Mesebrianthemaceae- What do I do now?

[Ivan C]

While at our City GreenHouse Tour & Open House they also had this Mesebrianthemaceae waiting for me to buy. It looks like it was just recently given a drink and the soil appears to be regular potting soil. I would like to take it out of that and into a good soil mix. It is planted in a 3" (7.5 cm) pot. It appears to need a little cleanup but generally feels very plump and it is totally solid. It was labeled Mesebrianthemaceae aurantaiacum but I know that is incorrect since that name doesn't show up when I do a search.

I would like to know first off what to label it and also can I take it out and wash it off and let it sit and dry and repot it? Any other help would be appreciated.

2609 mesembryanthemum 04.28.2013.jpg (48.24 KiB) Viewed 3502 times

[iann]

This is a Fenestraria. There is only one species, F. rhopalophylla. The labels implies this is the subspecies within yellow flowers, ssp aurantiaca, and I believe it. Flowers will be the final proof. The name on the label dates from 1803. How old is the grower . It was a separate species Fenestraria aurantiaca from 1926 until 1982 and then relegated to a subspecies.

By all means, get it into a different soil. They will grow fast as seedlings in rich soil, but won't live for very long. This one is probably only a year old or maybe two. You might be surprised how much root there is. Every one I have ever repotted, of any age and size, has always been potbound. To accommodate the roots, and just generally to keep it alive, you can use an extremely gritty soil. The roots will start off an inch or two below the soil and spread far and wide, although they can be forced up to the surface if they run out of room.

These things grow in very poor soils on the beaches of South Africa and Namibia, either buried up to their eyeballs in sand or dead from the exposure. Only the southernmost species ever see any rain, a little winter drizzle, and the rest literally live off fog and dew. Sticking them in a pot of normal moist soil is rapid death. The leaf at the top of your picture, and possibly a couple more half hidden, are the warning signs of overwatering. They split their sides when they get too much water, then leaves will turn yellow and shrivel up. That isn't thirsty! Thirsty leaves show wrinkles on the sides and shrink in length as they're trying to hide underground. These aren't easy, but they have great flowers.

I like to grow them submerged but it adds an extra risk. They will need even less water since they only have stomata on the sides of the leaves. Only bury the leaves in a coarse gravel unless you live in the Namib Desert! Watch out for summer dormancy. They can be very difficult to keep plump in summer heat. Don't force it or they'll rot. Just keep splashing them lightly every few days, or even just leave them out to catch night dew. You can occasionally water them more deeply when you see new leaves or flowers growing, most likely in spring or autumn.

Seedling roots:

aurantiaca1.jpg (80.96 KiB) Viewed 3498 times

Mature plant roots:

rhopalophylla1.jpg (79.29 KiB) Viewed 3498 times

[Ivan C]

Thank-you so much Iann. Oh my goodness! Look at those roots! I will definitely get them out right away and let them dry overnight. They do feel very tight, like they might just burst. Than into some good soil in the morning.

[Ivan C]

Well not exactly as much roots but after a season in good soil maybe they will be. I have to see if I can find some John Innes sandy loam or should I just use NAPA or DE?

2616 Fenestraria rhopalophylla ssp aurantiaca 04.29.2013.jpg (62.23 KiB) Viewed 3483 times

[Ivan C]

Does anyone have any idea what could have caused this "Beaver-Like" gnawing on some of the bases? The top dressing I removed is http://www.diatomitecanada.com/horticul ... -earth.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
I know for sure there is no snails but there are plenty of other flying insects around. It may also be possible that I buried it to far up?

Top Dressing.jpg (36.44 KiB) Viewed 3404 times

Top Dressing Removed.jpg (27.1 KiB) Viewed 3404 times

[iann]

Brave man for posting badly treated Fenestraria The "gnawing" is simply overwatering, nothing more, nothing less. Fenestrarias have no off switch and they just keep taking up water. Eventually they explode. Sometimes this results in cracked tops, but if the side cracks then you get what you see with your plants.

This happens most frequently when the leaves are buried because that reduces water loss. Valuable in habitat, but in cultivation it means they need even less water. Remember they can survive in habitat on literally zero rainfall, just fog and dew. This means that deep watering, even in a clay pot with gritty soil, is something that can only be done occasionally, perhaps during peak autumn growth, or perhaps if the plant is particularly thirsty. You can bury them in top dressing but make the soil even more gritty than usual and remember not to overwater.

[Christopher Howard]

Brave man for posting badly treated Fenestraria

Hey, we can't all be the Ians of the world! My plant has been attacked by beavers too!

[iann]

Hey, we can't all be the Ians of the world! My plant has been attacked by beavers too!

Guess how I know what causes this

[SDR]

I love the search feature. I am about to repot my Fenestraria. It is leggy, beaver chewed and wilting in peat. I got it a month ago. This thread is very informative. Thanks.

[1bigfruit]

Nice possible had too much water.
They have tick roots and grow in sand in the wild. Because of this they like wide flat pots.
They grow in winter from october as they are from the namib. Very little water in summer especially when humidity and heat are high. (roitting). The flowers are on stalks and can be a range of colours though the wild species are mainly yellow and white.
D

[Ivan C]

I'm still having a tough time with this one. I have been giving them plenty of water lately as well. If I get flowers I will be happy.

[iann]

I'm still having a tough time with this one. I have been giving them plenty of water lately as well. If I get flowers I will be happy.

They don't need plenty of water. Ever. If they seem to be unhappy then they might be too warm. Good conditions are 5C at night and 15C by day, with a good amount of sun. Without strong sun they will stretch. Without cool nights they will rot or just be unable to keep up with water loss.

[Ivan C]

I can't provide cool nights and days right now. I have them in the house and the lowest it gets is 16°C at night and probably 22°C during the sunnier days. They get lots of sun and don't appear stretched. I guess I better just hold back on the water. The soil dries out fast, though.

[iann]

I can't imagine they'll ever really thrive in those conditions. Still, just give them a splash of water whenever they start to look a but peaky. Little and often works best. The roots are slow, but they'll pick up on every last drop. I keep mine in a porch over winter where it gets down to around 10C at night, occasionally lower. They do much better when they go outside again, cooler nights, but better light. Part of the recipe for success is probably high nighttime humidity which reduces water loss, but is hard to provide indoors.

[1bigfruit]

Flowers at the start of winter usually.