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.