Bad news. I just can't seem to figure out how to water the Frithia humilis I have. :( And the plant doesn't give me any chance to.
At first there were 3 growing points and after a while, seeing how soft and limp it was, I've decided to water. The pot that normally dries out after two days stayed wet for a week (the plant didn't drink anything) resulting in one growing point rotting off. And the rest didn't get any firmer. New leaves and flower buds came up like nothing happened (ca. 3 weeks past) and there was a lot of sun lately. I water again. Another growing point is gone in a day! Now since the substrate just doesn't dry I've put the rest of the plant in an even smaller pot with dry pumice. Now what? The worst thing is I still don't know how to properly water it, even if the rest survives (I think, I'm just not watering it ever again..). Any ideas what I should or shouldn't do next?
Well, at least the only left flower opened today and it's so tiny and cute!
First, the soil. It should be acid and well drained. Mix quartz sand (2-3mm in diameter): humus soil : crumbed red brick : peat in proportion 1:1:2:1/2. Use acid water for watering: add a couple of drops of vinegar into water. The sun. Frithia's don't like full sun whole day long. I would shade the plant with polyethylene for instance or with the small-celled net. Or just place it on one side of your windowsill so that the plant will get the full sun for a couple of hours in the morning. Almost all plants loves fresh air ). Then you can water frithia once in two days during the growing period.
ReplyDeleteI grow mesembs in pumice which I consider to be well-drained. Normally, at least. The latest pumice shipment was a bit off indeed.. Once I feel comfortable to water it again I'll change the type. Thank you very much Eugine :)
DeletePS: Checked the roots and I think they're no good. Maybe they were from the start since the plant never really reacted to water since I have it. No new fresh roots, just the chunk that feels like gum. Wonder if amputation is the solution..
DeleteI haven't ever used pumice and I don't know its features. Does it absorb water and retain it for several days? If so, then that is the reason the roots rotted. The point with the frithias is that the substrate should dry in less than 24 hours after watering.
DeleteRe rooting should work too.
I have had a Frithia pulchra for a few weeks and I am still trying to understand it. It is in very loose and rocky soil. It is flowering. I am using acidic water, too, just a few drops of vinegar in a liter of filtered water. It gets 3 hours of morning sun, east-facing window. So far, it is happy, but I'll let you know how it goes. Frithias are difficult!
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
DeleteI'll try it with the water and more shade. I think the problem with mine might be in the roots, they don't absorb water as they should.
We haven't grown any Frithias for a while but have grown many over the years. Pumice is great for drainage, the best stuff we've ever used - and we've tried everything at least once. I would add some peat or other hummus and only water when the potting mix has dried, allowing a dry mix during the winter. And, yes, it appears the roots have rotted and need to be reestablished. Frithias are indeed touchy about too much water if the days are cloudy and cool. Good luck.
DeleteThank you very much for posting your view on this matter :) I've also had very good experience with pumice so far so that it's hard to believe the substrate is a problem. I'm starting to think that the plant had root problems from the start or even before I got it. My strategy now is to wait for the flower to wither and then look at the roots again and if there are no new ones just cut off most of it. It was all "gum" last time I looked so no regrets. Thanks again Luther :) Hope it'll work.
DeleteHi Rika, I know this is a post about watering Frithias, but I have a question about watering Lithops, and I think you would have ample experience about it. I’ve just received some new Lithops sent in the mail, and I’ve repotted them in pumice and cacti/succulent mix. They were sent bare rooted, and the roots look a little dry (as I would expect), but overall the plants look healthy. I would like to find out if it is wise or ok to give them some water or spray them now, if so, how much and how often? It is the start of the second month of Winter here in Sydney now, although we got one or two sunny days per week last week, and the potting mix can look quite dry. There is actually a lot of mixed info online and offline about how to water Lithops, but I've not find the right answer and I've read enough. My knowledge says I should not water them, but my common sense is screaming out I should. Can you please advise Rika? Thanks! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi :)
DeleteLithops roots being dry is a normal thing, there's no need to take it as an indicator that the plant wants water. It is more or less the normal state of Lithops roots, especially in winter. New roots come and go really quickly. Normally after transplanting a Lithops into new (dry) substrate you should wait for two weeks before watering. An exception can be made if the plant is very wrinkly. The body of a Lithops is an indicator for watering, never the roots. But! If it's winter you shouldn't water at all, even if it's wrinkly - just wait until spring and AFTER the new leaves have emerged. ;)
(All this goes for adult plants. It's difficult to have a fixed plan for seedlings.)
Also, I've tried pumice+cacti soil mix once. It never ever dried and I had to repot the plants (luckly there were only two). Keep an eye on that, when you start watering (in 2-3 months or so :D ).
Are there pictures of the plants in question?
Hi Rika, Thank you for your advice. It is really helpful! I have just posted photos of them on my blog. Please take a look! I have repotted them with my other Lithops, which I've owned for about 1 month. All of them look "plump" and well in various stages of growth, except "Norton" the middle guy in "Pot 3", he is a little wrinkly, maybe getting ready to reveal a new body? Best wishes!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome :)
DeleteI know how difficult it is to figure out the proper care for these plants in our latitides. Most of it you get from own (good or bad) experience only.