Monilaria

March 2, 2014, 1:51 am

≫ Next: New arrivals: Gibbaeum, Argyroderma and Ebracteola (4 pics)

≪ Previous: Crassula ausensis ssp. titanopsis (2 pics)

$

0

0

Still no spring around here... I'll continue posting dark and/or blue-ish pictures then ^^a

This is my very first Monilaria and even though I read about the care and the yearly life cycle of this plant I'm still not sure that everything's fine. Is this the appropriate look for it this time of the year? I know that the leaves will be completely dry in summer but are they supposed to be this soft already? Comments appreciated :)

---

New arrivals: Gibbaeum, Argyroderma and Ebracteola (4 pics)

March 15, 2014, 12:59 pm

≫ Next: L. fulviceps these days (5 pics)

≪ Previous: Monilaria

$

0

0

I was able to free some room with magic (otherwise known as transplantation and clever tray placement) and could get myself more mesembs. I have several pots with seedlings that will need more room sometime soon but I'm going to ignore this fact for now ;)

The new guys are:

Ebracteola wilmaniae
It arrived with the rests of a flower. Nice light rose color and lovely see-through leaves.

Argyroderma fissum

I find it curious because if you think of an Argyroderma you think of a spheroid. This one has long leaves. A bit wrinkly but a week after this picture was taken it has shown a good growth. 

By the way, you can see a little clay jug (with a cat drown on it) to the right. This is what I use to water my plants from, i.e. to measure how much water they get per pot. The regular watering means half the jug for a pot just like on the picture below (ca 5x5x8,5 cm). I take a full jug if the plant is seriously thirsty.

Gibbaeum geminum

An old and beautifully bonsai-like plant. I actually got it under a name G. dispar but it is clearly not. It looks just like my younger G. geminum so I'm calling it that now.

My other Gibbaeum geminum are feeling fine sharing their pots with Conophytum, Adromischus and Neohenricia. :)

L. fulviceps these days (5 pics)

March 16, 2014, 6:18 am

≫ Next: A. schooneesii seedlings 9 months old (2 pics)

≪ Previous: New arrivals: Gibbaeum, Argyroderma and Ebracteola (4 pics)

$

0

0

Isn't it pretty? New shiny leaves slowly working through the old ones? :)
I'm very happy with how my Lithops fulviceps are regenerating this year.

The L. fulviceps v. lactinea are themselves quite large but they are dutifully transferring everything useful from the old leaves into new and are now showing their cute dotty faces. I find it interessting and unusual how the new leaves of these pale-bluish-white plants come out in deap orange. The color of the plants on the photos is already getting paler but at first it's like a completely different plant!

My L. fulviceps v. fulviceps 'Aurea' are all done. In fact, I was worried because they started regenerating in summer. I thought they might be finished before the winter and I will have to water them during the dark time and ruin their appearance and health by that. All worries were for nothing - they took their sweet time and fully changed only recently. Now they are ready for the water and for the spring sun.

The plant to the right is the one which photo I use as my user pic, btw. ;) It is now in its second year of two-headed-ness.

A. schooneesii seedlings 9 months old (2 pics)

March 22, 2014, 9:20 am

≫ Next: Some two-headed-ness (10 pics)

≪ Previous: L. fulviceps these days (5 pics)

$

0

0

Remember my Aloinopsis schooneesii seedlings? Sown in June 2013 they are now slowly getting too big for their pot. They more or less rested over the winter but recently started to grow new leaves one pair after another. Here is their well-deserved group picture. The big dark kid in the back looks especially fine :)

You might have been following the development of this little guy over on twitter. It's been growing triplet leaves for a while and I'm really curious whether the next leaf-set will be the same or it will return to normal. So cute!

Some two-headed-ness (10 pics)

March 23, 2014, 12:01 am

≫ Next: Trichodiadema calvatum

≪ Previous: A. schooneesii seedlings 9 months old (2 pics)

$

0

0

These days you can feel the spring and the regeneration that took the lithops so long to do before progresses in no time. The new leaves are getting bigger every day and the old ones disappear. 

Quite some of them have gotten two-headed and I'm especially glad to see the plants I grew from seed do that ♥

Here come the stories!

These two L. lesliei v. minor C6 belong to my very first lithops sowing back in 2008. Yes, they are this old! Under windowsill conditions and without any doping they mature very slowly. They haven't flowered yet but this year there were dried up rests of flowers inside so at least they tried. Maybe they'll have more strength this year. After all the chances have doubled now ;)

A random L. lesliei 'Albinica' C36A. It doesn't have any stories to tell yet. You can see my finger nail on the photo for some scale XD

I got these L. hallii v. ochracea C111 in 2010 as tiny seedlings. They are still quite small but at least there are more heads now.

These L. bromfieldii v. glaudinae C382 you know from their very young age. :D Sown back in 2010 they turned out to be very grateful plants with the most agreeable character. One of them has now two heads.

Other bromfieldii, L. bromfieldii v. insularis 'Sulphurea' C362, all went two-headed last year. This year one of them went triple. I read that Sulphureas eagerly grow multiple heads.

This L. julii ssp. fulleri v. brunnea C179 is actually a miracle. I could never keep any other L. julii alive for more than a couple of years but I have this one since 2008! It always regenerates properly and without any problems and never changes much except for this year. This change needs to be documented :)

The rest don't have stories yet. They are more or less new tenants, arrived in 2012 and 2013. 

Trichodiadema calvatum

March 24, 2014, 10:20 pm

≫ Next: L. lesliei ssp. burchellii today (6 pics)

≪ Previous: Some two-headed-ness (10 pics)

$

0

0

Another new plant on the windowsill.

I liked the little T. densum so much I wanted another one of the kind. I had to find out the hard way that I'm not used to having spines around here. It's like the Trichodiadema is protecting all the plants around it by stinging me. "Don't touch my friends!" :)

L. lesliei ssp. burchellii today (6 pics)

March 26, 2014, 12:42 pm

≫ Next: Aucampiae seedlings

≪ Previous: Trichodiadema calvatum

$

0

0

These L. lesliei ssp. burchellii C308 seedlings hatched in June 2011 and this year they finally present an adult-like look. You can follow back their development here, here, here and here. 

On the pic below is my "open-windowed selection". :) I'll make an entry about the selection of heavily patterned burchellii shortly.

Aucampiae seedlings

March 29, 2014, 12:36 am

≫ Next: L. lesliei ssp. burchellii 2nd selection (2 pics)

≪ Previous: L. lesliei ssp. burchellii today (6 pics)

$

0

0

Just a quick update on the L. aucampiae 'White Flower' C2A seedlings, grown from own seeds (sowing 2012). Love the color!

---

L. lesliei ssp. burchellii 2nd selection (2 pics)

March 30, 2014, 2:23 am

≫ Next: Rabiea albipuncta seedlings (2 pics)

≪ Previous: Aucampiae seedlings

$

0

0

This is the burchellii's selection of plants with more "lines" (rather than windows). They still don't look like typical burchelliis to me, more like regular v. lesliei. Cute and nicely shaped though :) They should outgrow their pot this year... I've decided to look for an apartment during the holidays in a week. For sure now. 100%. My plants need it (probably more than I do) XD

Rabiea albipuncta seedlings (2 pics)

March 30, 2014, 2:57 am

≫ Next: Aloinopsis malherbei seedlings today

≪ Previous: L. lesliei ssp. burchellii 2nd selection (2 pics)

$

0

0

The Rabiea albipuncta seedlings are now 4 months old and growing second pairs of true leaves. When the leaves first appeared they looked like thin blades. Now they are quite succulent.

My older plant is also doing well as far as I can tell. It dried off some older leaves (the ones that were damaged two years ago) showing woody branches and got me worried for a bit it doesn't look bad and all the new growth looks fat and healthy. 

Btw, I'm puzzled at the name. Neither my old plant nor the seedlings show any sign of white dots of some sort. Maybe with some imagination... 

Aloinopsis malherbei seedlings today

March 30, 2014, 9:34 am

≫ Next: More mesemb seedlings (3 pics)

≪ Previous: Rabiea albipuncta seedlings (2 pics)

$

0

0

These A. malherbei seedlings are now 9 months old. After a long time of growth-stop during the colder months they've recently started growing again and look how fat and meaty the leaves are! :) 

More mesemb seedlings (3 pics)

March 30, 2014, 9:23 pm

≫ Next: And more seedlings (2 pics)

≪ Previous: Aloinopsis malherbei seedlings today

$

0

0

Sown in August these Aloinopsis seedlings looked weak and grew extremely slowly for such a long time. Now something triggered the new growth (sudden increase in sunlight? ;) ) and you can see how happy they are. New leaves, more texture, even the first "teeth"! 

Below some random seedlings mess you can find on my windowsill... XD

(Titanopsis primosii and Stomatium alboroseum 'rubrum', which has nothing rubrum to it)

And more seedlings (2 pics)

March 31, 2014, 11:54 am

≫ Next: Anacampseros namaquensis

≪ Previous: More mesemb seedlings (3 pics)

$

0

0

Both Gibbaeum dispar and Rhinephyllum muirii seelings are now 7 months old. What a difference in size! Nothing out of the ordinarily though. Still, I didn't expect Rhinephyllum to develop side branches so quickly (there are 2 seedlings). A nice surprise :) Gibbaeum are slow but steady.

Anacampseros namaquensis

April 6, 2014, 8:13 am

≫ Next: Rhinephyllum seedlings update

≪ Previous: And more seedlings (2 pics)

$

0

0

A most welcome sight - Anacampseros namaquensis growing flowers.
I understand the flowers should be Avonia-like. :)

Rhinephyllum seedlings update

April 7, 2014, 2:11 pm

≫ Next: L. aucampiae seedlings root-check (2 pics)

≪ Previous: Anacampseros namaquensis

$

0

0

Sorry for posting about all the same seedlings again but I need to share my amazement. Only one week of intense sunlight and suddenly three side-branches are sprouting on one tiny seedling! After a long peroid of not doing anything it is really surprising to see these seedlings grow so quickly.

---

L. aucampiae seedlings root-check (2 pics)

April 7, 2014, 2:34 pm

≫ Next: Random shiny wartiness

≪ Previous: Rhinephyllum seedlings update

$

0

0

I've been trying to free up the round pots I use for sowing by transplanting the bigger seedlings into square pots I use for adult plants. It doesn't really make more room for them but the depth is changing from 5cm to 8,5cm which they like very much. And of course I can now use the free round pot to sow some more mesemb seeds. :)

I like how flat and pancake-like the seedlings are. This is my favorite lithops shape. I just hope these particular seedlings are not too flat (is it possible for a lithops to be too flat?).

Random shiny wartiness

April 10, 2014, 10:47 am

≫ Next: Cheiridopsis denticulata

≪ Previous: L. aucampiae seedlings root-check (2 pics)

$

0

0

Click to view the warts in all detail ;)

Cheiridopsis denticulata

April 11, 2014, 12:23 am

≫ Next: Adromischus leaf cutting

≪ Previous: Random shiny wartiness

$

0

0

I bought these Cheiridopsis denticulata (labeled candidissima) in June 2013 and was really worried how they will like my conditions. After all, they are my first Cheiridopsis and winter-growing mesembs are generally a bit tricky on a windowsill. Now I've had them for almost a year and they seem to have completed their yearly life cycle successfully. What a relief! Over the last months, starting as early as November, they've grown new leaves that are simply magnificent. The old ones are wrinkled but I'm allowing them to stay because accordning to my inside sources (Thank you Bob! ;) ) it is okay for them to have several pairs of leaves at a time. In fact one of the plants is pushing another pair (or dare I hope a flower?). 

All in all I'm very pleased they are happy with what I can give them in terms of sunlight and substrate and watering schedule. I will reduce waterings during the summer and reprise what I've been doing for the past year.

Not everything is this shiny with Cheiridopsis. Ch. peculiaris didn't make it as well as one of the 5 Ch. denticulata I initially had. Never started any new growth and just withered with time. Acclimation is hard.

Adromischus leaf cutting

April 12, 2014, 11:40 am

≫ Next: Titanopsis seedlings today (4 pics)

≪ Previous: Cheiridopsis denticulata

$

0

0

I've been doing some transplanting and rearranging today and was surprised this Adromischus I've been leaf-propagating has grown really nice fat roots. It is much slower with actual leaves :)

Titanopsis seedlings today (4 pics)

April 13, 2014, 12:08 am

≫ Next: A. schooneesii growing (3 pics)

≪ Previous: Adromischus leaf cutting

$

0

0

My Titanopsis calcarea seedlings are almost one year old (sown1st of May2013) and look at this beauty! Perfect shape, perfect color, perfect warts - love it! ♡ 

But not every seedling had a chance to grow just as perfectly as the one above. Two of them had some difficulties during the winter and messed up the growing point, the spot where the new growth starts in the middle of the rosette. All the plants give up on some growing-points now and then and just use another (like a side branch) to continue. It is just a bit tricky if it only has one. I'm not sure what exactly goes wrong in these cases. The seedling below had a pair of really strange crippled leaves that didn't want to grow and then grew into weird shapes (trauma at a very early stage like an insect bite?). Luckily the seedling is healthy and strong and didn't want to wait until that growing point sorts itself out. It just grew a side branch and the new grows is healthy and well-shaped. By now I already can see new healthy leaves coming out of the messed up rosette as well.

The seedling below has just completely dried off the main growing point and focused on the side branch. A less strong plant would just give up all together as we probably all have sadly experienced. With these seedlings I'm pretty confident that they will be fine.

Just like their parent :)