloom color variation and harmony.

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