NOTE: Baby Toes may be referred to as Fenestraria rhopalophylla in this article, in fact, those are the same plants, Fenestraria rhopalophylla is the botanical name for Baby Toes.
The small, clump-forming succulents that are native to Namibia and South Africa are affectionately known as the baby toes. Window-leafed Succulents are classified as window-leafed Succulents because the top of their leaves are transparent due to a lack of green color that allows light to pass through the thick tubes. White or yellow flowers are produced by the Succulents in the spring and fall.
Why does my Fenestraria rhopalophylla roots have rot?
Root rot on your Baby Toes (Fenestraria rhopalophylla) can be fatal if not treated with care. For this reason, we strongly recommend that you follow our guide to keep your plant alive if the symptoms occur: Root soft and blackened.
Why does my Baby Toes have gray mold spots?
Gray mold spots are a type of fungus that is found a lot in flowers, and spreads quite rapidly. If you notice brown (or gray) spots, it is probably this fungus. Don’t ignore these symptoms, as they may end up killing your plant.
Our Solution
The solution is quite logical when you know the cause of the problem. Most of the time, it is due to overwater of the Fenestraria rhopalophylla. We advise you to remove the infected parts of the plant, cut off the infected roots and leaves, then repot your plant using sterile potting soil and a clean pot.
Why does my Baby Toes have leaf spots?
If your plants exhibit symptoms like rapid color changes in the leaves or leaves that wilt or droop, we give you all the information you need to recognize them and rescue your plants. For owners of Baby Toes, this kind of illness is among the most distressing.
Why are my Baby Toes leaves turning yellow?
This is probably the most common problem in the gardening world, yellowing leaves. There are 2 main reasons for this phenomenon, overwatering, or a lack of nutrients.
Reduce your watering frequency when you fear your plants are being overwatered, and follow these steps to determine whether they may be lacking in nutrients:
Each deficiency produces a different yellowing on the Fenestraria rhopalophylla in question, here’s how to spot them:
- Yellow patches between leaf veins on elder leaves are the first sign of magnesium shortage. Veins continue to be green while the leaf’s core turns yellow. The leaf’s edges yellow last.
- Yellowing between leaf veins is another sign of iron shortage, but young leaves on plant tops and branch tips are initially affected.
- Sulfur shortage first affects the youngest leaves, turning them entirely yellow.
- Leaf edges turning bright yellow but inside leaf remaining green are signs of potassium insufficiency. The symptoms first appear on older leaves, and the leaf edges quickly become dark.
- Nitrogen deficiency shows up as a general yellowing. Older, inner leaves turn yellow first. As it progresses, yellowing moves outward, eventually reaching young leaves, too.
Our Solution
According to the symptoms mentioned above, you just have to act accordingly. You can reduce your watering frequency, or fix a deficiency in Potassium, or Nitrogen, for that, you just have to buy a special soil for your deficiency, a consultant in a gardening store will know perfectly well how to inform you.
Is my Baby Toes sunburned?
It is quite easy to find out if your Baby Toes (Fenestraria rhopalophylla) has been burned by the sun. Just like on us, your plant will change color in this case, it will start to turn yellow or white.
The leaves of your Baby Toes can also change color in case it gets too much water or not enough light, as we saw above.
To find out if the yellow leaves have been sunburned, look at the part of the bottom that is tinted closer to the base. The yellow leaf is probably burnt and not something else if this portion stays greener.
Why are my Baby Toes leaves turning brown?
The classic sign that a plant has been overexposed to direct sunlight and sunburned is the development of browning leaves. Rest assured that while this may probably save your plant from dying, it will adversely affect its growth.
Should I leave my Fenestraria rhopalophylla in direct sunlight?
No! If your Fenestraria rhopalophylla (or Baby Toes) has the symptoms described above, don’t leave it in direct sunlight, that’s the reason why your Baby Toes is in such a state!
Our Solution
The remedy, as said in the paragraph above, is simple: just move your plant’s Baby Toes out of direct sunlight. Your plant should swiftly re-grow with this strategy and appropriate watering.
Why are my Fenestraria rhopalophylla leaves drooping or wilting ?
When you become dehydrated, this usually happens. Large plants are more vulnerable since they need more water on a regular basis than smaller plants.
An easy way to know if your Fenestraria rhopalophylla is lacking water is to under-weigh its pot, if it looks light, it means that the soil and the roots are probably quite dry, and therefore need water!
Our Solution
In order to ensure that the roots of your plant receive the water’s benefits, you must first moisten the soil in the container if it is absolutely dry. One common error is to immediately drown the Baby Toes after a dry period in the belief that it requires a lot of water.
This is true, but the easiest way to end it is to give too much water at once. Instead, you should water the soil properly, returning to a peaceful watering rhythm.
Caring Tips for Fenestraria rhopalophylla
Water Occasionally
Water is necessary for your plant to live, but timing and amount of watering must be balanced. Overwatering could have disastrous effects on your own name, as we already mentioned.
You can tell if your plant needs water by touching the soil; if it still feels damp, it’s usually preferable to wait a few more days.
Always keep temperatures stable
It’s also a good idea to keep your Fenestraria rhopalophylla at a constant temperature, especially if it’s kept indoors. In general, at GreenShack, we suggest booking a temperature between 65 and 85 degrees F. Of course, keep your Fenestraria rhopalophylla away from radiators, air conditioners, and other sources of hot or cold air.
Keep your Baby Toes Dust-Free
This one relates to indoor plants. Just like your furniture, dust collects on the leaves of your indoor plants. The issue is that this can block the photosynthesis process from starting, which would cause the plants to gradually lose their color.
This would also make the pests happy, a real descent into hell for your Baby Toes.
Take a microfiber cloth and gently massage the plant’s leaves to get rid of the dust. Use a damp cloth to make dust removal easier, but avoid using corrosive materials like rubbing alcohol!
Keep drainage in mind
If you tend to overwater, you need to pay attention to your drainage, and we advise choosing a saucer and a pot with drainage holes if they are not already there.
You can add volcanic rocks (or any other pebbles with holes) to the bottom of your pot in the interim if your pots don’t already have holes in them. This will help to form a channel so that the water doesn’t pool there for too long (preventing the rot of the roots!).
