Problems with Nelii

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elsie
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Location: Hong Kong

Problems with Nelii

Post by elsie »

I bought a Pleiospilos nelii at a florist a week ago. There were 2 of them and I chose the one with 3 leaf pairs. The lower leaf pair showed a sign of shrivelling but I thought it might be normal for nelii to dry it old leaves for the new born. I left it on north-west facing bay window in its original medium, which is some kind of peat. The peat was dry and part of the lower leaf pairs made contact with it. I have not watered the nelii since it's been home. I didn't repot it but put tiny pieces of bark around the pot to provide support to my plant. I had 2 neliis before and white mold developed on their lower leaves. They died after I removed the mold from their leaves. I suspect the white stuff is mildew but I'm not sure. Please suggest what I have to do with my nelii. If it's mildew, please recommend ways to cure my plant. Thanks!
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iann
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Re: Problems with Nelii

Post by iann »

Not necessarily fatal. The dying old leaves can look pretty nasty and sometimes even get mouldy. You need to take it out of that nasty soil, check the roots (if it has any), and make sure that the plant isn't rotting. Can be tricky with P. nelii since the leaves tend to be a bit soft anyway, but they shouldn't be mushy and they shouldn't smell bad. If the leaf is rotting then you'll probably lose the whole plant, but you could try removing the rotting parts and re-rooting what's left,

One thing you don't need to worry about for a while is watering. It doesn't need any. Which is handy because you'll probably damage the roots getting that soil off, then need to put it in some soil that drains better and leave it a few weeks to recover.
--ian
elsie
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Location: Hong Kong

Re: Problems with Nelii

Post by elsie »

Thanks, iann. The lowest leaf pair shrivelled and became hard and the topmost leaf pair has grown a bit. I have repotted the nelii in a mix of tiny stones, pearlite and cactus soil. More than 80% of the mix is pearlite and stones and my nelii looks happy in it.
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greenknight
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Re: Problems with Nelii

Post by greenknight »

Looking good!
Spence :mrgreen:
iann
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Re: Problems with Nelii

Post by iann »

That will be a very dry mix, but then P. nelii is extremely succulent! Certainly not thirsty at the moment. Just aim to keep the central leaf pair nicely inflated and let the outer pair go if they want. Get it used to the sun slowly because it is a bit green at the moment, then all the sun you can find over the winter.
--ian
elsie
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Re: Problems with Nelii

Post by elsie »

I have three lithops at home and one of them is wrinkly. I tried to moist the mix with a few drops of water but it’s still wrinkly. It is summer here and temperature can reach 34-36 degrees at the bay window. I dare not to water the lithop thoroughly because I'm afraid it is in dormancy and will rot with too much water. Should I keep it like that until autumn or can let it have a bit more water after changing the medium to a porous one?
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iann
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Re: Problems with Nelii

Post by iann »

I tried to moist the mix with a few drops of water
I call that "teasing the Lithops". Its cruel ;) I don't know what your weather is like, but if you're concerned about dormancy then these plants are in no imminent danger from lack of water. If I saw mine looking like that, I'd probably water them, but then mine would be buried a lot deeper so I wouldn't see them :lol: L. aucampiae doesn't mind water in the summer, at least not here. If you are in the middle of a tropical heatwave, maybe wait. If nothing else, I'd like to see the little one cracked out of its shell :)

Back to basics, you need to change the soil. Probably one reason a few drops of water didn't do any good is that soil like that strongly repels water once it dries out. You need something with less peat (or coir?) and more grit. When you repot you'll probably find you have three separate plants - same species but they do appear to have different patterns. Lithops are easier to manage each in their own pot, but you can keep them together if you like a challenge. Each one could go in a pot that size. L aucampiae is a pretty big Lithops and should have a long taproot (fingers crossed).

So, once you've got them in some sensible soil, settled in for a few weeks, and maybe with cooler weather - no more few drops of water. When they want a drink, then water until it comes out of the holes in the bottom of the pot. Then leave it alone at least until it thoroughly dries out, and preferably until it starts to wrinkle up again. Don't be fooled by a few fake wrinkles after a day in the sun, wait for it to stay wrinkled all the time and start to get shorter (or disappear into the soil if it is mostly buried).
--ian
elsie
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Location: Hong Kong

Re: Problems with Nelii

Post by elsie »

I have put the 3 lithops into separate pots but my nelii seems getting into trouble again - lower part of the lowest leaf pair becomes mushy . I didn't water the nelii and it was in good condition yesterday. I don't know if the nelii just wishes to get rid of the leaf pair and let the topmost leaf pair to split or it is just dying. Please help!
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iann
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Re: Problems with Nelii

Post by iann »

That doesn't look so great. The roots might have rotted.
--ian
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Aiko
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Re: Problems with Nelii

Post by Aiko »

Mushy is not good for Lithops and Pleiospilos. No chance to save them when that happens.
Although... maybe you could cut the new leave pair out, and try to reroot it, if the rot has not got to it yet?
elsie
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Location: Hong Kong

Re: Problems with Nelii

Post by elsie »

I put it on the bay window facing north-west so it can get plenty of afternoon sun and fresh air. Pearlite and small rocks form 80% of its mix. I didn't water it :idea: . Is nelii sensitive to temperature? Temperature here rises up to 35-36 Celcius yesterday ( I am living in subtropical zone).
hardcoregeneral
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Re: Problems with Nelii

Post by hardcoregeneral »

Sorry to hijack this thread, but I have a nelli that was given to me around three years ago. Since receiving the plant it has not produced new leaves yet! Does anyone know why this plant hasn't replaced its leaves? The current colour of the plant is a greeny brown, but it is not mushy or soft etc.
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Kattatonic
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Re: Problems with Nelii

Post by Kattatonic »

I have a P. Nelii with a similar issue, but no white mildew viable.
When i noticed the bottom leaves getting soft, i moved it into the shade and stopped watering it. The bottom leaves soon firmed up.
However, i feel like my P.Nelii isn't in the best condition, as i currently have 3 sets of leaves on it...which i read is not ideal.

It would seem that i have similar temperatures to your area, but i keep mine outside as opposed ti on a window inside.
I gave my friend a P.Nelii though and he keeps it inside and actually had it flower though.

Hope yours gets better!
iann
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Re: Problems with Nelii

Post by iann »

If you panic every time the oldest leaves start to look bad then your plant will just get more and more leaves. You have to let them go and they will look nasty while they're going. They don't even look great after they're obviously dead, and they're not easy to remove either.
--ian
richs2k6
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Re: Problems with Nelii

Post by richs2k6 »

Just throwing this in there but I read covering the soil with rocks can be a bad thing because it helps keep the soil underneath it wet. Makes sense to me since if rocks are covering the soil it won't not allow air to circulate over the soil to dry it out naturally. I had an echeveria that I potted with small pebbles covering the soil and it always seemed to take longer to dry out. It also makes it tougher to know when to water since you can't see the color of the soil. Maybe the soil ISN'T drying out between waterings but you may not know because you can't see it. Now I just throw a few in strategically under echeveria leaves since I don't want them sitting in water. Can anyone elaborate on if what I'm saying is true? I'm still a newbie myself.
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