How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Albuca Spiralis

Albuca spiralis, sometimes called frizzle sizzle, is fun to grow. It is a succulent bulb that makes an excellent, quirky houseplant. This growing guide by Lorin Nielsen has all the details on this spiral-leaved wonder.

A close-up shot of spiral leaves of the albuca spiralis

Contents

Looking for something unique? Albuca spiralis or “frizzle sizzle” as it’s sometimes called, is a great choice. This bulbing succulent produces spiral leaves which can look like corkscrews, making it a whimsical and fun addition to any collection of houseplants!

Whether grown in containers or in garden beds, Albuca spiralis is well worth your time… and it won’t take up much of it. Easy to care for, you’ll find this South African species will keep you smiling.

And did I mention that its flowers smell kinda like butter and vanilla? 

Read on, and we’ll give you all the insight you’ll need to grow your own frizzle sizzle albuca!

Plant Overview

A close-up shot of spiral leaves of a houseplant placed in a pot
Plant Bulb
Family Asparagaceae
Genus Albuca
Species Albuca spiralis
Native South Africa
Exposure Full sun to partial sun
Height 6-8″
Watering Requirements Regular
Pests & Diseases None
Maintenance Low
Soil Type Well-draining, sandy
Hardiness Zone 8-11

What is Albuca Spiralis?

The albuca frizzle sizzle is just loads of fun! As a whimsical addition to your garden, you’ll find it has very distinctive leaves. Each leaf has glandular hairs that make it feel almost sticky to the touch, and it forms a tight curl at the tip that looks like a curlicue or corkscrew. 

Native Area

A close-up shot of a developing plant in soil outdoors
The plant is native to South Africa, specifically in regions of Western Cape and Northern Cape.

Albuca spiralis is native to South Africa, specifically the Mediterranean climatic regions of the Western Cape and the dryer Northern Cape. In the wild, you would find them in winter, the only time they produce leaves, while in summer, they are dormant.

Characteristics

A close-up shot of grass-like and spiral leaves of a houseplant that is placed in a pot n a well lit area indoors
The plant features grasslike, narrow, and long leaves with spiraled tips.

Sometimes described as grasslike, the leaves are narrow and long, although they appear deceptively short due to their spiraled tips. They’re thick despite their narrow width, allowing it to store water. This is essential as its natural environment is feast or famine when it comes to water availability.

Since it typically only receives water in the winter months, it has adapted to an entirely different schedule than most of us are familiar with. It does most of its growing when the weather is cool and its soil is moist. At the end of its growth spurt in late winter, it sends up long stalks upon which interesting flowers form. Each spike can have ten to twenty flowers on it.

The flowers are slightly aromatic, and produce an interesting scent you don’t expect to find outside of a bakery. It’s almost butter-like, but at the same time, it has a hint of vanilla to it and a clean, crisp aroma. Alas, they’re not edible (and in fact are poisonous if consumed, or at least will give you a bellyache), so they definitely don’t taste like they smell.

As the heat comes on, the bulb goes dormant. The leaves may still remain in place, but the plant conserves its energy throughout the summer months and well into the fall. Albuca spiralis then springs back to life again once the weather cools down, erupting new twisted growth through the late winter once more.

Varieties

An overhead and close-up shot of spiral grass with small flowers that is  placed in a pot
There are a handful of varieties of the plant.

There’s a number of names that the semi-succulent frizzle sizzle albuca goes by. We’re all familiar with its most common, “frizzle sizzle”, but because of the spinning leaves, it’s occasionally called helicopter plant. Occasionally it’s called spiral grass, particularly when the flower stalks haven’t appeared. And, like all albucas, it’s considered a slime lily because of the mucilaginous sap it produces.

You’ll find that this lovely albuca is a phenomenal addition to your collection!

Planting

A shot of spiraled leaves of a houseplant placed in rich soil
Place the plants in a location that is sunny or lightly shaded and with well-draining soil.

Albuca spiralis needs a well-draining, sandy or loamy soil and a sunny to lightly shaded spot outdoors. Start by planting the bulbs just below the soil surface, with the pointed end facing up, and space them a few inches apart.

Water sparingly until you see growth, as too much moisture can cause bulb rot. It’s ideal for containers, rock gardens, or sunny borders, especially in Mediterranean or arid climates.

How to Grow

Due to its unique and innate timing, the Albuca spiralis is practically made for indoor growth. A controlled temperature can really allow it to thrive! But there are still a few things you’ll need to know to keep it happy.

Light

A close-up shot of a growing plant basking in bright sunlight
The plant thrives in full sun to partial sun exposure.

The frizzle sizzle is accustomed to lots of light in its native range. Full sun is best, but partial sun may be alright as long as it gets it consistently. Five to seven hours is absolutely necessary, but more full sun is even better.

Too little light will prevent the leaves from curling, and instead, they’ll just become long and wavy.  If you don’t have a reliable light source inside the house, consider getting a grow light.

For containers, consider putting them in a south-facing window or other location where they’re guaranteed to receive lots of natural sunlight. Turn it a quarter-turn every day to ensure that the leaves don’t all point towards the sunlight!

Water

A person's hand holding a misting bottle spraying water over houseplants
The plants will require more water when the climate is hot.

The key to successfully growing your Albuca spiralis is drainage. While it does need water, it’s also like other bulbs in that it’s at a major risk of bulb rot. Frizzle sizzles need to be watered a bit differently than your other species.

When most need more water when the heat comes on, not frizzle sizzle! That’s when you actually need to water the least. From the beginning of the summer through most of the fall, you want your soil at most barely damp to the touch. Let it dry out between waterings.

As the weather shifts to cooler conditions outside, begin watering consistently. Keep the soil evenly moist but not soggy. Don’t leave your pot sitting in water, as this can make the soil too wet and cause bulb rot to occur. Instead, be sure excess moisture drains away easily.

Don’t go overboard with watering or humidity. Too much moisture will cause the leaves to be floppy or soft. It will store water in its leaves, and excess moisture can also stop those pretty spirals from forming!

Don’t worry about providing added humidity. Albuca spiralis just doesn’t need it.

Soil

A shot of a potting mix for succulents or cactus, showcasing its texture that is placed on a shovel with small rocks in the background.
Use sandy soil or a succulent or cactus mix when planting in containers.

Sandy soil is ideal. The frizzle sizzle comes from a naturally sandy region of the world, and the bulbs perform best when they’re in that soil type. A little compost is fine to add, but be sure not to provide too much material that will hold moisture directly against the bulb. It is tolerant of poor soils!

For your base soil, especially if you’re planting in containers, consider a succulent and cactus mix, perhaps blended with some African violet mix. This provides good aeration and just enough water retention. It can also perform well in a typical soil with 50-70% mineral grit added. Coarse sand, pumice, or perlite are all excellent sources of mineral grit.

The pH of your soil is generally unimportant. Albuca frizzle sizzle grows well in most residential soil pH levels. Aim for a neutral range if you can, but don’t panic if you can’t.

Temperature

A close-up shot of spiraled leaves of a houseplant placed in a pot
The plant will develop best in temperatures between 60-75°F.

Not very frost-hardy, frizzle sizzles prefer a minimum temperature of 60°F (16°C). However, to produce viable seeds, it does need to dip down into cooler temperatures during the winter months. It can be grown in zones 8-11but prefers the range of 9-10. Avoid complete freezing conditions in late winter when possible, as that will damage it.

For best growth, keep the temperature between 60-75°F (16-24°C). This often matches perfectly with our indoor climate controls, making it easy to maintain!

One thing to note: during the height of the summer, while it can take the heat, those twisty leaves can still get occasionally sunburned if the sun’s too intense. Cooler indoor temperatures will help even when it spikes into the 90s or 100s (around 32 to 38°C), but stay watchful to make sure those thick little leaves don’t start to scorch.

Fertilizer

A woman pours liquid fertilizer from a black bottle into a soft pink plastic watering can indoors.
Provide the plants with a balanced liquid fertiizer.

It’s best to fertilize at certain times of the year for your Albuca spiralis. It needs a good kick-start in the late fall as it starts to go into its active growing season. After that, a second fertilizing when its flower stalks start to form in the spring is ideal. 

A balanced liquid fertilizer is best. Water well the day before you fertilize to ensure it’s already fully hydrated. Then, apply the liquid fertilizer to the soil, not to the albuca itself. Let any excess drain through the soil.

Fertilize once at the very beginning of the growing season, with a second dose if it needs it a few weeks later. If you’re using a weak organic fertilizer, fertilize monthly during its growth spurt. Fertilize again when you first start to see evidence of flower stalks developing. Do not fertilize in the summer or early fall.

Maintenance

An overhead shot of leaves and bulbs of a houseplant in a well lit area
Repotting is the most common method to maintain the plant as its bulbs spread fast.

As a bulb, you will find that repotting is not a regular thing. Frizzle sizzle creates bulbs that spread, but it takes a while for them to develop new bulblets. Since it is fairly slow-growing, you probably won’t need to repot for the first year, but it will likely be in its second year of growth.

If you’re not dividing albuca, select a pot about two inches wider than its current one. Remove the bulbs carefully and dust off excess soil to expose the bulbs and their root system. Examine the bulbs carefully, removing any that have visible rot. Dispose of the rotten bulbs.

Once you’ve confirmed it is free of damage, add new potting soil as described in the soil section above. Carefully set it into the soil at the same height as it was planted previously. When done, pat the soil down gently, but don’t pack it too tightly to prevent compaction.

One of the best things about Albuca spiralis is that it doesn’t need a lot of pruning!

The major pruning you will need to do is to remove the flower stalks. You can wait until after the seeds have formed. If you’re not saving seed, remove them once the flowers fade. This can cause the bulb to do a second round of flowering, although that’s rare.

Outside of that, leaves that have been in full sun may have developed a bit of sunburn. Remove those. In the summertime, it’s also possible that your plant may have leaves that go yellow during dormancy, and you’ll want to trim off those yellow leaves too.  Use a good pair of pruning snips to make a clean cut.

Propagation

A close-up shot of a bulb of a houseplant
The plants are propagated by their seeds, bulbs, or division.

Frizzle sizzle is propagated via seeds, bulbs, or division.

Seeds should be planted within six months of collecting them. In the wild,it will self-seed around its parent, and the seeds will begin to germinate within a week. The small bulblets thus formed will go dormant through the hot months and then rapidly develop when the weather cools down.

You can mimic this by planting your seeds when you’ve just finished gathering them from your bulbs. Plant them no deeper than twice their size, as they don’t need a lot of soil overtop of them, and they’re tiny! They can just be sown on the soil surface as well. Mist them to keep them damp, but not soggy, until they begin to come up. Provide full sun for them to help keep them warm enough to germinate.

To grow bulbs, carefully separate a bulb or two with healthy roots from the parent and replant them. Division of a parent works in much the same way, except that you separate the whole cluster of parent bulbs into three to four groups of bulbs before replanting.

Common Problems

Growing problems are rare for your Albuca spiralis. It is pretty good at taking care of itself! But here are a few issues which might appear, just so you’re prepared for them.

Growing Problems

An overhead shot of spiraled leaf tips of a houseplant
There are several causes of growing issues for the houseplant.

Like many, you’ll find a few oddities about your frizzle sizzle. It prefers a minimum temperature of about 60°F (16°C), but it can handle slightly colder conditions. Some reports say that it can survive temperature dips of down to 17°F (-8°C), but will have damage from the cold. If possible, try to keep it warmer most of the time.

To form viable seeds, you’ll need to give it a bit of a cold snap in the winter to spur spring flowering. For a few weeks, let it get down into the 40s (around 4°C) at night, but keep it warmer during the day. Remember that this is the active growing phase, and keep an eye on its moisture levels to make sure the soil stays consistently damp!

In the summer, leaf wilt is not uncommon. Yellowing also occurs to at least half of the leafy foliage while it’s dormant. Remove the damaged leaf material, but try to ensure that it has enough left to survive. If it loses all leafy material, don’t throw the bulb out, as it should spring back to life in the cool weather later in the year.

Pests

A close-up and isolated shot of spiraled leaves of a houseplant
The plant is virtually pest-free.

Pests just aren’t a problem for Albuca spiralis. It is virtually pest-free! If anything, your biggest concern should be the potential of spider mites in your soil during the summer, but even those are rare. They just don’t seem to like albuca much. If anything, a few opportunistic snails might sample them if they’re outside.

Diseases

Close-up of a rotten flower bulb with a soft mushy texture covered in blue mold.
The plant is not immune to bulb rot, which is caused by overwatering.

Diseases also tend to avoid this bulb. It is, however, not immune to bulb rot, so be careful to avoid overwatering or other conditions that could promote fungal growth. Sandy soils help drain excess water quickly to protect your bulbs, so be sure to use either a heavy-sand mix or a cactus and succulent soil blend.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Albuca spiralis a succulent?

Yes, mostly. Technically it is a succulent, but it’s a bulbing succulent. It forms thick, but narrow leaves that store water as a mucilaginous gel, which makes it a succulent. However, it has a bulb that looks kind of like an onion in how it forms.

Why is my frizzle sizzle turning brown?

In the summer, you may see yellowing of your Albuca spiralis. Brown tips are a sign that it’s starting to put up a flower stalk, but actual yellowing is part of the dormancy process. Both are completely normal, but if you’d like to avoid brown tips, remove the flower stalk before it fully develops. If you want it to bloom, just use a pair of pruning snips to clip off the brown material, leaving the green intact.

Why is my frizzle sizzle not curling?

Most of the time, this is caused by too much water. Reduce your watering a bit to give those corkscrews a chance to form. Since it stores water in its leaves, you’ll find that excess water just makes fat little stick-like leaves, and you lose all of its quirky charms!

Too little light also can prevent it from curling, though. Be sure it gets enough light, even if it’s indirect bright lighting. It needs it.

Is frizzle sizzle an indoor variety?

While it does grow outdoors in select conditions, most people cultivate it as a houseplant.

Is frizzle sizzle rare?

It is a highly rare species. But we’ve developed this growing guide just in case you have found one.

Is frizzle sizzle toxic to cats?

It is slightly toxic when ingested by cats, dogs, and humans.

Share This Post
Sprouting Gladiolus hortulanus corms with reddish outer layers and green tips laid out on soil.

Bulbs

When to Plant Gladiolus Bulbs: 7 Planting Tips

Gladiolus bulbs are perfect for gardens with short growing seasons! Plant them in spring for midsummer blooms. With proper preparation and succession planting, you’ll cultivate healthy, gorgeous blooms all summer. Join backyard gardener Jerad Bryant in getting your gladioli in the ground with these seven tips.

A close-up of a flowering Dahlia plant, one of the popular summer bulbs to plant in march, with broad, flat petals of white with a delicate purple tint forming a rounded, lush, double bloom in a sunny garden.

Bulbs

21 Best Summer Bulbs to Plant in March

Summer bulbs, including begonias and dahlias, bring fantastic color and fragrances to your garden. Plant them after the last frost in March to get an early start. In this article, plant expert Matt Dursum covers the best summer bulbs in March.

Blooming Parrot tulips feature vibrant, ruffled petals in shades of orange with deep purple streaks unfurl atop sturdy green stems, surrounded by long, gracefully arching green leaves.

Bulbs

How to Plant, Grow, and Care For Parrot Tulips

In the early spring garden, tulips shine alongside the daffodils and the hyacinths. Among the many types, parrot tulips stand out as the most showy and spectacular. Join gardening expert Melissa Strauss to learn about growing these striking spring bloomers.

A cream-colored Patricia’s Pride Lilium with dark maroon centers and six broad petals. The petals curve slightly outward, revealing dark stamens with pollen-covered anthers. Glossy green leaves surround the flower.

Bulbs

7 Bulbs We’re Planting Now for Summer Blooms

Summer blooming bulbs offer gorgeous blossoms after many other plants finish flowering. They’re easy to care for, lying dormant from fall through winter. Seasoned grower Jerad Bryant shares these seven favorite bulbs; plant them in late winter for midsummer blooms!