Carpobrotus acinaciformis

Growing in Pots, Balconies & Indoors

Carpobrotus acinaciformis (one of the pigface or ice plants) is a low, spreading, sun-loving succulent groundcover – only 5-20 cm (2-8 inches) tall but trailing as wide as you let it. It is not a houseplant, but it is superb spilling over the edge of a large container, a raised planter or a hanging basket in full sun on a balcony or patio.

Quick Details

• Container Size: A wide, shallow pot or trough, or a hanging basket – it wants room to trail rather than depth
• Indoor Suitability: Not an indoor plant – it needs full sun and space to spread; grow it outdoors
• Best Spot: Full sun
• Soil & Drainage: Sandy, gritty, free-draining mix; it thrives in lean soil and hates wet feet
• Watering in Pots: Water sparingly – it is very drought-tolerant; let the mix dry between waterings

Indoors & On the Windowsill

• Not for indoors: The grower’s answer is No – Carpobrotus wants full, direct sun and room to trail, which a room can’t provide; indoors it grows weak and leggy.
• Sunniest sill only: At most a young plant might sit briefly on the sunniest windowsill, but it really belongs outside in full sun.

On a Balcony or Patio

• Light & wind: Give it the hottest, sunniest spot – it loves reflected heat from walls and railings and shrugs off wind and salt air, which makes it a fine coastal-balcony plant. Let the stems cascade over the pot rim or basket edge.
• Practicalities: It spreads fast, so give it its own container; pots against warm walls dry quickly, but this succulent tolerates that better than most – water only when dry.

Choosing the Pot, Soil & Long-Term Care

• Pot & drainage: A wide container or hanging basket with strong drainage holes; skip a standing-water saucer to avoid root rot – it rots easily if kept wet.
• Potting mix: A sandy, gritty, free-draining mix – a cactus/succulent mix or potting mix cut with sand and grit.
• Feeding: Feed only lightly and occasionally; too much feed gives soft, floppy growth. A light annual feed replaces what leaches from the pot.
• Repotting: Refresh the mix and cut back straggly stems every year or two to keep it neat.

Bloom & Flower Guide

Quick Details

• Bloom Season: Spring, summer and autumn
• Time to First Bloom: In its first or second season once the mat is established
• Flower Appearance: Large, daisy-like pink-purple flowers with many fine, glossy petals
• Edibility: Ornamental — the showy flower is not eaten

Detailed Blooming Overview

Carpobrotus acinaciformis (Elands sourfig) is a spreading, fleshy-leaved ground cover that puts on a long, generous display of large, shimmering pink-purple flowers from spring right through autumn. The many narrow petals give the blooms a bright, daisy-like starburst that opens in sunshine and closes in dull weather.

Flower Characteristics

• Large flowers with many fine, satiny petals.
• Colour pink to purple.
• Open in bright sun and close over in cloud and at night.

Bloom Care & Thinning

• Encouraging bloom: Full sun and lean, free-draining soil bring the heaviest flowering — this is a tough, drought-tolerant plant that blooms best when not over-watered or over-fed.