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Hey folks, I'm receiving a Pseudolithos cubiformis and I was wondering why all the ads and everything says it's a difficult plant. Is it really and why?
Some websites say don't water when it's cold, however it will grow under lights as all my plants do so it will never be "cold" so that should eliminate that particular problem. Are there other aspects of cultivation I need to be wary of?

Go Go Somali Asclepiads!

If you can keep in warm through out the year, water on a consistant basis, so you don't kill the roots by letting it dry up too much

A bunch of us bought plants grown from seed by Vince Basta, he used pure pumice for soil, and the growth was incredible, very fat and healthy

So I've switched to pure mineral mix, which consists of mostly silty sand (from a sandy road, not sifted), pumice and dry stall, which also includee the pumice dust. So far so good.

The huge one at the CSSA rare plant auction, donated by Miles Anderson, was very much underpotted, too. Do you find that this is a good idea, Craig?

peterb

Small pots are a must

And of course they like the heat

C And D wrote:A bunch of us bought plants grown from seed by Vince Basta, he used pure pumice for soil, and the growth was incredible, very fat and healthy.

Ya, Vince grew some real beauties!
The pure pumice mix was interesting, wouldn't have thought it would do so well. But there's no denying the results!

The plant Miles donated for the auction was between the size of a tennis ball and a baseball in a 2.25" pot. A Pseudololipop

Thanks guys keep the Pseudolithos talk going I'll listen (read)!

I'm concentrating on small plants with my cacti & succulent collection so small pots sounds great! Is this so it drains fast or because they grow in rock crevices and like cramped quarters? My light shelves consist of plants in 2.5" and 4" pots. I have some 2.5" pots that are twice the standard depth, would they preffer a deep pot or a small shallow one?

Do they like fertilizer or are they touchy on that as well?

My soil mix is: Shultz Aquatic Plant Soil (baked clay granules)+ perlite + a little coir. It seems to dry out in my plastic pots after 2-3 days. I can add some granulated limestone if the cubiformis would like it.

Is there a key to making my plant grow in the cube shape? I'd like to have a perfectly square cubiformis and a perfectly spherical mituriginus. With a triangular White-Solanaca.

I find this succulent a very interesting plant and I would love to grow it from the seed, but... Do they survive in Holland? I don't have a greenhouse, but I can give them around 15 hours sun (in the summer). I can't give them much heat. Only in the summer, but in the winter it's around 20 degrees Celsius.

Can I grow them here?

Just got one of these in the mail today. It'll be growing under lights in our heated basement year-round.

I assume they need little water (or none?) during winter and a bit more regularly the rest of the year? I'd really like to avoid turning it into mush!

They are not hard to grown.
Just keep them warm throughout the year, and be a bit more careful with watering (hence the advice of C&D about small pots, as they dry out faster and contain less water). Mature plants can handle bright sunlight very well (seedlings don't!), but I don't think they do need a lot of light. I assume you can grown them from a window sill, if at least aimed at the south (if in the northern hemisphere).

So they need the same watering regime year-round, or less water (say, once a month) in winter?

Seedlings I give a little water every few weeks / once a month. Just a light splash, though.
Big plants can do without water for months. But they might feel more spongy than hard after a while if you squeeze them lightly, though. Nothing to be alarmed about.