What Is Farina on Succulents?

Have you seen a succulent build up in the form of an unusual, whitish, powdery coating on its leaves and stems? These are known as Farina, and it appears on the plants for various purposes, which can benefit your succulents. But what's Farina, and how will your beautiful little succulents benefit from it? Find more information below.

Defining Farina

Farina is also known as epicuticular wax and is a white powdery wax coating found on your succulents’ stems and leaves. It is essential for the well-being of your succulents, as this provides them with a natural raincoat and sunscreen that will help reduce the risk of root rot and sunburn. Echeveria, Kalanchoe, and Graptoveria Debbie are some succulents with Farina on their leaves and stems.

Farina On Your Succulents: Purpose

Farina has a lot more to offer, apart from making the succulents look charming. They act as a plant’s protective coating and a natural sunscreen. It is very helpful, especially for those succulents always staying under the scorching sunlight for a longer period, as Farina reflects harmful rays, preventing your plants from being sunburnt. Additionally, Farina is deemed hydrophobic as it repels water and helps prevent your succulents from soaking up an excessive amount of water, reducing the risk of developing root rot issues. So it’s better to be careful while handling your succulents to prevent rubbing them off mistakenly.

Removing Farina from Your Succulents

Since Farina helps provide your succulents a strong, natural layer of protection, getting it off might expose your succulents to dangers, such as too much watering of the succulent, the hot sun during the afternoon, pathogens, and even pests. So it is better not to remove them off from your lovely, little succulents. Also, you should avoid using any pesticides, fungicides, and horticultural oils such as neem oil, as these can completely remove the Farina from the succulents. If your succulents having Farina are infected by insects such as mealybugs, you can use water mix and 50% rubbing alcohol and mist it onto your farina-covered plant’s leaves without any problem. Additionally, you can clean its leaves by using a very soft cosmetic brush or blowing the dirt away.

Difference between Farina and Powdery Mildew

It's not astonishing to see a few gardeners become worried about the wellness of their succulents after observing Farina for the first time on their plant. Some gardeners have even cleaned their whole plant only to see that the powdery coating is truly beneficial. Well, we can't blame them! The soft, powdery appearance it gives to your succulents will surely make you think that they might have mold or powdery mildew. However, to make it a bit simple, one way to differentiate between Farina and Powdery Mildew is to notice the evenness of its coating. Unlike Farina, powdery mildew is never evenly spread on your whole plants and seems a bit patchier compared to the thick portions of the Farina and looks fuzzy or furry. In addition, powdery mildew generally covers one or two entire leaves before expanding to other plants' leaves and adjacent plants.