Trichodiadema densum leaves drying

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absolute0
Posts: 103
Joined: Sat Apr 23, 2016 3:33 pm
Location: Philippines

Trichodiadema densum leaves drying

Post by absolute0 »

I've had this Trichodiadema densum for almost ten months now. I used to place it on a windowsill but a few months ago I moved it to the balcony where it gets partial sunlight from noon till sunset.

I've noticed that a lot of its leaves have dried off

https://imgur.com/Uu60FyA

On the other hand, there are some new growth (baby leaves) on it

https://imgur.com/Jnb7V4v

I water it once a week but when it rains really hard it gets totally drenched.

Is the drying off normal shedding of old leaves, due to infrequent watering, or the environment being too hot? I am from the Philippines and daytime temperature range from high 20s to high 30s Celsius.

This is how it looked like when I first got it

https://www.instagram.com/p/BSFQTeMgkXX ... taniku.kun
esp_imaging
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Re: Trichodiadema densum leaves drying

Post by esp_imaging »

Maybe it's slightly to hot? They are often regarded as winter growers so may prefer it a little cooler. In practise, I think they grow if they have water and are neither too hot or too cold.
Was your windowsill a cooler location? And does your climate cool down noticeably from now to January?
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mmcavall
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Location: São Carlos - SP, Southeast Brazil, Cerrado Region

Re: Trichodiadema densum leaves drying

Post by mmcavall »

It looks exactly like mine. I have this plant since 18 months, it grows slowly while old leaves dry, like yours. The ones I see from other people are always more green. To tell you the truth, I have two plants, the second one is protected from strong sun at noon, but takes good sun in the morning, and looks better. A thrird one was in the shaded area of the greenhouse and died, not sure why.
absolute0
Posts: 103
Joined: Sat Apr 23, 2016 3:33 pm
Location: Philippines

Re: Trichodiadema densum leaves drying

Post by absolute0 »

I've decided to move mine back to the windowsill since it's a cooler location. It is south facing and gets bright indirect light, it gets direct light in the afternoons though but for the moment I've situated the plant in such a way that it doesn't get hit. I hope the plant will recover its lushness. By December, climate here gets cooler but not that much (low 20s)
absolute0
Posts: 103
Joined: Sat Apr 23, 2016 3:33 pm
Location: Philippines

Re: Trichodiadema densum leaves drying

Post by absolute0 »

After moving the Trichodiadema densum to a shady spot, I've observed the leaves still continued to shrivel. I uprooted it and found out that the caudex has gone hollow, like a sack of air. It seems that plant stopped taking in water 8-[ Is there still hope for it?
absolute0
Posts: 103
Joined: Sat Apr 23, 2016 3:33 pm
Location: Philippines

Re: Trichodiadema densum leaves drying

Post by absolute0 »

I consulted someone from a mesemb society and for the benefit of those who might run into the same problem in the future, what happened was, my plant got overwatered (left it in the balcony during a rainy spell that lasted weeks) and the caudex rotted then shriveled. As a result, the branches no longer had access to water. I made some cuttings and I hope these will root
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