Crassula tetragona are drought tolerant plants that look a bit like pine boughs with the needles sticking out the sides, or a green bottlebrush. 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 out at the tips and can be used as an informal low 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 Crassulas, these grow well in dry gardens with other succulents and cacti. As houseplants, give them up to 6 hours of sun daily. 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 clusters of wide, flat flowers 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 to view photos. Crassula are resistant to 40 degrees. Light layers of frost have survived in my garden. But all that water stored in their leaves and branches will freeze if they are exposed to low temperatures for a long time.
Crassulas are easily propagated from cuttings, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money to grow lots of plants. These plants branch out at the tips and can get a bit top heavy. Trim the top to create more succulents for your landscape. 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 multiple plants. In my yard, the dog sometimes knocks over a few branches here and there. Those branches take root without my help, thank you. So I am slowly growing larger groups of Crassula around the garden with no time or effort on my part, great.
Xeriscaping 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 soils. They peek 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 cute, carefree, and always look green when everything else has fried. If you think you have a brown thumb, this is the plant for you!