POINTCare Points

Dramatic claws? Slender and sharp? Are there really so many forms?

If you check out plants lined up in stores or on social media, you’ll find leaves that are tightly packed or long and slim, in shades from pale green or deep green to reddish brown, and spines that range from chunky brown to slender white. It can be hard to believe these are all Red Catweazle! But to be frank, nearly all these forms are just a result of differences in "age" or "growing conditions."

But it’s not just Red Catweazle—this applies to all titanotas: To keep your plant compact, try these tips: (1) Don’t use a pot that’s too big, (2) Water and fertilize just enough to keep it healthy—no more, (3) Give it the brightest light possible without burning it, (4) Maximize airflow to prevent burn and dampness… in a nutshell!

Of course, not every Red Catweazle is totally identical. Even if they came from the same source, occasional spontaneous mutations do happen, and "Gorineko" A. 'Gorineko' is said to be one of those variations.

What does it take to get those red colors?

Technically, this is supposed to be a "red type of titanota", but most of the time it just looks like another titanota—so it gets known more for its wild spines than its color. If you really want to make it turn red, you’ll need to create the right conditions. But what are they, exactly? I decided to try it out myself—here’s what I found.

On the left is a plant tucked in the shadow of a large specimen (getting less than an hour of sunshine a day, but otherwise pretty bright), in the middle is one placed in full sun, and on the right is another in full sun but potted in nothing but super-draining Akadama soil (laugh).

The results were clear: the rightmost plant in 100% Akadama turned a vivid red. The middle one also went red, but kept some green around the base and on the leaves. The left, in the shade, colored up a bit but was more brownish than red. At first the Akadama plant's lower leaves dried up—probably because I kept water very limited! Later I watered it the same as the rest, and nothing much changed.

Generally, for succulents to show their brightest reds (like Echeveria and others), you want: cold temps (or sometimes heat, in genera like Haworthia), strong sun, very dry soil (no water), fertilizer deficiency, and roots tightly packed in the pot—in other words, "stress." A plant’s amazing color might be a sign it’s just barely hanging on! Keep in mind that this also comes with higher risk: slower growth and greater chance of losing the plant.

Compare this with another titanota grown under the same “full sun/plenty of water” conditions—despite being a bit red, it’s still basically green. The "redness" of Red Catweazle is crystal clear.

Growth record

Here’s how my Red Catweazle specimen has grown. I've been caring for it for about three to four years now. Since around February ’23, it’s lived inside under LEDs, watered about once a week (just enough that water doesn’t puddle in the tray); before that, it lived outdoors out in the rain. It once took a huge setback from freezing, losing a year’s growth! So it feels like we've been on a long journey together. Looking back, it seems to take about a year to go from a tiny two-leaf seedling to producing those mature teeth, and another year to really bulk up. Skilled growers can apparently get theirs nice and chunky even faster, within a year!