Anacampseros seedlings update (12 pics)

It's been 6 weeks since Mila is in my life and I'm still adjusting. I love her so much, she is the most clever and beautiful little kitty! Still, having another living being live with me and taking care of it is very new to me. Sure I've been taking care of plants a lot in my life but they don't lick my face at night. They also do not talk to me all the time expecting me to understand, like Mila does. Is she hungry? Is she sleepy? Does she want to play now? My plants are fine, by the way, she does not show any interest in eating them. She does jump on the windowsill from time to time though (followed by my yelling) but so far no real damage done. Mesembs and cats seem to be compatible after all.

Back to topic. You remember I've been sowing lots and lots of Anacampseros this February? I've been neglecting them just like all other seedlings this year but I think it was good for them in the end. Now that they are getting bigger and the "proper" looks are starting to show I realize how many they are. What am I supposed to do with all these plants?! I will keep them until they are more or less adult-sized and then give some of them away. So if you're interested drop me a line. I ship within Europe.

Here are some of the seedlings that already look like something.

Anacampseros rufescens 'Sunrise'
Sunrise it is! My cat knocking them over, enforcing transplantation, really improved their looks and sped up the growth. Thanks Mila, my tireless helper.

The seedlings in the next four pots all look pretty similar at this stage but they are in fact all different.
I'll leave all details I have on the below plants in brackets. "An--" numbers are from the Atomic Plant catalog.

Anacampseros baeseckei (Kinderle, ex MG7009, An63)

Anacampseros namaquensis (Sendelingsdrift, ex MG7042, An69)

Anacampseros arachnoides (s Calitzdorp, An79)

Anacampseros filamentosa ssp. tomentosa (20km w Windhoek, An156)

Anacampseros rufescens (JVT g6311 n.v. Audtshoorn)
Cute pointy leaves.

Anacampseros telephiastrum (JVT g6324 uid.v. Calitzdorp)
Too many! I really need to start transplanting one of these days...

 Anacampseros retusa f. rubra (Kalbakkies Pass, An44)
These are quite interesting. They are supposed to be "hairless" and grow fat roots.

Anacampseros vanthielii (grown from own seeds)

Hatched in October 2015 and getting too big for the two pots I have them in. 

Anacampseros filamentosa ssp namaquensis (also from own seeds)

These are from 2014 and very neat looking by now. Not yet flowering though.

I already have this year's seeds to give away if someone is interested. Involuntarily sowings are happening, too.

All in all, if you want a sense of achievement Anacampseros are the plants you are looking for. Quite easy from seed and cuttings and no special care required. Also, transplanting speeds things up considerably (that's why I keep postponing it XD).

Recent observations on Anacampseros (15 pics)

I'm getting excited about Anacampseros again :D

Seeing the seedlings grow and some of the adults with first signs of flower stalks is more than enough to rekindle the fascination. Growing Anacampseros is very new to me and there's a lot to observe and note to myself. 

First, please let me brag about my 2014 and 2015 seedlings, grown from own seeds, for just one moment. Both sets of seedlings have recently started looking like adults and it's just such a joy for me!

The fuzzy An. filamentosa ssp namaquensis are probably the closest I'm gonna get to owning a cat.

An. vanthielii have finally grown enough leaves to form neat rosettes. They will be quite large when they grow up.

Back to the observations, I've noticed an interesting growth pattern on a couple of my older and bigger plants. This An. vanthielii (mother to the above seedlings), for example, seems to abandon (or replace?) the tops of the stems while growing lots of new branches "from below" near the root.

The below An. telephiastrum are doing the same. It's a forest of new growth near the roots while the tops barely grow any new leaves. Although they do seem to re-use the tops for growing flower stalks.

This growing pattern seems strange to me but it is also very welcome. I'd greatly prefer it to the tendency of growing in hight while dropping leaves down below (looks like An. arachnoides enjoy doing that, from what I see). This results in ugly sticks and necessity of cutting and re-rooting. Or in going horizontally overboard. I really don't have room for that. So do your thing, little guys, I support you.

In other news - flower stalks! I see several around. It's pretty exciting :)

This An. lanceolata (An33 in atomic-plant catalog) is ahead of all others. Unfortunately I missed the fully open flower yesterday. Still sad about that. Stupid.

Other flower stalks are just starting to show.

Anacamoseros sp.

An. arachnoides (An106)

An. arachnoides (An208)

Also, the seedlings sown in February are still alive. Actually, I won't stop worrying about them until they grow first "real" leaves.

Some are already quite fluffy.

An. telephiastrum

Some even show a glimpse of first true leaves.

An. rufescens

An. filamentosa ssp. filamentosa (An150)

Other appear fine but are kinda stuck. I'll keep worrying about them until I see some action. Maybe it's the recent heat or maybe they're just too young. Time will tell.

An. filamentosa ssp. tomentosa (An156)

An. rufescens 'Sunrise'

I have many more seedlings but of a smaller varieties. I can't quite catch them on camera yet. 

Cheiridopsis on the windowsill (8 pics)

I have mentioned before that Cheiridopsis grow very well on a windowsill, in my unexperienced experience. They don't make any troubles and, unlike other mesembs, are able to grow to a large size under insufficient light conditions without losing attractiveness or having growth problems later. They grow here in small 5x5cm pots in pure pumice (no plant food) with little but regular watering throughout the year. This last part is what confuses me. They do seem to be opportunistic and will grow without a resting period if watered. They also retain two to three pairs of leaves at a time and there seem to be no need to let old leaves dry off before encouraging new growth. That's all fine and well, but I'd be more comfortable if they were on a fixed watering schedule. Maybe I'm thinking too much and should just accept their growing pattern and simply care for them as I did so far. It surely does not hurt. Except for the fact that they never flower ;) There's a chance that fixed watering schedule in support of a somewhat regulated yearly cycle might help with that. 

You already know the Ch. denticulata I've been growing since 2013. The plants are huge. Can't even fit them on a photo. I constantly feel the need to give them bigger pots but they seem to be fine just with occasional fresh substrate. Note that they are this "fat" without any fertilizer. They get watered a little only when they get wrinkly. I let them have two pairs of leaves at a time but try to water less when third is coming. They have enough resources to support it.

This Ch. cigarettifera however is the newest member of my Cheiridopsis gang. I just got two plants in February and am relieved they react to water. They seem to grow on stilts!

The guys below are some of those I got last year. They have all developed well since then. However, looking at last July's photos it seems that they were grown much stricter. Sure, they come from a greenhouse with much better light. But it seems to me they were allowed to have only one pair of leaves in Summer. Mine have two now. Does it mean I have to starve them from now on to achieve the same look this July that they had last July? It might be beneficial for the leaf color but it will break my heart at the same time. Tough decision.

Cheiridopsis brownii (MG 1365.4)

Cheiridopsis bruynsii (MG 1404.81)

Cheiridopsis excavata (MG 1375) This one might be called an Ihlenfeldtia excavata .

Cheiridopsis seem to be easy from seed, too. These are my own seedlings of Ch. pillansii (MG 1401.5), now exactly 2 years old. Out of 8 seeds 7 germinated and I still have all of them. Would recommend them to newbies ;)

Here are Ch. pillansii (MG 1401.5) I sowed from the same bunch of seeds almost two months ago. Cute babies!

Fenestraria seedlings

I have never expected these Fenestraria seedlings to survive this long but they did. Since they first hatched one year ago I was basically waiting for them to die. They might not look good or have a good shape or color but they are still alive and growing. Every new set of leaves I see I'm like "Wow, no way, you're still trying? Good job! Have a drop of water!" I'm watering them very little as I've lost adult plants to rot every time within days. 

Apropos survivors, I've had a pot with Monilaria seedling I believed dead but it turns out one of them was just sleeping and is now turning green. I'm not giving up on the idea of growing Monilaria yet.

Moody Fenestraria seedlings

These Fenestratia rhopalophylla ssp. aurantiaca 'Fireworth' seedlings are now 4 months old and getting touchy. Like teenagers they seem to hate everything I do and grow best when I just leave them alone. I can't quite figure them out. Being winter-growers Fenestrarias rest in summer. My understanding was that such young seedlings wouldn't have the resting period yet but they really really hate being watered these days. It's like 3 drops are barely okay but when it's 4 - they get suicidal. Watering results in immediate leaf loss. But they are so small and they need water, don't they? It's hot and sunny after all. Apparently what I think is best for them is the opposite of what they think. I guess I'll keep giving them those 3 drops of water whenever they get soft and hope they won't freak out.

Attempts to grow Muiria hortenseae from seed

I wanted to share this rare sight with you because, well, the seedling could die any day. My attempts to grow Muiria hortenseae from seed so far were all more or less "is it dead yet?" I was sowing them 5 seeds at a time three times this year and the seedling below is the most I can show for it. The next sowing is scheduled for this fall and when I run out of seeds I will buy more and try again. I'm still far from giving up.

Anyway, this is how it went: The seeds germinate just fine (3 out of 5 mostly) and then they keep the cotyledons for months. I don't know whether this is how it is suppossed to be or the result of my conditions. Lithops seedings can keep their cotyledons for a long time too but depending on the species they are stronger, more resistent. In case of Muiria they are weeker and unfortunatelly wither before any true leaves can develop. The seedling below was sown in February (!) and is the only one that could develop first true leaves. This is the most success I've had with Muiria so far! The leaves have come out through its side and the cotyledons never dried off. Now it's lying on the side, using both leaf pairs, which is a clever thing to do because it makes it more succulent. For such a slow grower it seems to be important. It looks healthy and strong but it really is tiny and shows no signs of new growth. The root system is also quite fragile (yes, I had the courage to check). Now I just give it water from time to time and wait.

Fenestraria seedlings

Here are some of my youngest Mesemb kids - three-month-old Fenestraria rhopalophylla ssp. aurantiaca 'Fireworth'. I tried it with adult plants but lost them within a month or so. In my experience, even if you fail at growing a particular plant you should try growing it from seed. The seedlings will be stronger, healthier and accustomed to your growing conditions from the start. These Fenestraria seedlings look very well so far, stable growth, meaty short leaves. I'm optimistic :)

Anacampseros seedlings (2 pics)

I've sent out all the envelops with fresh Anacampseros seeds to you guys. Make sure to sow them soon :)

The bunch of seeds I've hatched myself have turned into 9 tough seedlings and now, as they are one whole month old, they are showing their first hairs. Cute, huh? At first I thought those were mealy bugs, which is far less cute XD

Cheiridopsis pillansii seedlings (3 pics)

To continue the Cheiridopsis theme, on April 20th I've sown some of the Cheiridopsis pillansii seeds I got from Mesa Garden this year. Almost all of them germinated on the second day and now they are growing their first true leaves already. The pics are very large but make sure to click on them to see the new tiny hairy leaves in all detail :)

Cute kids, huh? :)

Monilaria pisiformis seedlings

These Monilaria pisiformis seedlings are now one month old (actually younger, the seeds were sown on the 5th of April) but they already are growing their first true leaves, the bunny-ears kind, somehow breaking through the sides but okay, whatever :)

I'm very excited to grow them because of the two different kinds of leaf sets situation. I'm not sure how they will grow in their first year but I'm ready for all the surprises they'll throw at me!

The fat seedlings in the back are Cheiridopsis pillansii, sown 20th of April, by the way.

(Seeds from Mesa Garden)