Succulents

Knowledge, beauty and serenity in one thread.

Thanks, Ladies!!

 

stepelia gigantea......You've got a good eye.

K. beharensis aka Fang is a favored plant amongst many succiphiles...

 

Here is another succulent that had such a delightful bloom. The bloom looked lacy and it was so pretty.. Another one I managed to brown thumb..

 

I plan on doing these two again when I get a second wind...phhhh. I also want to try some hawthoria. I saw one in Lowes but sometimes I hesitate about buying plants there because I don't know how they have been treated. I wish I still had my neighbor that grew succulents for market. He had gorgeous plants.

Something else about another succulent that might we well known or not.. Bear Grass..years and years ago people used it to tie up meat in the smoke house. My FIL told me that little tid bit..

 

Yes , Falena , I had the same cacti plant years ago , bought it at 6-Flags , GA , and it took up the whole back of my Suburu hatchback . . . beautiful plant , over 6 feet tall ... absolutely stunning when it flowered ,,, and it really dressed up a corner of the house that was perfect for it ,,, great light and dry . .

sad to say , but it got knocked over by a marauding raccoon , , , broke it in half , , and despite my best efforts & care , it just never recovered .

I'm glad yours did , though ... beautiful plants ...

 

I know exactly what you mean about having to move those large trees ...

people that don't believe a 8 ft tree in a big pot is hard to handle ought to try and move one or two , by theirownselves ...

I've raised lemon trees myself from seeds from a lemon in a grocery store , they did well too ... beautiful plants , , , rub the leaves and this wonderful citrusy/lemony smell just wafts through the house ...

Gonna send you a PM about it , maybe I can help . .

 

For the record, HB, E. trigona aka African Milk Bush is not a cactus but a succulent...remember THIS and you will amaze your friends when next you play Trivial Pursuit.

btw - "best efforts and care" will kill a succulent quicker than anything....
getting knocked from their pot is a good opportunity to check for any grubs or rotted roots that need to be removed...
best to repot and set into warm spot with 50-60% sun (never water in sux) and forget about them until they've recovered themselves.

Succies love benign neglect.

If it is any consolation, if that 'coon took a bite of your Euphorbia he probably crawled off blind, or perhaps died.
That milky latex is what keeps Euphorbs off the dinner plate for foraging elephants, giraffes and rhinos.

 

Dais, I don't know the name of your ech, looks like it could be another grapto-ech X but I don't know which one.

Here's some exotic echs to drool over!

For future reference: when one rosette gets leggy, you can behead it. Spring or fall is best. Leave about 1.5-2" of stalk at the base and set into dry soil mix, in 50% sun (preferably morning). Spritz around the rosette lightly to encourage roots but don't give it a real drink until you get resistance to a slight tug (denoting that it has begun rooting). Leave the bare stalk alone and you should get new heads.

LOVE your strawberry pot....I needs me one o'them!

 

I love clay pots...any kind. There is just something about a clay pot.
One of the animals broke a piece off of one of my semps and I thought of you. Now if Gypzy was near she would belong to this peice of semp.
It is a gangly semp taller than ordinary semps.. I will try to find a picture.
The leaves are larger than even a topsy turvey.

 

I'm hooked now....I look for them when I go anywhere that sells plants.


Got a beautiful something for half price at wal-mart the other day...I'll look for a pic of what it is...





Okay I found it. "Tusco Verde".

The one I bought is BIG !!!! Paid $6 for it. Came in a pretty plastic pot. Didn't repot it.

PS, I made my own mix for my other stuff with cheap potting mix, LOTS of pearlite, and small pea-gravel. Doing well !!!!!!!!

 

Clay is the best. Lets the water dry, roots breathe. If you have a clay pot break, don't toss it; use a hammer and turn it into grit for your soil, be sure to wash/toss the powder.

I was waiting on Xmas hoping to get a new camera...am thinking I may have to go take care of that myself. I've got a couple of echs that are ready to bloom. And I thought I'd share a series of photos of plumeria going to sleep for the year. We've had several nights in the 60s, a bottom leaf of the plumeria has curled and turned slightly yellow...i walked by and flicked it with my finger - it fell right off.

Post your pic, let's have a look.

 

They are irresistible!

Now that is a beauty! It will drive me nuts trying to find out what it is. It has a hoya look about it, with those glossy leaves. Give me a day or two, I'll find you a proper name.

The name Tusco Verde is a sales point name given to it by the nursery promoting it. (I noticed they are selling that plant for $50 online - pfft!) It is not the taxonomic name of your plant.

If your pea gravel is inconsistent in size (not uniform) you are good to go, Trinn!!
I'm so glad you've chosen to mix your own soil for your new sux; the investment in your time, effort and cash will be rewarded by healthy plants.

 

They're doing great and honestly they LOOK happy. *ROFL*

I'm hooked, I tell ya, HOOKED !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I even took 3 little broken pork-n-beans and stuck them in rooting powder and stuck them in the pearlite mix and they didn't skip a beat.

 

Perlite is a great way to root plants. Use it in a clear cup and you can see how much water you've put in; fill to just below the plant and you don't have to worry about rotting the base -but- you tease the plant to root out to get the water. Once you have roots, you're cooking with grease!

 

The picture below you can see a little rose colored semp. I managed to do the big plant in and I stuck it in with the little prolific grower so maybe it could take lessons.. So far it is living. I will try to plant it later and see if it can multiply.


The picture above is the gangly semp you can tell how much larger the leaves by looking at it neighbor towards the bottom of the picture.

 

IMHO, none of these are sempervivums. It looks like you have a whole passel of graptopetalum hybrids.

Here is a very informative page with lots of pix. Bookmark that pg, palmbob's Ids are quite reliable.

I believe your bottom pic is Graptoveria "Fred Ives" and the purple one looks like "Debbie".
Both are readily available in cultivation, and are very hardy plants. (mine even survived this summer's blister)

 

Wow, I am learning so much from you Gypzy I thought they were all semperviviums. I guess the word to use would be they are all succulent...
Whatever they are I love them. I wish my thumb wasn't so brown when I try to tend to them. I am taking your advice and ignoring them..instead of babying them..to death.

 

yup

I can hear them singing hallelujah from here!

 

Some more succlents that are neat donkey's tail, string of pearls and an oldie but a goody..crown of thorns.

 

In the Northern Hemesphere it is time to reduce watering to about once a month...they slow down in the winter.

 

I've never had any of those plants but have been wanting a crown of thorns (another euphorbia) for a long time. Such lovely flowers.
Actually, I do think I had a string of pearls start in one of my mixed bowls.

 

Most - but certainly not all.

Haworthias are just now waking up, as well as aeoniums. They've been dormant through the heat and are ready to wake up and shine.

btw - welcome to the conversation. All succulent lovers are amongst friends here!

 

I know this is a succulent thread, but technically a cactus is a succulent, so I thought I'd share this.

I always find it amazing that such a plain and inornate, and thorny, plant like this . Peniocereus diguetii
produces such soft, satiny blooms like this