I think I've mentioned that I bought several beautifully grown Conophytum specimen at the C&S market in Essen recently but haven't shown them yet. Now one of the plants is flowering and this is a good reason for an introduction.
I have almost no own experience growing Conophytums but I've read a lot about them and I'm going to do my best to keep these as healthy and beautiful as they are now. They are used to a greenhouse but I'll do what I can. The previous owner warned me to water extremely rarely and just a little at a time. Please note that the pots are 5x5cm and the heads are very very small!
Conophytum pellucidum v. pellucidum 'pardicolor' ex. de Boer
Conophytum ricardianum SB1116
Conophytum uviforme ssp. uviforme SB952
Conophytum bilobum 'christiansenium' (2 plants). These look like Cheiridopsis to me :)
I seem to have acquired a lot of Conophytums and in particular pellucidum. Some can have a very tall flower for the size of the plant.
ReplyDeleteTheir previous owner has done a great job growing them! :) The pellucidum is now flowering out of all head and it's really pretty.
DeleteКоники такие милашки!
ReplyDeleteАга! Надеюсь, я их не загублю...
DeleteAll right. I'll admit the plants are cute, and the flowers for most conophytums are more colorful than lithops flowers, but they are still fall/winter growers! For these plants to do their best they really require a location that receives relatively strong light in the fall and early winter. Actually, they probably would do very nicely in my outdoor heated frames. It will be interesting to see how they do in your window situation. I hope Germany has a very sunny fall and early winter and all your winter growers grow wonderfully. Of course I have very little influence on the weather, so don't expect too much out of MY hopes. Maybe your hopes and wishes will do better. After all, you seem to find more growing space just by hoping you find it.
ReplyDeleteOf your new plants I think I like the C. uviforme best, but they all are nice. Yes, the C. bilobum doesn't look very much like a conophytum, but classification is all about the flowers and fruit. Take good care of your new charges, they are depending on their new Mesemb Mother. ;)
I know. And I have great doubts about my ability to grow them well or even keep them alive under my conditions. I'll do my best though...
DeleteWell, let's hope for a sunny fall together :) If the weather allows it they will get the light they need. I'm more concerned about the resting period. Hope to be able to bring them through that...
I'm confused about the Cheiridopsis denticulata. For winter growers they haven't grown much last winter but had a great growth spurt in spring and summer.
There are a number of mesembs that are better called "opportunistic growers." In South Africa they are winter growers because most of their rain comes during that season, but when grown in cultivations, rain (watering) comes whenever they need it and our (those living in the Northern Hemisphere) light is better during the summer season. These plants adapt to a summer growing period for us, althought they often continue to flower on a "winter growing" schedule. Sometimes you just have to observe your plants under your conditions and follow their lead. Perhaps you are beginning to see that with your C. denticulata plants. I learned about this growing Titanopsis, which was originally listed as a winter grower, but seems quite amendable to growing whenever water is available. The one caution here however, is that when plants go into a definite dormancy period, such as conophytums, you hold back on water. Again, you try and follow the plants lead. One of your most notable skills is your ability to watch the plants and try to react to what they are telling you; even though this seems to scare you a lot. XD
DeleteVery interesting! Thank you for the insight! :) Observation indeed is important. No matter what the books say, if you watch these plants closely you'll catch the time when they're dormant and stop watering and notice when they start growing to support them in this decision as well ^___^ Or at least that's the ideal situation we can only hope for...
DeleteIt feels like C. denticulata that have been growing all spring and summer are now slowing down and preparing to rest. In case of Titanopsis I noticed that all of the adult plants I have were sleeping in summer (I was barely watering) and are now waking up with new leaves. Most of my Lithops also went dormant during the heat and I wasn't watering them. Maybe that's why I could get a much better flowering from them this year. I haven't tried to induce dormancy though, it happened naturally (the summer was unexpectedly hot and sunny). I expect winter-growers like Conophytum and Monilaria to be very difficult to grow though... Will have to be very carefull.