What does Hoodia Gordonii look like? How to grow it - Make your own hoodia!

Hoodia Gordonii was discovered by, not surprisingly, someone named Col. R.J. Gordon while he was exploring the Orange River in 1776. Hence the surname Gordonii that this plant received. Its home is in the Kalahari Desert as well as the South African border into Namibia where it feeds the San or “Bushman” and keeps them from starvation.

In many different forms, Hoodia is a genus of 13 ( thirteen) species in the flowering plant family Apocynaceae. The “stem succulents” can be described as “cacti form” since they are so similar to the cactus family although they are not related.

Hoodia Gordonii is approximately 45 cm tall with spined stems and sometimes saucer shaped, flesh colored flowers and emits a strong unpleasant scent.

Taking care of a Hoodia Gordonii does not require much watering or tending.

Since its original home is in the desert and it is a cactus like plant, too much water will cause it to rot. In case of rotting, you will need to cut away the dead and decaying parts of the plant and seal in the healthy parts of the stem with a sealer and treat it with a good fungicide.

Allow it to completely callus before trying to re root the clippings. This plant will tolerate some shade, but thrives in full sunshine.

Mealy bugs are another thing to consider when caring for this plant. To prevent an attack on the roots, it is a good idea to soak the soil with pesticides once a month.

To speed the growth process along, you can dip the first couple of centimeters of the healthy stems into a rooting hormone. Next, place these cuttings into clean river sand and spray once in a while with a fine mist. To check to see if your cuttings have taken root, GENTLY tug. Resistance is a good sign your plant is starting to grow healthy and strong. Most people are afraid to tug the steams, but it actually is a very good exercise to test and extend on the plants résistance.