Xerophyta retinervis is seldom found in cultivation, but has been successfully grown by keen plantsmen. It is certainly a fascinating addition to any collection. Probably best grown as a specimen plant in wide, shallow containers, it also provides the ideal base for many species of indigenous epiphytic orchids and ferns.

Confiscated plants, used as epiphytic orchid bases by illegal gatherers brought to the KwaZulu-Natal National Botanical Garden, have sometimes been successfully resuscitated by potting them into sand in shallow, well-drained containers and placing them in a mist house for prolonged periods. These plants had been cut off at the base, but presumably the extensive root system within the fibrous stem allowed continued uptake of water and nutrients.

However, the best way to propagate Xerophyta retinervis is by seed. There are specialist nurseries that sell the seed through the internet or, if you know of a source, collect the seed when the capsules have split open in summer. Sow into a seedling mix that can hold water and place the seedling tray in a container of water. Germination takes two to four weeks, and seedlings should be left to become rootbound, and then divided just before the second growing season. Plant into shallow soil or containers where the plants can be left for many years without repotting, as growth is very slow. In his informative and beautifully illustrated book on growing threatened plant species of South Africa, Geoff Nichols (2005) relates that he has been growing X. retinervis in association with Cyanotis speciosa, Polystachya zuluensis and the fern Cheilanthes viridi in a shallow ceramic washbasin for about twenty years, never needing to repot it.