Frithis pulchra blooming

My Frithias definitely like the new apartment more than the old one :)

Lithops experiment part 1 (7 pics)

Today I went to a hardware store in Luxembourg and did something I would not normally do - I bought three Lithops plants that are in such a bad shape I very much doubt they'll survive. The reason behind this is an idea I got from my previous post and the question if it is possible to not only save but also correct a plant that has been treated very badly for a long time. I will try this and document it here in the blog. I'm pretty sure the next entry will be "they all died" but this will at least tell you to avoid this kind of purchases ;)

So this is how they look like. All three are L. pseudotruncatella. They are bloated and cucumber-shaped.

This one has grown so long that the only solution I can see for it is that, if it survives until fall, the new leaves will break through at the root and the old ones can be cut off. No water until then.

The other two look slightly better and I'd say there is at least a chance of survival. They will not receive any water ever again until the new leaves come out. My plan is to make them shrivel to the half their present size. All three have good root system which means they are ready to fight but actually it doesn't matter much since they won't use them anyway. One of the plants was wrapped in old dried leaves and will be sensitive to the sunlight, I imagine. I will have to let them all get accustomed to it gradually. 

Now they are washed and will dry until tomorrow when I'll put them into dry pumice and the experiment can begin. The goal is to keep them alive and if successful to get them as close as possible to their normal shape (white Lithops in the square pot to the left). Also, when planting cucumber-shaped Lithops the worst thing to do is to bury them. It won't make things better. You only bury them as far as you wish them to be - if the plant should later be 1 cm high it should be planted 1 cm deep into the ground. With the cucumbers it will look ridiculous but better ridiculous now than dead later.

Wish me luck!

More thoughts on "downsizing" (4 pics)

I've been thinking further on the topic of getting our nursery-grown plants adapted to the windowsill conditions. And the more I think about it the more I am convinced that, well, size matters. I was instinctively accepting the reduction of size in my plants as a good thing in the past and was actively contributing to it with poor soil and withholding of water. But it wouldn't hurt to contemplate on this matter a bit more.

In the comments of my previous post Bob Stewart and I were elaborating on this while Bob has provided insight and explanation as well as established clear correlation with the light situation on a windowsill that has to be compensated. Please read this when you have time :)

I was thinking about my previous experience with greenhouse-nursery-lithops and could name five instances in which the plants I bought were way too big although probably normal for commercially grown ones. The L. dorotheae and L. aucampiae I got from Mr. Shimada were in fact so huge I had to use two 7cm pots - and they were all one-headed! His L. lesliei were not far behind. Similar situation with the plants from Kakteen Haage. Both growers are not some non-specialized shops - they know these plants and do grow them appropriately. Under their greenhouse conditions however they can feed and stimulate their plants and let them get big because they will get enough light. And light is luxury for us, windowsill growers. In four out of those five instances I had 2 plants of the same species and same previous growing conditions and by now only 1 of each has survived thanks to timely downsizing. Basically, one plant has choked on big old leaves during the first or second regeneration at my place while the other plant has gradually reduced its size and is now doing fine. In those four cases downsizing was essential for survival. In the fifth case both have died leaving me with their babies that are in turn quite small.

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.