Bears Paw is tiny and rare succulents. This succulent variety is beautiful and is very soothing to the naked eye. Bears Paw succulent resembles the claw of Bear, therefore this succulent is called Bears Paw. Although its scientific name is Cotyledon Tomentosa.
Many people ask me about cleaning the succulents, but they struggle when cleaning a specific variety of succulents such as Bears Paw. You must understand the nature and condition of the plant before cleaning them.
Now quickly get to know: How to clean Bears Paw succulent?
Bears paw succulent can be cleaned by using a soft brush, air blower, tweezers, and water. First, remove dust with the brush, then use tweezers for removing the rock particles from the plant. Then clean the roots by tapping with fingers and wash the plant with the water and let it air dry.
I clean Bears paw succulents mostly with a soft brush. It is very simple and convenient, although we will discuss this technique later in this article.
You can use any of the below-mentioned ways for cleaning your lovely Bears Paw. It’s just a matter of preference all the techniques world the same.
Ways to Clean Bear’s Paw Leaves
Bears Paw succulent usually do not need much care and attention. But once in a while, you must clean them to remove the excess dirt from the leaves. Here are a few ways for cleaning your lovely Bears Paw succulent.
1. Soft Brush
The first way to clean the Bears paw is by using a brush. Make sure that the brush you are using has soft bristles. Using a brush with hard bristles can damage the plant.
Then gently hold the plant and remove the dust from the leaves. While doing this make sure you are not harming the leaves. You can also use the paintbrush for cleaning the plants.
2. Air Blower
Another way for cleaning the Bears Paw is by using the air blower. Hold the plant gently and start air blowing on the leaves and the stems of the plant.
Make sure to clean the blind spots of the plant, such as behind the leaves and at the joining of the stem. These are the spots that we usually forget to clean.
Also, make sure not to use the electric air blower for cleaning. Electric air blower will harm your beautiful succulents.
3. Tweezer
Tweezers are great for cleaning succulents. With tweezers, you can remove the little rock particles from the Bears paw leaves. You can use the combination of air blower and tweezer or brush and tweezer.
First, you can clean with either brush or blower then consider removing the remaining particles from the plant with a tweezer. This works very well for cleaning the plants.
While using the tweezers make sure that you are not damaging the leaves and stem. Do it very gently and carefully.
If you want to buy any cleaning equipment for succulents, you can get them from amazon. Here are a few of my recommendations.
4. Washing with Water
After cleaning the plant with the above-mentioned ways, now it’s time to consider washing your beloved Bears paw succulent. Washing the plant is totally personal preference.
If you don’t wash it with water and just clean it that will also be sufficient.
For washing the Bears paw, hold the plant under the tap water or you can use a wet cloth for cleaning it. While doing this handle the plant very gently.
Once you are done with washing, leave the plant to dry naturally. That’s it, it is that simple to wash the succulents.
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How to Clean Bears Paw Roots?
Roots are the heart of any plant, once they are damaged plant might start to die. Therefore, whenever you are handling the roots you must do it very carefully.
Now for cleaning the Bears paw roots, here are a few steps to do it:
- First things first, remove your Bears paw succulent from the pot gently by holding it through the main stem.
- Now that the plant is outside of the pot, remove the soil around the roots gently by tapping it with fingers. Remove all the excess soil from the roots with fingers.
- Then it’s time to inspect the roots and spot the rotted roots. For this look for the roots that have dark spots such as black and blue.
- Then start to cut those roots with spots on them, those are the rotted roots. While cutting them make sure that you are not cutting the healthy roots.
- You can use any cutting tool or scissors both work perfectly. I prefer scissors over anything else as they are very easy to handle.
- Sanitize the cutting tool or scissors before chopping off the roots.
Related Article:
Can You Wash the Bears Paw Succulent Roots?
Yes, you can wash the roots of Bears paw. Although you can wash them, it is okay to just clean them without washing. Roots need to be handled carefully as they are very fragile.
Now let’s get to know how should you wash the roots?
- Take out the succulent from the pot and then gently remove the excess soil from the roots.
- Once all the soil is removed, hold the roots under the water running tap.
- Make sure that tap speed is moderate so that roots won’t get damaged.
- You can gently rub your fingers on the roots to remove the dirt. Be gentle, don’t apply much force.
- After washing the roots, leave them to air dry for a day or two before repotting them again.
How do you re-pot a bear paw?
For repotting Bear Paw (Cotyledon Tomentosa), first, remove the plant from the old pot by removing the soil around it. Then keep the plant aside and clean the roots.
The next thing you should do is to take a pot that has a drainage hole underneath, well-draining soil, small pebbles, and a spoon. Now add a few pebbles at the bottom of the pot, then add a layer of the soil.
Then plant the Bears paw in it and again add soil till the pot is sufficiently full. Once you are done with this, then level the soil around the plant with the spoon.
Avoid watering the plant for a day or two, let the roots settle in new soil. Repotting Bear paw succulent is very simple. It is done just like any other succulent.
Caring for Bears Paw succulent
Bears Paw is a very low-maintenance plant, they do not need much care and attention. This tiny succulent species is very adorable and attractive. Here are a few things you should take care of.
Water Schedule
This succulent does not like to be overwatered. You should water Bears paw once a week or by using the soak and dry method.
I prefer the soak and dry method as it makes me easy to understand the watering needs of the plant.
In this method, you should only water the plant when the soil is completely dry. This will avoid watering issues in the plant and they will grow healthy and beautiful.
Light
Bears paw loves being exposed to bright light. Make sure to give them partial to full sun throughout the day. They start to bloom and turn green when they get enough light.
You can keep them in a place like near the window, where they can get indirect sun throughout the day.
Fast draining soil
Soil is one of the most important ingredients in any plant’s healthy growth. Succulents do not like to sit in water for a longer duration. Therefore, they need to be potted in soil that is fast draining.
This type of soil flushes away the excess water from the soil and retains just moisture. So plant your lovely Bears paw in a good quality fast-draining soil.
Final Thoughts
Finally, cleaning Bears paw succulents is very simple. Remove all the dirt from the leaves and the roots and wash the plant.
Then leave the plant to air dry for a few hours. You just need to do it carefully. This tiny succulent is very attractive and must have in your collection.
I hope you found this article helpful. Do share this information with others.
Happy Planting!!
