Time to show you the new guys! I got two Aloinopsis plants together with the Prepodesma a couple of weeks ago. This one is Aloinopsis malherbei, a master of disguise. Also, the leaves look like paws, don't they?
After buying a new plant I'm always worried the roots won't take. It's like two stages of making sure the plant feels fine: First, it reacts to water, spreads its leaves which are getting slightly green at the base, gets rid of the wrinkles; Second, the new leaves start coming out. It's safe to say both Aloinopsis have managed the first stage, even though it took them two waterings.
Very nice plant, Rika! Yes, its leaves resemble some fantasy creature's paws ). And aloinopsis is extremely easy to grow from seeds, more easy than lithops.
ReplyDeleteHow is your Frithia humilis doing? Is it recovering?
I'll try growing them from seeds one day for sure. :) They're a real eye candy.
DeleteNo, the Frithia didn't make it. By the time I was trying to save something, there was nothing left to save. I got seeds from it though. Sowed 10, 9 of which have germinated. I'll try it this way and f it doesn't work I'll have to give up Frithias until the better times..
(seeds were from a seed capsule I bought it with)
DeleteThat is sad to hear. Don't give up, the conditions on your windowsill are good for frithias. I think the point was in overwatering and the pumice. That plant will get along without humus soil, if you don't want to add it. But the pure pumice doesn't work obviously. I would mix it with the quartz gravel in halves, that will make the substrate dry faster. I'm sure, you read about frithias' cultivation, but here is a usefull link for any case
Deletehttp://www.plantzafrica.com/plantefg/frithhum.htm
Just read the information on that website. Thank you Eugine! :)
DeleteYes, you're probably right, although it's strange how pumice dries very quickly with all my other plants but doesn't dry at all with frithia. The young seedlings will stay in pumice for a while but I'll prepare something with quartz gravel when they're older and ready to be transplanted. For such young plants permanently wet pumice should be necessary anyway, shouldn't it?
We call these and Titanopsis as tortoise feet, I would say these more sea-turtle! LOL! Mine grew quick from seed and flowered at 1y. Really great plants to have in a collection. Eager to please!
ReplyDeleteLittle Things (LT)
At one year already? wow!
DeleteNice to know it's an "easygoing" plant, this is my favorite kind :D
I have had 2 of these & they are beautiful when I buy them, with in 2 weeks they are all floppy & dead. I love them & can't figure out what am I doing so wrong ?
ReplyDeleteHi Judie :)
DeleteI've had mine for several months only and it's difficult to judge. Do you mean the leaves get too long? If you keep yours in cacti soil mix and in a lot of sunlight and water just a little when they get too small and wrinkly they should have the compact form again. Mine gets a lot of sunlight and grows in pure pumice..
I know it is an old thread, but I want to try and see if I can get an answer. I got one of these not long time a go. I did a lot of research and cannot decide if it needs a shallow pot or otherwise. I saw one person say it needs a shallow pot and someone say it needs a high one because it is supposed to have a long taproot. Which one is it? Thanks
ReplyDeleteI still get a notification in case of comments ;)
DeleteI think it depends on your growing conditions and substrate. My plant has lots of roots and I grow it in a deep pot: 5x5x8cm. It grows in pure pumice on a south-east windowsill in Germany. I water my plants very carefully.
If you have similar conditions this should work for you. I saw others grow it in 5x5x5cm pots in a greenhouse in a more elaborate substrate.
Hi Rika!
DeleteI was so happy when I read your response... Didn't expect one. The post was so long time ago: 7 years!
From what you told me, I will put my plant in a 8 cm deep pot. I saw a picture of an aloinopsis malherbei with bare root. It did seem long to me. So that's what I will do. My pot is a little larger than yours but the same depth: 5.5cm wide at the base and going on to 6.75 cm at the top. The pot it is in now is about 1 cm narrower but way shorter. It has 5 cm of substrate.
I had the plant for 2 weeks only. Didn't know what to do. Tried to do a lot of research but there is not so much out there.
My plant has the sun from about 3 pm till 6 pm. I guess my plant is on a north-west shelf. The temperature is cool outside. It is about 20-22 C during the day and goes down to 12 C at night ( outside ). Inside temperature is a little different. The other day, I put a thermometer near my plant. It had the sun on it. The thermometer reach 105 C. then went down to 22 C at night. The days are very long in summer but very short in winter: 6 hours of sunlight only in winter. Si I guess I will have to stop watering completely at that time even if it supposed to be a winter grower. I live in B.C. Canada, up North.
I guess yours has the morning sun. Is it right?
Maybe I will move it so that plant doesn't have to take that strong of a sun for too long. Maybe it will bring its color more towards the greenish blue that I saw on some pictures, and that I prefer, as oppose to the green color. I have some dwarf nasturtium Jewel Mix outside. The one that has the least sun but still plenty of light have that greenish blue color, while the ones that have more sun are green.
I believe the plant is in a coir substrate. It is not peat moss for sure. I don't see any perlite. I didn't take the plant out of its pot yet. I didn't want to do it until I was ready to repot it in its new home because I didn't want to stress the plant anymore that necessary. The growing medium seem to dry pretty quickly. I gave some water when I first got it. I gave some more 2 days ago, because the leaves were getting soft. The next day the leaves were stiffer and looked plumper. It is still not as plump as it could get ( from the pictures I saw ).I didn't give it much water. I am so afraid for it to root. It is the first time I saw a plant like this and don't want to lose it.
I don't know which substrate to use. I saw a lot of them to be in what seem rocks. From what I can understand, it needs a quick draining soil. So cactus soil with some sand, perlite or grit. Or as you do, in pumice.
Why did you choose to put it in pumice and only in pumice? I never used pumice before. I learned about it while doing some research about a Pleiospilos nelii that I bought last summer. From what I read, pumice retains water... I saw some one using 1/3 coir and 2/3 pumice. What do you think?
I don't know how big the root system is. As I said I didn't take the plant out of it pot. But I think the difference in pot size isn't too big. It should be ok. The main difference is in the depth: going from 5 cm to 8 cm.
I read that we should change the substrate from a new plant because the growing conditions from the nursery and our home are different . What do you think? I thought it made sense.
You say you water your plants very carefully. Is it because the plant doesn't need much water and/or because you use pumice. I would like to know more about it.
The plant you bought seven years ago was so nice. Mine is much smaller and not as tight. I would rather it to be tight as yours.
I am happy that you still have the plant, after 7 years. I would be curious to see it now.
Thanks, Sylvie
Hi Sylvie!
DeleteYour plan sounds fine. But you should give it as much light as possible if yiu want nice color and shape. I have grown several different types of Aloinopsis on the windowsill over the years and even sunlight from 7 am to 14 pm could not keep them from turning ugly. I believe maintaining good shape and color in Aloinopsis on the windowsill is practically impossible. Another problem is that they attract mealy bugs and such which makes them even weaker and uglier.
In fact, I still have the plant on the photo above but over the years I got rid of all other Aloinopsis or they died on me and I'm not going to grow them anymore. After a couple of years they get too ugly. I'll try to make a photo soon.
As for pumice, it dries up extremely quickly and works best with Mesembs. You can read about it in my recent post on Lithops cultivation.