Sunday, March 1, 2015

New growing season!

My dear readers, I'm sorry I have neglected the blog this winter. It's been busy and chaotic during and after the move to my new place but things are getting better, I'm settling in and finally have more time to look around instead of running all the time. I've been using my weekends for shopping (so many things are needed when you move!), assembling new furniture (all by myself and very proud of it) and simply getting used to the new environment (much like my planties). During the weekdays I couldn't take any pictures - I leave home in the dark and come back from work in the dark.
Anyway, this is how the new lithops-growing-place looks like. I'm going to put a panel from one side of the "inner balcony" to the other and shield it from the living room with curtains creating a winter garden of sorts. There will be much more room there for all the new sowings I've been planning for so long. I want to use the actual balcony for summer plant growing as well (much more light there!) but have to figure out how exactly.

I've lost some plants but much less than expected and about as many as I lose every winter. But we're not out of the woods just yet. The first year in the new environment is critical so this year I'm going to find out which plants can grow well here, which need a special care and which won't grow at all. I think this apartment will offer less sunlight but so far I can not see any plant growth assosiated with bad light conditions (fingers crossed it stays this way). And there is a first flower of 2015 - Delosparma harazianum decided to open a flower that's been in the pre-flowering state since months. Does it even have a fixed flowering season? To see it is very welcome and encouraging.

Lithops are doing their thing and regenerating more or less gracefully. L. fulviceps are doing it so nicely again they deserve a portrait. It definitely pays off for them to sometimes start the regeneration in summer already - they finish perfectly in time. And all the fresh two-headed-ness!


Perfect leaf changing performance from L. gesinae v. annae.


Smaller seedlings seem to be doing more or less okay. L. lesliei 'Fred's Redhead' are, I think, in fact doing much better this winter and I hope for a good growing season for them. Others are still in early stages while older seedling are all done by now and just slumber waterless untill it's warmer. Check out the cute smiling L. steineckeana!


I'm not watering any of the lithops yet but some of other succulents depending on their needs (judged solely visually). Avonias were getting a little water all the time (click for XXL pic).

11 comments:

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  2. Yay you're back! I love love seeing your lithops, glad they're doing well at the new place!
    If I may use this opportunity to ask a question - I've managed to gather quite a few lithops since I started last year, and now that spring is coming again I have a few more coming in. I was thinking of taking this opportunity to repot my current ones as well and organise all of them in fewer pots... but we've had a pretty grey blah winter and many of them are not done regenerating yet (some haven't even started?!) Is it a better idea to pot up the new ones now, then integrate the whole collection together a month or two down the road when everyone's done? Or is that just going to double the trauma. Thanks in advance.

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    1. Hi :) Thank you for the warm welcome!

      Now is the perfect time to repot your lithops. Their roots are completely inactive (if you were keeping them dry over the last few months) and they won't even notice it ;) The trick is to transplant them from (obviously) dry substrate into dry substrate. This way they will not realise anything has changed and will just start growing actively (using their roots rather than old leaves) once they've regenerated and you started watering. In case you find bugs on the roots while repotting you'll have to wash the roots. After that the roots should dry in the air and only then you can put them into dry substrate. No trauma to be expected this time of the year :)

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  3. Nice to have the update. The plants are looking good.

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    1. Thank you! I see that yours are doing well, too :)

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  4. Wonderful new place :) You're very lucky !!!! It's a nice one.

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    1. Thank you Marc! :) I hope it gets cozy soon, it's still quite empty :)

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    2. Empty place means lots fo place for Lithops !!!!!!!!!! ;) Wondeful !!!

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  6. Hi Rika and welcome back. We've missed you and your wonderful plants. So nice to see your new apartment with all the windows. Also thanks for the wonderful photos. Nice to see your Lithops are coming through the winter well and bringing forth their shiny new leaves. The blemishes of the past year, if there were any, are completely erased as the leaves are made new again. Such wonderful little plants. Also glad to see your Avonia looking so nice. I still have my Avonia flower wallpaper. You even have a flowering Delosperma. All mine are frozen solid and covered with ice and snow. The flower tells us spring is not far away.

    Again, very nice to see your plants again, and look I forward to hearing more about them as spring approaches. Best wishes to you. Bob

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    1. Thank you very much Bob! :) And I'm happy I finally have time to write new lithops stories. But in winter there's not much to write about anyway unlike now when new life starts all around.

      I don't know why the Delosperma is flowering. There's even a new flower growing on another branch. I'm going to assume it just feels the love ♡

      Have a nice weekend :)

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