Variegated succulents and cacti: the complete guide

Everyone loves variegated plants -- and that includes cacti and succulent enthusiasts too. However, these beautiful plants can sometimes be difficult to keep happy. In this video, I unpack what variegation is, what it looks like in a whole variety of different succulent species, where it comes from and, most importantly, how to keep these (often expensive) variegated plants looking their absolute best.

[@jeannette7243]

Your variegated Dr Funkenstein has officially blown my mind. Wow, just wow! 💚

[@AridZine]

It’s a pretty amazing plant hey!

[@LazarusEli]

My gosh gorgeous variegated cacti❤❤❤🇵🇭🇵🇭🇵🇭🤩😍🥰

[@AridZine]

Thanks 🤘

[@powerfulyogurt6751]

I got into succulents and cacti a couple of months ago and your videos became hidden gem for me. Keep it up! Would like to hear about pollinating and hybridisation btw

[@AridZine]

In spring, when my plants start to flower a little more regularly, I’ll put together something on pollinating. Thanks for watching 😀

[@Idontcareorknow]

Great video! Keep it up👍

[@AridZine]

Appreciate it!

[@michaeltran2347]

very informative video

[@AridZine]

Thanks!

[@neezyeffbaby]

Love the videos brother!

[@AridZine]

Cheers!

[@mattmcdonald2679]

Loving the channel. Glad i came across it

[@AridZine]

Appreciate it! 🤘

[@tristanmereles1485]

Something about this brings me back to the classic era of YT

[@AridZine]

Hah! I don’t know if that’s good or bad? Thanks for watching anyway 😅

[@wevvi]

⁠​⁠@@AridZineDefinitely good! Thanks for another great video 🌵 take care!

[@Northerncacti2021]

Damn, no cuts! You got this down haha

[@AridZine]

A few cuts, but getting there! Thanks

[@squish5871]

Every video you drop I learn something new or a solid tip for my collection, thank you sir!

[@AridZine]

I’m glad they’re useful! Thanks for watching

[@billgolightly7203]

Very interesting presentation of years worth of growing experience. Thank you for your time to pull it all together.

[@AridZine]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@willy27aq]

Thanks for yet another informative video. You answered some questions I had about variegation and I cannot believe I couldn't figure out why they are often grafted. Quite a knowledge wall you helped me break.

[@AridZine]

Glad it was helpful!

[@risenfromyoutubesashesagai6302]

Dude that Pachanoi is majorly killer!!

[@AridZine]

It’s a beast of a plant!

[@matt-pelargonium]

This is the best video! I love it 🎉

[@AridZine]

Thanks bro!

[@aaronsomeone5751]

Awesome video mate, very informative!

[@AridZine]

Thanks mate, appreciate it,

[@traceyst.johnwood9909]

Great vid! Lots of good tips once again. I hope to add a funkenstein and a variegated gasteria armstrongii one day but the one that made me super jelly was that aloe irafensis- SO NICE! 😂

[@AridZine]

Aloe irafensis is just the most beautiful plant, I definitely agree! Thanks for watching.

[@Royaliize]

Great video as always!😊 Have you seen the gymno's from thailand? They are insane to say atleast. Same with the Astro's. No idea how they can grow cacty in such humid areas....😅

[@AridZine]

I have! They’re absolute masters of the art of breeding over there. And yeah, I hear you on the humidity… I kill Astros by looking at them, so I don’t know how they do it!

[@risenfromyoutubesashesagai6302]

They do the same with aquarium fish.... breed absolute beauties with king genetics.

[@Malprincess]

Love your videos! 2 questions! The first is, would it be possible for you to leave the names of the plants up on the screen for longer or for the duration of when you're talking about each plant? Maybe like a small bit in the corner? idk. I find myself often too slow to pause the video to catch the names because I'm to engrossed in what you're saying and oggling the plants. The seeking feature makes hunting for the exact frames as well frustrating. Secondly, for that lovely Euphorbia Mammillaris, why re the branches so thin by the main stem? Is that so they can fall off and propagate themselves? Why doesn't it have thorns everywhere? I saw your video the other day about types of thorns, what category do the thorns on this plant fall into?

[@AridZine]

In response to these questions… 1. Yes, I should be able to do that! 2. They don’t typically drop off, they’re attached quite firmly. I guess it’s just a curious aspect of its form. As for its spines - these are quite different from cacti, the spines are actually created from spent flower ‘stems’ called peduncles. They are a form of protection, many of the South African Euphorbia species have similar spines from old spent flowers. Cactus spines in comparison are a form of very heavily modified leaf! Anyway, back to why they don’t have them everywhere… these plants usually spend a season growing and the flowers form at the top of the new growth, so you end up with extended areas without spines, followed by some areas with dense spine clusters!

[@Malprincess]

@@AridZine Thanks as always for the in depth response! Do they flower there again? Or are the spines not able to do so once they've been converted?

[@dorothycherkas17]

I love your videos and how you talk about taking care of them. I watched a video you had on lithops . I have some seeds from lithops , what kind of material should I start the scenes in? Once I see the plant coming up growing material should I place them in? Thank you very much for your help and as I said, I enjoy watching your videos

[@AridZine]

For seed raising Lithops, I’d suggest using something that’s very inorganic and coarse - particles about 2mm. Avoid perlite, but coarse sand, pumice, zeolite and similar can all be excellent soil components. Aim for about 80% inorganic. Sow the seeds and then cover them with a very thin layer of coarse sand, 1-2mm deep. Keep it moist and they’ll germinate quite quickly. They’ll want to remain in that pot until they’re all crowding each other out, probably in about 12 months or so. Then they can go into a similarly inorganic soil mix but with coarse components.

[@BigRedWrenster]

I have Judith#1 and a small Dr Funk. Judith is kinda mellow yellow, not very strong colour, washed out, and my dr funk just refuses to put on size, and seems to be reverting to green at the growing tip. It's also thrown a sister that's entirely green. Should I chop the green limb to pump remaining nutrients into the variegated section, or is the green arm contributing to the health? As for Judith, also refusing to put on much size and the yellow is more of a vomit greeenyellow lol. Any way to encourage full yellow?

[@AridZine]

If it were me, I’d be chopping that Dr Funk to get rid of reverts. As for Judith, I’ve never grown it, but based on photos I’ve seen… it looks like a kinda lime green variegation anyway? Anyway, full sun can do a good job at bringing out the best colours if it’s not already exposed.

[@BigRedWrenster]

Thanks for your reply! Yeah Judith is definitely a kinda lime sorbet haha. When you say chop the Funk, do you mean remove the green tip from the variegated portion as well, or just remove the green limb? Appreciate your help! Amazing. ​@@AridZine

[@Levhshiver616]

have you seen the pink variegated leafs from some philodendron? not cactus or succulent but still interesting and hoping to see more albino or pink variegations as theres soo feww species

[@AridZine]

I've seen pink leafed aroids but I don't know much about them honestly. I can barely keep my own houseplants alive, let alone wonderful exotics like pink variegated philodendrons!

[@Malprincess]

Also how do they propagate the albino plants? Do they still produce seeds?

[@AridZine]

They can produce seed, but when these plants grow on a graft, they rapidly offset and make lots of little pups. These are then cut off, grafted to dragonfruit stock and the cycle continues on forever.

[@Malprincess]

@@AridZine Thank you!

[@solargirl7329]

My variegated cactus is leaning over and I have no clue why I recently brought her inside cuz it’s getting colder in dallas I had her at a west facing window and I moved her today at a south facing window

[@AridZine]

Hmmm! As long as it’s not soft or squishy causing it to lean.

[@solargirl7329]

@ it is soft 😭

[@PhillipWhite-uz3wu]

Are variegated plants weaker? I picked up 2 beautiful variegated huernia zebrina one day, and after a while they rotted. My other stapeliads did well.

[@AridZine]

Yes they’re noticeably weaker - the more variegation, the weaker the plant.

[@PhillipWhite-uz3wu]

@@AridZine A pity.

[@neonice]

I have the same plant. It's important to put them in a substrate that has more inorganic components than organics. I use 2 parts pumice, 1 part natural river gravel and 1 part coco coir.

[@k.jespersen6145]

In some of the variegated leafy houseplants, the non-chlorophyll pigment is designed to produce sugars on a different wavelength of light than in green plants. Red and purple pigments in particular do this. Are there any variegated cacti and succulents where this is the case? Or are they a chlorophyll-only plant group?

[@AridZine]

To my knowledge they just use chlorophyll… but it’s not something I’ve looked into deeply. Didn’t know that about house plants!

[@wesleylooper7726]

Variagate is a disease and a sickly plant send all yours to me so I can bring them back to life 😂

[@AridZine]

😂😂