Stapelia Scitula flowering. Should I water?
Stapelia Scitula flowering. Should I water?
I bought one of these off ebay and it seemed to grow pretty decent in Spring indoors watering it once a week. Then all of a sudden it disliked all water and when I would water it the stem would shrivel at the base. I decided to just put it outside to see what happened and throughout summer (in Southern California) I rarely watered it (more scared than anything). Anyhow, now that Fall is upon us it decided to bloom! From what I've read these are dormant in the winter but this seems to be opposite. It's almost like mine was dormant in the summer which is why it shriveled when I watered it (and I BARELY watered it) and is growing in the fall/winter which is why it's blooming. I'm confused. I brought it inside because I was worried with all o the rain it would want to shrivel again. I gave it one day of rain water then brought it in. Should I continue to water it once a week? Or stop? It's in pretty gritty cactus soil.
- greenknight
- Posts: 4819
- Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:18 am
- Location: SW Washington State zone 8b
Re: Stapelia Scitula flowering. Should I water?
It should be watered sparingly in winter, I would say once a month rather than weekly. Cold and wet could be fatal, but it's not in the cold, In Southern California you could probably plant it outdoors and ignore it. Growing in a pot is a different matter, you were right to be concerned about too much rain.
According to these guys, they bloom throughout the year - http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/SUCC ... s._scitula
According to these guys, they bloom throughout the year - http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/SUCC ... s._scitula
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