08 October 2013
DENDROSICYOS SOCOTRANA
DENDROSICYOS SOCOTRANA - sometimes misnamed SOCOTRANUM or SOCOTRANUS - is the only member of the family CUCURBITACEAE that will develop a tree form.The cucurbit is known under its arabian name QAMHIYN.
The CUCURBITACEAE family is home of the gourds, melons and squashes. They are found throughout the world, from deserts to tropical forests.
DENDROSICYOS is growing on one or two islands of the socotran archipelago. The archipelago is composed of two rocky islets, four islands and Sokotra. Sokotra is the biggest island one. They are around 240 km east of the Horn of Africa and nearly 380 km south of the arabian peninsula.
The species has been discovered in 1882 by ISAAC BAYLEY BALFOUR, a scottish botanist, who made an expedition in 1880 to 1882 to the arabian peninsula.
The plants grow from the coastal plains up to the inland hills until 500 m. The inland hills are made of lime stone. In cracks and crevices eroded by rain, sun and wind, where earth is able to be build up, they thrive and flourish. The coastal plains have been built up from eroded material from the mountains and hills. They consist of alluvial sediments and sand.
The height of the plants may not exceed 6 m and its diameter may be up to 1 m.
The flowers are male and female in one and self fertile. So self pollination is possible and you may get your own seeds if you are lucky enough to own one plant.
DENDROSICYOS is a pachycaul succulent. The bark is whitish or yellowish. Its growing habit is somewhat unusual. If you let it grow then the leading shoot, forming the stem or trunk, will bend over after long growth. Then there will grow, out of an axille of the trunk, a branchlet which develops into the new stem or trunk. After some time and good growth again this stem or trunk will bend over and again a new branchlet will grow and become the new trunk. This is the way the becoming " tree " is build up.
There are two times when the monsoons are bringing rain to the archipelago.
The North-East Monsoon brings rain in April and May. The South-West Monsoon brings clouds and water from August until November.
Generally speaking it rains about 250 mm per year at its habitats. The humidity is equally shared over the whole year.
Temperatures shall be over 16 C and under 32 C. January is said to be the coldest month.
I cultivate them the same way I do my ADENIUM, DISCOCACTUS, MELOCACTUS, PACHYPODIUM and UEBELMANNIAS.
The young ones are kept in half shade and never get direct sun. The older they grow the better they are accustomed to the direct sun. That takes some time. Remember, young seedlings normally germinate in the shadow of a "Protector Plant" and grow and grow until they can overgrow it...or not. The same is true in your forest behind your house or in your family.
My substrate is my standard mineral composition. I only add some extra lime and cover the top of the pot with lime gravels.
I fertilize them every time I water them. My dosis is hence a very very very low one.
Watering depends on the weather. As with all my succulents I underwater them more than to water them to often. Allthough I do not mimic the tough desert conditions of their habitat.
Temperature should never be to "cold". The worst of it all would be "cold" temperatures and "wet" feets.
In winter they stand on an eastern window with heating nearby so that at night the temperature may never go under 15 C. Treated that way the greater part of my plants withhold their leaves.
I water them once or twice a month or never. This depends of their foliage of if they show some growth or none. I really can give no "written in stone" advice.
In spring, summer and autumn, if temperatures at night will not undergo 15 C I put them out and let sun and rain do my job.
Propagating is only possible by seed. All attempts I made in trying to root a branch or branchlet failed. This is due to the soft tissue that will not heal and build a "hard" kallus.
The CUCURBITACEAE family is home of the gourds, melons and squashes. They are found throughout the world, from deserts to tropical forests.
DENDROSICYOS is growing on one or two islands of the socotran archipelago. The archipelago is composed of two rocky islets, four islands and Sokotra. Sokotra is the biggest island one. They are around 240 km east of the Horn of Africa and nearly 380 km south of the arabian peninsula.
The species has been discovered in 1882 by ISAAC BAYLEY BALFOUR, a scottish botanist, who made an expedition in 1880 to 1882 to the arabian peninsula.
The plants grow from the coastal plains up to the inland hills until 500 m. The inland hills are made of lime stone. In cracks and crevices eroded by rain, sun and wind, where earth is able to be build up, they thrive and flourish. The coastal plains have been built up from eroded material from the mountains and hills. They consist of alluvial sediments and sand.
The height of the plants may not exceed 6 m and its diameter may be up to 1 m.
The flowers are male and female in one and self fertile. So self pollination is possible and you may get your own seeds if you are lucky enough to own one plant.
DENDROSICYOS is a pachycaul succulent. The bark is whitish or yellowish. Its growing habit is somewhat unusual. If you let it grow then the leading shoot, forming the stem or trunk, will bend over after long growth. Then there will grow, out of an axille of the trunk, a branchlet which develops into the new stem or trunk. After some time and good growth again this stem or trunk will bend over and again a new branchlet will grow and become the new trunk. This is the way the becoming " tree " is build up.
There are two times when the monsoons are bringing rain to the archipelago.
The North-East Monsoon brings rain in April and May. The South-West Monsoon brings clouds and water from August until November.
Generally speaking it rains about 250 mm per year at its habitats. The humidity is equally shared over the whole year.
Temperatures shall be over 16 C and under 32 C. January is said to be the coldest month.
I cultivate them the same way I do my ADENIUM, DISCOCACTUS, MELOCACTUS, PACHYPODIUM and UEBELMANNIAS.
The young ones are kept in half shade and never get direct sun. The older they grow the better they are accustomed to the direct sun. That takes some time. Remember, young seedlings normally germinate in the shadow of a "Protector Plant" and grow and grow until they can overgrow it...or not. The same is true in your forest behind your house or in your family.
My substrate is my standard mineral composition. I only add some extra lime and cover the top of the pot with lime gravels.
I fertilize them every time I water them. My dosis is hence a very very very low one.
Watering depends on the weather. As with all my succulents I underwater them more than to water them to often. Allthough I do not mimic the tough desert conditions of their habitat.
Temperature should never be to "cold". The worst of it all would be "cold" temperatures and "wet" feets.
In winter they stand on an eastern window with heating nearby so that at night the temperature may never go under 15 C. Treated that way the greater part of my plants withhold their leaves.
I water them once or twice a month or never. This depends of their foliage of if they show some growth or none. I really can give no "written in stone" advice.
In spring, summer and autumn, if temperatures at night will not undergo 15 C I put them out and let sun and rain do my job.
Propagating is only possible by seed. All attempts I made in trying to root a branch or branchlet failed. This is due to the soft tissue that will not heal and build a "hard" kallus.
HOODIA MACRACANTHA
HOODIA MACRACANTHA may be one of the easiest to cultivate Hoodias.
I wanted to present it in the way the american and british succulent plants lovers exhibit their plants at their exhibitions. So I chose a Bonsai like ceramic container.
As Hoodias are sensible to rot by mould I use pure pumice as a substrate. I layed a cover of broken Quarz on it to prevent the pumice from "flowing away" when watering the plant and to mimic the natural habitat.
The growing period is the same as for my cacti. The same is true for the culture of my Hoodias.
I put them outside in April or May when the temperature will be above 15 C. They stay outside until autumn when temperature will drop under 15 C.
They stay unprotected from rain and sun. Only if the temperature will be under 15 C I give a protection from rain.
Fertilizing and watering follows the same scheme as for my cacti.
I wanted to present it in the way the american and british succulent plants lovers exhibit their plants at their exhibitions. So I chose a Bonsai like ceramic container.
As Hoodias are sensible to rot by mould I use pure pumice as a substrate. I layed a cover of broken Quarz on it to prevent the pumice from "flowing away" when watering the plant and to mimic the natural habitat.
The growing period is the same as for my cacti. The same is true for the culture of my Hoodias.
I put them outside in April or May when the temperature will be above 15 C. They stay outside until autumn when temperature will drop under 15 C.
They stay unprotected from rain and sun. Only if the temperature will be under 15 C I give a protection from rain.
Fertilizing and watering follows the same scheme as for my cacti.
CYPHOSTEMMA BETIFORMIS
CYPHOSTEMMA BETIFORMIS is a member of the family VITACEAE, the wine family, and its african succulent genus CYPHOSTEMMA.
PLEIOSPILUS NELII CV "ROYAL FLUSH"
This is PLEIOSPILUS NELII CV "ROYAL FLUSH". I do possess a bunch of this species for I adore the magnificent colour it exhibits.
The substrate is as allways a mineral one . No peat is added.
The culture is the same as for Conophytum. PLEIOSPILUS NELII is the only PLEIOSPILUS which you will have to cultivate like Conophytum. The other species of PLEIOSPILUS need the same treatment as Lithops.
This means that the species starts growing in autumn, in August or September, and may end growing in winter, in January or February or March. The exact dates may depend of the plants and where you may live.
In winter they stand inside on my windowsill. For the ultraviolet rays of the sun will not penetrate through the window glass, the colour and habit of the plants will suffer. To reduce this effect I cultivate them as hard as possible. This means I water and fertilize them as seldomly as possible.
Temperature will allways be above 15 C.
From spring through summer to autumn the plants stay outside. They stay unprotected from the sun but sheltered from rain. By doing so their colour and habit should recover from the "bad" culture conditions I offer them in winter.
Temperature in their resting period will be above 5 C. Under 5 C the plants stay inside.
Water will only be offered by spraying them in mimicing the natural fogs and mists.
The substrate is as allways a mineral one . No peat is added.
The culture is the same as for Conophytum. PLEIOSPILUS NELII is the only PLEIOSPILUS which you will have to cultivate like Conophytum. The other species of PLEIOSPILUS need the same treatment as Lithops.
This means that the species starts growing in autumn, in August or September, and may end growing in winter, in January or February or March. The exact dates may depend of the plants and where you may live.
In winter they stand inside on my windowsill. For the ultraviolet rays of the sun will not penetrate through the window glass, the colour and habit of the plants will suffer. To reduce this effect I cultivate them as hard as possible. This means I water and fertilize them as seldomly as possible.
Temperature will allways be above 15 C.
From spring through summer to autumn the plants stay outside. They stay unprotected from the sun but sheltered from rain. By doing so their colour and habit should recover from the "bad" culture conditions I offer them in winter.
Temperature in their resting period will be above 5 C. Under 5 C the plants stay inside.
Water will only be offered by spraying them in mimicing the natural fogs and mists.
06 October 2013
LITHOPS ?AUCAMPIAE? ?LESLIEI?
In January I bought some Lithops that I had come across in a garden center. They were planted in pure peat and looked lovely and were so beautifully sculptured.
I allways loved the way the Japanese presented their plants in their ceramic containers. When I for the first time visited american and british succulent plant exhibitions I again saw this art of presentation. I really adore the way american and british succulent plant lovers present their plants. And so I decided to give "my lithops" a better and more beautiful home.
As allways I potted the plants in my mineral substrate. No peat was added. I covered the top of the surface with Granite as to mimic the natural habitat.
The plants stay outside the whole spring, summer and autumn as long as the temperature will not be under 5 C.
Watering will be suspended when the temperature will be under 10 C. Generally speaking I water the plants as often I do my cacti.
I am not sure what species this Lithops may be. I allways have my difficulties to differentiate between L. aucampiae and L. lesliei. May be you can tell me...?
I allways loved the way the Japanese presented their plants in their ceramic containers. When I for the first time visited american and british succulent plant exhibitions I again saw this art of presentation. I really adore the way american and british succulent plant lovers present their plants. And so I decided to give "my lithops" a better and more beautiful home.
As allways I potted the plants in my mineral substrate. No peat was added. I covered the top of the surface with Granite as to mimic the natural habitat.
The plants stay outside the whole spring, summer and autumn as long as the temperature will not be under 5 C.
Watering will be suspended when the temperature will be under 10 C. Generally speaking I water the plants as often I do my cacti.
I am not sure what species this Lithops may be. I allways have my difficulties to differentiate between L. aucampiae and L. lesliei. May be you can tell me...?
ARIOCARPUS AGAVOIDES
This is ARIOCARPUS AGAVOIDES.
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