Albuca Concordiana: A Puzzle in Progress
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Typically, this is what they look like from the shops or nurseriesPhoto Credit: Yoko SaitoGreetings, fellow green thumbs! 🌿 This post marks a chapter in my ongoing odyssey with Albuca Concordiana. Once a proud corkscrew, it unfurls into wavy fronds, revealing a transformation I am documenting in this post. The tale is incomplete, so stay tuned for next year's revelations.
The Beginning
My adventure with Albuca Concordiana began at a beloved nursery, where a phalaenopsis and a bag of succulent medium had already nestled into my shopping cart. The plant's whimsical leaves captivated me, and for a mere $16.00, it felt like fate. I thought, "It's a succulent; surely, care would be a breeze." Little did I realize that this was merely the prologue.
I placed it next to our east-facing window, and although there is some shade, we’ve always kept it open. My Albuca Concordiana continued to grow upright, eventually pushing out a flower spike with delightful tiny inflorescences. This year, I’ve been dealing with some illness in the family, so frankly, when it comes to my plants, I’ve just been going through the motions, not paying attention to what I was doing, nor did I try to smell the clusters of flowers to see if it’s got fragrance or not. The flowers bloomed and faded, and the stalk dried up. I cut it away and carried on as usual until I saw the bulb peeking through the medium one day and noted that it was soft and squishy. I recognized that I had committed the first cardinal sin- overwatering.
In all honesty, I cared for my Albuca Concordiana like I do my other succulents: a very tiny amount of bottom watering once a week and complete soaking every couple of weeks. However, its tuber (bulb) could store tremendous water and nutrients, so I had to dial back the watering further.
I quickly removed it from its original medium and prepared a fresh cactus/succulent medium with equal pumice. The outer layers of the bulb were soggy and peeling off like onions, so I removed them layer by layer until I reached a core that wasn’t soft. Then, I placed the bulb in the new medium. To my surprise, despite the bulb being waterlogged, several tiny bulbs with new leaves were growing next to it, so I repotted all of them into a larger pot.
I waited for a whole month before I dared water it again.
The cute little new bulb growing next to the mother bulbUnderstanding Albuca Concordiana
Albuca Concordiana, originally from South Africa, is known for its coiled, corkscrew-shaped leaves. It requires very little water. It receives water only when it rains, predominately in the wintertime. After it flowers in the summer, it can sometimes go into dormancy until the temperature drops again towards winter. That said, dormancy only occurs when it’s dry in the summer. If it is grown as a house plant, this is unlikely to be the case. At least for me, the leaves did not dry up or fall off.
The Interruption
Shortly after repotting my Albuca Concordiana, I travelled overseas for two months. Before I left, I soaked all of my succulents thoroughly and relocated them right against our west-facing window, as I knew the daylight would be getting shorter, and I’d like them to get as much afternoon sun as possible. I instructed my family not to water them. When I returned, the medium was completely dry, the bulb looked healthy and normal, yet the leaves were hanging on their sides, and the corkscrews had become more wavy. They were not yellow; frankly, if this were any other type of plant, I wouldn’t have given it any other thought.
Hypothesis
I scoured the internet to see what people say about Albuca Concordiana losing its curls, and there are some possibilities.
1) Not enough light—This succulent from South Africa thrives on bright sunlight. Some have suggested that losing the curls is inevitable in indoor settings unless one wishes to use grow lights or leave them outdoors in the summer.
While my west-facing window will likely get better sun than the east-facing window, we have many more cloudy days this year. While I can place this Albuca Concordiana on my south-facing window, I don’t think I’d make that move unless absolutely necessary. My south-facing window is subjected to too many rambunctious pet activities and frequent temperature fluctuations from the open door several times daily. My west-facing window in the bathroom is smaller but provides a lot of sky exposure. In the winter, the snow on the neighbour’s rooftop could also help to reflect the sunlight. Now that I am back in town, I could also start to turn on the lights in that room for a more extended period.
Wherever possible, I’ve tried to switch all my light bulbs to 4000k and above for my house plants! Photo Credit: Ian Talmacs2) Watering—I am unsure about this and will need to observe my Albuca Concordiana more closely in the coming months. After two months without water, one would think the leaf changes are due to a lack of water. However, most of the blog posts I find suggest that overwatering causes the leaves to lose their corkscrews, yet I know for sure that this was not the case (unless my family had watered it in my absence).
Most blog posts I could find from other plant parents have similar watering schedules as mine, with higher water frequency during the summer and longer intervals between watering during the winter months.
Interestingly, I couldn’t find any YouTube videos about Albuca Concordiana. Typing in the search term Albuca Concordiana got me lots of videos about the Frizzle Sizzle Plant, Albuca Spiralis. Assuming they share similar growth patterns, it would appear that these guys should die back in the summer after the flower has faded. One is supposed to not water it at all during dormancy. All the leaves should then drop off, and the new growth that emerges in the autumn should grow in with the corkscrew appearance. This is when one should resume watering and even add fertilizer.
Albuca Concordiana, from South Africa, has a unique growth pattern due to opposite seasons compared to North America. We must clarify if their winter growth refers to South African winter (June to August) or North American winter (December to February). This difference can shift their growth patterns by about six months. Plants respond to sunlight and rainfall rather than calendars. If they grow from December to February in South Africa, that’s their summer, suggesting their care is similar to other houseplants in North America. Unfortunately, I haven’t found reliable sources on their growth patterns in both hemispheres.3) Flowering—A nursery video posted suggested that Albuca Spiralis loses its curls when it flowers. Therefore, the plants may retain their curls when we cut off the flower buds. Perhaps the same strategy can be employed for Albuca Concordiana. One YouTuber also suggested cutting all the leaves back and allowing new growth to emerge with curls.
So Now What?
But why did my Albuca Concordiana lose its enchanting curls? Could it be the shadows of insufficient light? The weight of overwatering? Or the ebb and flow of its natural cycle post-bloom? The answers remain shrouded in mystery.
Embracing the unknown, I thoroughly soaked my Albuca Concordiana after its two-month dry interlude. A few days later, one of the leaves regained its upright stature, and the spirals of some leaves appeared to be more pronounced. A sigh of relief washed over me.
Two days after wateringOne leaf appears to have perked up a bitThe Art of Waiting
This year has been a whirlwind for me, making it challenging to discern the precise care these little wonders require in my particular environment. Yet, as with everything in life, time will unveil their secrets. I eagerly anticipate the discoveries that lie ahead.
Reflections
In conclusion, my journey with Albuca Concordiana is only the beginning. Each misstep is a valuable lesson. I would cherish your insights if you're a seasoned Albuca Concordiana cultivator.
Thank you for joining me on this journey. I cannot wait to share more adventures of my Albuca Concordiana with you!
