Looking for a Unique Plant? The Curly Frizzle Sizzle Is the One for You

Frizzle sizzle, also known as corkscrew albuca, is a bulb succulent characterized by its green foliage, which has a curly growth habit.

During its winter growing season, it requires full sun conditions with moist but well-drained soil and temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees.

The tall, slender leaves have very tiny glandular hairs and the overall appearance resembles grass, but the plant is part of the Asparagaceae family, rather than the Poaceae family.

Frizzle Sizzle Care

These are the primary care requirements for growing frizzle sizzle: 

• Plant in a loose, well-draining soil mix.
• Place in a location that receives bright, indirect light.
• Water lightly about once per week during the growing season, allowing the soil to dry out in between watering sessions.
• Feed about once per month during the fall and winter growing season.

Light

Frizzle sizzle grows best in full or partial sun, with at least five to seven hours of sunlight each day.

Bright, indirect light is best as too much intense sunlight can burn the foliage. A south-facing window is usually the best spot. 

Soil

As a succulent, plant frizzle sizzle in a loose, well-draining potting mix. A cactus or succulent mix is preferable since it contains fast-draining materials such as sand and perlite.

Avoid tightly packing the potting mix around the plant or you may hinder the developing roots. 

Water

During the growing season, you should water frizzle sizzle plants regularly but keep in mind that too much water can cause the bulb to rot.

The frequency with which you water will depend on the growing conditions, but in most cases, you’ll need to water the plant about once per week. If the soil dries out more quickly, you can water sooner.

If it takes more than a week for the soil to dry, you’re watering too deeply or the potting mix is retaining too much moisture and needs to be adjusted. 

During the plant’s dormancy period, you will only need to water every 3 to 4 weeks, ensuring that the soil is completely dry in between waterings.

Temperature and Humidity

Frizzle sizzle plants require growing temperatures of about 60 to 75 degrees. Exposure to cooler temperatures of about 50 degrees will prompt the bulb to emerge from dormancy. When kept outdoors, this plant is hardy in USDA growing zones 9 to 11. 

Fertilizer

You should fertilize frizzle sizzle during the growing period with a well-balanced liquid fertilizer, like a 10-10-10 formula.

After the plant shows signs of growth in the fall, apply the fertilizer about once a month. It’s best to apply the liquid fertilizer to damp soil, so after watering is an ideal application time. 

Propagating Frizzle Sizzle

Frizzle sizzle plants produce bulblets that allow the plant to be easily propagated by means of division. You should plan to propagate the plant during its dormancy period in the summer months.

Since the plant does develop a robust root system, propagation can help to improve nutrient availability and is a good solution if the plant is showing signs of being root-bound.

Here’s how to propagate frizzle sizzle: 

1. Gather the following supplies: well-draining potting mix, a small pot, garden snips.
2. Loosen the soil around the bulb and remove the plant from the potting mix. 
3. Gently tug a bulblet free from the root system or use a pair of garden snips. 
4. Fill the pot with the potting mix. Plant the bulblet, leaving about ⅓ of the bulb exposed above the soil line. 
5. Place in a location that receives bright, indirect light. Water regularly to maintain soil moisture; allowing the top layer of soil to dry out before watering again. 
6. In the fall, ensure the plant is kept in a cool location to signal the end of the dormancy period. As the plant shows signs of emerging foliage, water and maintain as you would a mature frizzle sizzle plant.

How to Get Frizzle Sizzle to Bloom

While the foliage of the frizzle sizzle receives the most attention, this plant will flower if provided with the right growing conditions.

In the later winter or early spring, it produces one or more flower stalks that each support about a dozen blooms, which are very fragrant. That is a lovely prospect for most people growing a frizzle sizzle plant but there is a catch.

The plant’s eye-catching curly foliage will straighten and turn brown at the tips as the flower stalk grows. If you would rather keep the curly foliage, you simply need to snip the flower stalk when it emerges. 

If your frizzle sizzle plant fails to produce a flower stalk, it may be because of temperatures that are too consistent. This plant requires a drop in temperature to initiate the active growing period, which culminates in the production of one or more flower stalks.

For frizzle sizzle plants kept indoors, you may need to move it closer to a window or door to expose the plant to cooler temperatures—between 50 and 60 degrees is about right to prompt the plant to emerge from dormancy.

What Do Frizzle Sizzle Flowers Look and Smell Like?

The flowers of a frizzle sizzle plant are a pale yellow color. They face downwards, in a nodding position from the flower stalk. The scent of the blooms is particularly strong and enticing; it’s described as a creamy vanilla. 

Caring for Frizzle Sizzle After It Blooms

The blooming activity of the frizzle sizzle is the plant’s finale as it prepares for dormancy. The individual flowers will last for about a week and the overall bloom period will span several weeks. Once the blooms have faded, the flower stalk and the rest of the plant’s foliage will begin to yellow and dry out. Withhold water and allow the plant to shed its foliage. 

Common Problems With Frizzle Sizzle

Frizzle sizzle is a unique plant to cultivate but it can be tricky to provide it with the right growing conditions to ward off some of the most common problems. For best results, an optimal balance of water and light must be maintained. 

Foliage Turning Yellow

A healthy frizzle sizzle plant should have bright green foliage but if you notice that it’s taking on a pale, yellow hue then it could be a sign that you are overwatering the plant or it has inadequate drainage. Reduce watering and, if necessary, repot with a fast-draining potting mix formulated for cacti or succulents. 

Overwatering can also lead to bulb rot, so if the foliage of your plant is turning yellow, inspect the bulb to see if it has become mushy or shows signs of fungus. If so, the plant will most likely not remain viable. 

Browning Tips

If the tips of the frizzle sizzle plant begin to turn brown, it is likely that too much direct sun is to blame. While the plant requires plenty of bright light to produce its characteristic curly foliage, too much intense sunlight can cause the foliage to burn. Move the plant to a location that receives indirect light, like a south-facing window.