Small plants (5 pics)

I'm fond of small plants. I guess that's why I'm growing lithops. But also among lithops I like the smaller, more compact plants and, in truth, the smaller the plant the easier it is to care for it under windowsill conditions. I'm often using the word "downsizing" with the meaning of letting or making the plant reduce its size to the manageable minimum. And I don't have in mind an unhealthy shrinking and slowly withering. A small plant can be fit and healthy and strong. It can be grown to be small from seed or, with a little bit of luck and patience, made small by strict watering and poor substrate. Not all plants can go from fat to slim (fat plants tend to die during regeneration before they get a chance to downsize) but those that can will thank you with more intense color and sharper pattern.

I've had success with these L. lesliei and L. hookeri in this regard. Over the course of about 2 years they went from bloated to flat and tiny and now don't have any troubles regenerating like it was the case at the beginning. With the Albinicas below I had serious doubts they will make it at all. The plant heads on the pictures go from 7mm to 15mm in size.

I'm not a friend of L. julii or karasmontana but I found out that I can only grow them if they are kept small.

Non-mesembs (2 pics)

Something is happening here...

and something is definitely happening here!

Risks of a conditions change (3 pics)

When I first moved to my new place I was pretty worried the new conditions would not be sufficient for my plants. I expected losses and some of them indeed died, although those were not feeling well for a while before the move and I can not tell for sure what exactly tipped them over the edge. All things considered, the conditions change was good for them. I think they get more sunlight here and more fresh air and I'm confident the baby plants that'll hatch here will grow better. Surprisingly Adenium trees simply love it here! I've never seen them with that many leaves of such a size before now.

To the plants that took this change hard unfortunately belong my previously so beautiful Titanopsis calcarea. The seedling have lost their pretty looks and are still struggling. The strongest and biggest plant seems okay: it started to grow new leaves and I have hope it will feel much better with time. I don't know about the other three seedlings. Two of them don't even try to grow. They don't die either, so that's good at least. But the saddest thing is their mother plant I was so proud of. It has dried up within a week after the move. All those pretty leaves just gone! As I was about to send it to the compost pile plant heaven it suddenly started to grow again. Maybe it will survive and regain its former glory but even if it does it will take years.

Quick update on some plants (9 pics)

I've been a little busy but plant-watching on weekends is a MUST. So here are some observations :)

The little Aloinopsis schooneesii have started to grow after a winter pause. This one is still growing sets of three leaves.

I tore of a piece of my Crassula ausensis ssp. titanopsis and it rooted even though I haven't expected it to do so. Nature finds a way.

There were two Deilanthe plants, both quite large. One has managed to successfully downsize while the other failed at it and eventually died. I strongly believe that when we buy rather large adult plants somewhere their survival depends on whether they can reduce their size. This goes mostly for lithops but some other mesembs as well.

I bough more Delosperma planties. D. sutherlandii this time :)

Mitrophyllum grande are digesting old leaves. Just a little more and they're done. Soon the new leaves will break through!

I haven't watered my Conophytums for a very long time (since November maybe?) and a couple of them are already through with the leaf change. A bit early, isn't it? The new leaves are already showing and I'm not sure whether I should start watering soon... Should I?

The Frithis humilis seedlings look great and enjoy the sun. Still no flowers though.

Ebracteola wilmaniae flowering

After several failed attempts last year my Ebracteola wilmaniae has finally opened a flower. On the first try, too! It's getting hot and sunny on the windowsill and this early summer will continue for a while. I hope no plants will burn but rather enjoy the sunlight.

Fenestraria seedlings

I have never expected these Fenestraria seedlings to survive this long but they did. Since they first hatched one year ago I was basically waiting for them to die. They might not look good or have a good shape or color but they are still alive and growing. Every new set of leaves I see I'm like "Wow, no way, you're still trying? Good job! Have a drop of water!" I'm watering them very little as I've lost adult plants to rot every time within days. 

Apropos survivors, I've had a pot with Monilaria seedling I believed dead but it turns out one of them was just sleeping and is now turning green. I'm not giving up on the idea of growing Monilaria yet.

Delosperma sphalmantoides flowers

My marshmallow plant has blossomed and there are even more flowers to come. I consider this a good sign for the conditions at my new place :)

PS: Just to let you know that I'm out of seeds to send to you by now... There should be more with the next harvest.

Aucampiae kids not in a hurry to grow up

These L. aucampiae seedlings are now 2,5 years old but are still refusing to grow a long fissure. That's almost a pseudotruncatella-like behavior. At this rate it'll take years for me to see their flowers. I'll have to enjoy the pretty leaves until then :)

L. bromfieldii v. glaudinae 'Rubroroseus' (2 pics)

These are 2,5 years old as well and eventhough quite small they are very adult-like looking. They have finished the leaf change and after I watered them they've doubled in size within a week. That's the spirit!

The color fades throughout the year but at the moment they are nicely red and with time, when they start to flower, a red selection would be possible. Yet again I have to note how grateful Lithops bromfieldii are.

Upcoming flowers (3 pics)

The growing season barely started but there are already a couple of pleasant surprises lining up.

Prepodesma orpenii is quite oportunistic in its will to flower and this particular plant is flowering under my conditions all year around except for winter. Now with the touch of spring a new flower bud is coming up. Thank you plantie.

Even though Delosperma sphalmantoides looks a bit sad after the winter - lots of leaves have dried off and the color is not the best - I can see 3 flowers on their way! The looks will improve during the growing season I'm sure.

I can also see a flower bud on my Ebracteola wilmaniae but it had three of them last year that have never developed. So now I'm actively ignoring them. Sometimes this tactic works.

More lithops changing leaves (6 pics)

I know I've just posted a pic of this one but it really deserves a regular feature. It started so poorly and has gone through some weird changes but is now a perfect little Cerberus. Love it!

More of the L. lesliei ssp. burchellii (C308) seedlings are rapidly regenerating. This is my large windowed selection. They are so flat they are almost going underground in winter.

And another L. lesliei v. venteri (C1), just because of its perfect regeneration style. Showing it as an example to all other lithops out there! :D

L. hallii v. ochracea (C111) are taking it slow. One has lost a head this winter. It has just dried inside the old leaves for some reason. It happens. You cut the dead head off and the remaining one will grow normally.

In fact, I performed this operation on the L. dorotheae de Boer two years ago (the one in the back) and it is doing just fine.

L. hookeri still have a lot of meat to go through.

Lithops gracilidelineata (2 pics)

I have started to water these L. gracilidelineata (own seedlings from 2009) and they have inflated immediately.

They are so dreamy! ♥

The photos are very large so make sure to click them.

Wintergrowers (4 pics)

I'm still figuring out the so-called winter-growing mesembs and so far I couldn't really see any particular growing in winter for some reason. All the detectable growing started about a month ago, which is in March. Before that they were seemingly sound asleep.

New and perfect leaves are showing up on the old Argyroderma crateriforme. The smaller 3rd head also has something inside but I think it will die off eventually like it's counterpart. Argyrodermas seem to have very shallow roots. This plant is hopping out of the pot a lot when the roots are inactive and I need to weigh it down with something. 

I'm keeping all Conophytums dry. I read that's what you do. We'll see how this'll play out. Basically they should become dry shells and after a while apparently new leaves will come out. In theory. I sure hope so. Otherwise they will just dry and die I guess. Nevertheless, I can see new leaves shining through on this Conophytum pellucidum (with a long name) at least, so that's a relief. No idea about the others. They are very wrinkly though.

Looks like my Cheiridopsis are enjoing whatever comes their way. The care is quite easy and more or less intuitive (good word for when you don't know what you're doing haha). I really want to grow more of this species. The one year old Cherry kids (C. pillansii) are doing fine and growing new leaves.

The grown ups are showing new leaves, too. And even new branches! Bigger pots required once I get that pane for the windowsill. On the left side of the picture there are two Mitrophyllum grande plants. They're not very "grande", as you see, compared to the Cheridopsis (they are all in 5x5cm pots). These plants are a great success! Well, if by success we understand "yay, they're still alive". You can see the A-leaves and the B-leaves. And I think the next A-leaves are about to break though. Probably the older A-leaves should have dried off by now, but okay, whatever floats your pot. I'm trying to be more tolerant of the private dealings of my plants ;)