Anacampseros tray (14 pics)

I can not believe it's been 2 years since I had my big sowing of Anacampseros. Around the same time I got the majority of the adult plants, even though I've been growing several Anacampseros and Avonias for years before that. But 2 years ago there was this spark of interest that resulted in a whole tray of plants. 

The seedlings grow very slowly but what a delight it was to watch them! From the generic blobs they have developed into all those different shapes. It's not very easy to take pictures of them because of all the white fluff. If I don't change the settings on my camera to darker shades all I get is white shapes with no definition. Once I do, the photos turn out too dark. But at least the hairs are sharp and visible this way. 

They seem to have made it through the dark winter fine even though An. vanthielii have been struggling. I have not watered them since months and they still stretch for sunlight. I hope they will look better in Summer. Another thing I have not figured out yet is why the "white column" types of Anacampseros tend to lose bottom leaves. That's why I'm glad that my younger "column" seedlings grow so slowly and are still at the "white ball" stage in their development. Hopefully by the time they grow up I'll have a better understanding of what they need. At the moment they are just adorable.

As usual click on the pictures to see full size and the full names, locality data and catalog numbers will be within the file name. 

An. baeseckei are just tiny fluff balls.

Another An. baeseckei, which are tiny fluff balls with curls.

These are fluff balls with even more curls (Anacampseros sp. (albidiflora)). These three species will probably have troubles retaining the bottom leaves later on.

These An. namaquensis look like they are covered in snow. So cute! They look a bit different from what I have in mind when I think of An. namaquensis but they are still small.

These An. namaquensis are more like it. I really like it when these plants grow rather flat instead of going up. These seedlings are like a soft carpet. 

The below An. filamentosa ssp. filamentosa seedlings are just as wonderfully flat and in no hurry to grow vertically. So snug against the pumice stones.

An. filamentosa ssp tomentosa have larger features but the long wavy hairs that wrap around the whole plants are wonderful.

An. arachnoides have perfected the cobweb look. I'm quite proud of these as they have this  distinguishing scruffy look. They'll do even better with more sunlight.

This pot of another An. arachnoides species is even scruffier. Nice.

There might be some cat hair mixed in. Mila walks on my plants a lot.

Not much hairs but a pretty color: Anacampseros rufescens 'Sunrise'.

I can only recommend you to grow these. I've had so much fun with them.

Other news (8 pics)

So what else was going on on my windowsill in August?

Well, the most amazing and surprising thing was the awakening of Monilaria scutata seedlings! I couldn't believe they are alive after all this time. None of my other attempts to grow Monilaria went on this far. These must be some tough seedlings. First the "beads", then the "bunny ears". All by the book. Very exciting!

Then, I have transplanted Anacampseros karasmontana, the fluffy greenie. It has developed really fat roots and I wanted to give it more space.

It has flowered and developed seeds, too. Out of last year's seeds I already got a bunch of seedlings.

The older Anacampseros seedlings are looking more like adults every day. This Anacampseros arachnoides is very attractive when kept dry.

The white fluffy Anacampseros baeseckei are growing into towers. I do believe somewhere between fuzzball and the below is their best look. I have older and longer An. baeseckei and they started to look kinda strange. I might need to re-root them.

Anacampseros namaquensis are really hairy and really flat. Love them!

Avonia papyracea ssp papyracea, hatched in November last year, are still so small. Strong though. I have a good feeling about them.

Random seedlings report (13 pics)

It's always fun to grow plants from seed. Even if you know approximately what to expect you never know what their growth pattern will be or how the seedlings will turn out in the end. It is even more fun to grow something from seed that you have not grown before. Sure, most of the time you are just guessing how to care for such seedlings. And you do make mistakes. But this is all part of the fun of discovery and will help you understand the plants later.

I have tried growing Conophytums from seed before but they either didn't germinate or died right after. And so I consider my latest attempt the actual first try. They went through a couple of leaf changes and they are still alive. Being one year old, they went to sleep in the spring just like adults. But they were so very tiny! I really didn't want to let them do that, thinking they need to get bigger first. They didn't listen, of course, and were just doing their thing. I woke them up again recently and luckily all of them seem to be alive underneath the sheaths. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to wake them up a month early but that's also part of the experience.

Conophytum pillansii

I'm happy to report that Oophytum nanum seedlings (1 year old) are also slowly coming out of their slumber. I was really worried they wouldn't.

Below are Meyerophytum meyeri (MG1778.65) seedlings I grew last year. Another of the firsts. The plants have turned out to be easy to grow and very eager to branch out. I understand, as winter growers, they also should be in sheaths but I didn't let them do that out of the usual concern - too young and small for such a long time without water. I worry too much. These guys are tough.

I liked them so much that I sowed more this year. They make very cute seedlings (2 months old).

Meyerophytum meyeri (MG1778.65)

Meyerophytum meyeri v. holgatense (MG1778.7)

My youngest lithops seedlings are too small for photos so I will report on the second youngest bunches. I still have some of the seedlings of which I don't know the names. A couple of them look like L. olivacea. The rest I'm still not sure. They are uniform though and once they are bigger I'll probably be able to match them with my sowing list of around that time (most likely C266). We'll see.

L. dorotheae de Boer from the seeds of my own plants are also growing. You can even already see the characteristic lines and dots and colors.

This year I'm also growing Neohenricia sibbetii (MG1782.12) from seed. Mainly because my own adult plants are all cuttings of the same plant and I'd really like to be able to produce seeds. It might take years until they flower.

Can you guess what these tiny blobs are? That's right, Adromischus mariannae v. herrei. This is the first time for me to attempt them from seed. They look crazy! Just spheres with a root. Really hope I won't kill them. Very curious to see them grow.

MG2129.54

MG2129.56


Last year all my Delosperma harazianum got eaten by bugs and then froze on the balcony where they and the bugs were banned to. So now I'm starting again from seed. They are already beautiful (3 months old). Now to keep mites away from them...

And these are the red flowering Delosperma "garnet" seedlings. Because why not :)

Last year's Anacampseros seedlings still kicking (35 pics)

It feels like we haven't had a real Spring this year. It started just recently, if at all, and will probably just jump into Summer directly. Maybe because of that or maybe because of reasons of their own my Anacampseros plants just recently woke up. While somewhere else there are already buds and flowers, mine are still pushing new leaves to compensate for Winter losses. Anacampseros are inactive in Winter. They don't grow at all and look very scruffy, dead even, drying off leaves and leaving dead twigs. Same goes for seedlings, I had to find out. I was starting to worry because they were so brown and lifeless, and then I saw bugs on them and thought I'll lose them all. I'm still quite new to this.

But then the sun was shining and they were getting watered regularly and then fresh green appeared on the old leaves, new leaves started growing. And with them even some flower buds.

Anacampseros lanceolata 

Anacampseros lancifolia

Anacampseros sp.

I called the kids of that first plant above "weeds" last year. This year, after a dry winter, the new leaves look much better. Instead of being floppy like those grown last year they are short and meaty. Hope to keep them that way.

The rest of the seedlings have grown into little round rosettes with neat fluffy fur. It is quite exciting to see them slowly develop the features of adult plants. I can even attempt some individual portraits.

Anacampseros baeseckei will grow into long fluffy towers with short leaves. At the moment they are just round. They all are from different localities. If you want to know the catalog number and other info click on the pics. The details will be in the file name.

Anacampseros namaquensis should be larger and bushier. Lots of fluff there! Can't even see the leaves on those MG7042.

Unlike these Anacampseros retusa fa. rubra. The kids have very little hairs but the flat heart-shaped leaves are the more interesting.

Anacampseros arachnoides should later have short pointy leaves with cobwebs kinda stuck to them.

Anacampseros telephiastrum should have large round meaty leaves. Mine are still small.

These Anacampseros sp. (albidiflora) look very promising with the pointy leaves.

Not sure how Anacampseros filamentosa are supposed to look like later. We'll see. They are cure little kids.

These are some of the older seedlings. I had hoped they would flower this year but no sign of it yet. I'm very fond of their overall shape.

Anacampseros rufescens can get sloppy easily, from what I see. I should keep them on a strict diet.

Anacampseros rufescens 'Sunrise'

I don't know what these are (An. rufescens?) but the color is great! The new leaves have not managed to get the tan yet.

In my excitement of seeing Anacampseros seedlings revived like this after watering I kinda overdid it with An. vanthielii. Diet!

I also have some younger seedlings (6 months old). I've been watering them though the Winter.

As a conclusion, growing Anacampseros is very rewarding and fun and I can recommend it to everyone.

PS: Hope the cat hair is not too noticeable on the photos. Mila regularly walks on them. It does not seem to damage them though. She also walks on lithops. Which is yet another reason to keep them nice and flat.