It's gotten too cramped in my pot with young
mesemb seedlings so I've transplanted the biggest - Aloinopsis malherbei - away from the others yesterday. This is their first root check. :) The second plant from the left is actually a month older than others and it does look more like an adult.
Also, while pulling out the A. malherbei I've pulled out a couple of the A. schooneesii to find nice carrot-roots. Those are pretty thick if you see them in relation to the plants themselves. Hopefully they will grow into some impressive caudiciforms in a couple of years (more like 10 years...).
I have just potted up some Aloinopsis seedlings. The problem then is finding room.
ReplyDeleteSo true! It's all cramped up my place! Almost none of the lithops pots are for one plant only, and it's the same with other smaller mesembs.
DeleteHi Rika, I think a good part of your great success with your plants is attention to the roots. A good root system is the key to great plants. The use of pure pumice and your transplanting techniques afford the opportunity to closely inspect the root system, which many growers fail to do. The roots on these Aloinopsis seedlings look great. In the talk I gave on Sunday I discussed Liebig's Law of the Minimum in terms of growing succulents. In essence it implies that your plants will only grow as well as your most limiting environmental factor. If your plants received a bit more light, you would be surrounded by flowers. Thanks for sharing you great looking Aloinopsis seedlings with all of us.
ReplyDeleteYou're too kind :) Thank you!
DeleteMy next appartment simply _must_ have better light conditions. This would be the most important thing when I start to search XD
Transplanting seedlings and checking the roots is always fun for me. Yesterday I've transplanted all the A. schooneesii as well, the roots are really nice. Pumice works miracles in this respect. I also could root rootless lithops and different cuttings in it successfully (recently I've rooted leaf cutting of a adromischus without problems). Good stuff.
Hi Rika, I just sown some A. rubronieata for the first time 2 weeks ago. Quite exciting to see 4 out of 5 has shown their cotyledons (first 2 leaves?). The bag is off now for a few hours daily.
ReplyDeleteAny advice on when I can move them out into their own 3" pots?
Hi Eric :)
ReplyDeleteYou can transplant them when the current pot is too small for them and they are squeezing each other out of it. In a year or so, I guess. No rush.