Okay, so I probably shouldn't have...

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melodies
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Joined: Mon Jul 08, 2013 11:18 pm
Location: North Florida, Zone 9a

Okay, so I probably shouldn't have...

Post by melodies »

But I did! My windowsill is already full, so I don't know what I was thinking. All I know is that I couldn't help myself. :oops: My Lowes must have had a new shipment of succulents in, they have had none for months.

So I brought home three new friends (actually four, but I'm only asking about three). Another Pleisopilos nelli, more Lithops, and a Fenestraria aurantiaca.

Here's what I know: The Lithops is a summer grower.

That's about it. So here are my questions: Should I repot now, or wait? They are, of course, in peat, but it is technically winter, so I'm not sure what to do.
Should I water now, or wait?
Should I expose to full sun, bright light, filtered light, shade?

Any tips at all for the three plants would be very appreciated. I'm putting the Lithops up for ID in the ID section.
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Aiko
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Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:26 pm
Location: the Netherlands

Re: Okay, so I probably shouldn't have...

Post by Aiko »

(Please note my advice is tailored at growing them in Europe, I don't know how (or if it should) this translates for Florida)



The Lithops are indeed summer growers. Keep them dry until the new leaves have made their way through the old leaves. With some of the heads you can see this happening already. The new leaves will such the moist out of the old leaves. Just hold the watering can until the old leaves are (almost) gone. Will be a few months.

Same goes for Pleiospilos nelii. Although you can be a bit less strict about waiting with watering until the old leaves have shriveled away. Not strange to have two leave pairs at the peak of growing (but one plant shows three leaf pairs, so maybe wait watering until the oldest / lowest leaves have shriveled away.

The Fenestraria is a winter active plant. Keep it dry in the summer, and start watering from late August or September onwards. Hold the watering can again in spring. The Fenestraria would like as much sun as possible until summer arrives. It is mainly actively growing in September / October / November (skipping the dullest two months of winter a bit) and then active again in February / March / April. But basically you can allow all the species as much light as you can. The The Pleiospilos and Lithops will not get damaged by too much light now anyway, and they would like it in summer. In summer maybe shield the Fenestraria from too much sun intensity, though.

Concerning repotting. not a problem to do that now. With all three species I can advice you to wait a few weeks with watering after repotting. From my experience they can rot real fast if you water them too shortly after repotting them, as botrytis might get into the damaged roots caused by the repotting. So repotting the Lithops and Pleiospilos now is certainly not bad, as you are better off keeping them dry for quite some time from now. By the time they need water, you can safely give them the water as the damaged roots will probably have been restored.
iann
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Joined: Mon Jul 24, 2006 11:10 pm
Location: England

Re: Okay, so I probably shouldn't have...

Post by iann »

Okay, so I probably shouldn't have...
Yeah, you should ;)

No need to rush into anything, they're perfectly plump and content for now.

When you have everything ready, you can repot into a better soil. All three will want excellent drainage and a good sunny spot.

The Lithops can stay dry for another month or two until the new leaves have come through and replaced the old ones. Then you can water well, and water occasionally through summer. Don't be afraid to leave it dry in summer, you'll never kill it by underwatering. This species tends to flower quite late in autumn so there's no rush to water generously until the weather cools off. Stop watering when they flower.

P. nelii might be a winter grower for you. They will grow in summer in England but really prefer cooler conditions. The old leaves are a useful insurance for summer droughts so need to panic about them right now. You can water them occasionally and lightly right through winter. In any case you'll find it hard to make much headway against those big fat leaves until the sun gets really strong. Just makes sure you're always headed towards less leaves, not more.

Fenestraria is definitely a cool season mesemb. It might be difficult for you to keep alive in summer. You'll have to keep it mainly dry when it gets hot and muggy, but still provide a little water. It will shrink dramatically with no water at all, which is OK if it is already half buried, but in a typical pot it just makes it look really ugly without saving much water. Water moderately when nights are cooler, but make sure it gets plenty of light or it will stretch badly. Yours is already trying to find more light. The roots are probably huge but the bigger the pot you give it, the better the drainage will need to be. It might not look it right now, but it can eventually grow to perhaps 10" across.
--ian
SDR
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Joined: Sat Jan 25, 2014 1:27 pm
Location: Austin, Texas, USA USDA Zone 8b

Re: Okay, so I probably shouldn't have...

Post by SDR »

Your plants are facinating. I saw a new shipment of Lithops at Home Depot. I covered my eyes and turned away before I could reach for them.... I am about to repot a Fenestraria aurantiaca as well. First time for me.
Constantly amazed,
Stephen
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