Tiger Jaws Care
Native to the Eastern Cape province in South Africa, tiger jaws succulents can be found growing amongst rocks and clay soil in the subtropical deserts of the area. Their growing season begins in the spring and lasts throughout the summer, and they display brilliant yellow flowers during the fall—although it is uncommon for them to flower when grown indoors. The flower opens during the day in the fall, then closes in the evening.
Tiger jaws can be a garden plant in warmer zones, but it is most often grown as a potted plant in a coarse, well-draining potting mix. Give your tiger jaws succulent a bright, sunny spot in your home, and it will thrive. It can also thrive happily on a patio or deck during the summer and will survive brief frosts, but it should be brought indoors when steady cold winter weather approaches. Tiger jaws mature at about 6 inches tall and wide.
Light
Tiger jaws succulents are sun-loving plants that prefer at least three hours of bright, direct light a day, and preferably six hours or more. Moving the plant outside to a sunny space during the summer will help it get the light that it requires. While it's uncommon for tiger jaws succulents to bloom when grown indoors, placing the plant outdoors during the summer will help to increase the chances of flowering. Tiger jaws succulents can tolerate less light during the winter months but should still be placed in a bright location.
Soil
Like most succulents, tiger jaws succulents require porous, well-draining soil to thrive. In their natural habitat, tiger jaws can often be found growing in open, rocky areas with clay soil. Indoors, however, a standard cactus soil is usually sufficient. Some growers find even standard cactus mix to have too much moisture-retaining peat moss, and they tailor the potting mix by adding additional chicken grit or sand.
Or, you can make an ideal potting mix for tiger jaws by blending 2 parts of sterilized potting soil, 1 part fine pumice, and 1 part sand.
Water
The spikey tiger jaw teeth direct rainwater and dew to the base of the plant, where the roots can absorb it. A tiger jaws plant can be delicate when watering; it's not uncommon for a tiger jaws plant to die overnight if given too much water that doesn't drain out of its container.
Keep soil moist but well-drained during growing season (late spring through fall). Make sure the pot has drainage holes and the plant doesn't stand in water.
During the fall and winter, allow the soil to dry out completely before watering, then drench the soil, making sure it drains completely.
Temperature and Humidity
In their native South African habitat, tiger jaws succulents grow in dry, hot conditions. However, they are also able to tolerate lower temperatures than many other succulent species. The ideal temperature is considered to be about 68 degrees Fahrenheit, but they enjoy somewhat higher temperatures (up to 90 degrees) during the summer, and will even survive brief frosts. But cold winter months call for this plant to be brought in off the patio unless you live in zones 9 to 11.
When grown indoors, the average household humidity is adequate for tiger jaws succulents, but they should not be exposed to too much humidity (so the bathroom probably isn't an ideal spot for these succulents). Preferable household humidity is around 30-40%. Extreme humidity can introduce fungal disease.