Lithops fulviceps lookin good!

L. fulviceps, a bit dusty after a winder indoors, but looking healthy!

The weather here has be unusually warm....like 10 degees (Celsius) above normal. The snow is melting, the geese are coming back and the wonderful smell of warming soil is getting me excited for spring!

I took all of my lithops out from under the grow lights for the first time in months and inspected each one. A few seedlings have died, but it looks like all of my adult plants have made it through their first winter with me just fine. Most are busy changing their leaves and getting ready for another summer basking in the sun.

Can't wait until I can put all the lithops outside and free up room under the lights for starting seedlings. I've amassed a big collection of lithops seeds over the past year, and have no room to plant them!

Stubborn Lithops pseudotruncatella

So this guy has been done changing his leaves and sitting around encased in a dried wrapping for, oh, a good 4 months now. I've given him two good drinks of water and he has been completely uninterested in breaking free.

I finally noticed why this morning.

The little bugger was busy making another set of leaves. Wtf plant? Kinda like Rika's confused fulviceps.

I got out my finest tweezers and cleaned off the old, dried leaves. Not sure if I really should have, but I really don't think the plan needs them anymore.

Voila:

Hopefully he doesn't die.

Well crap.

Looks like my sago palm is on its' way out.

I've never had any luck keeping these plants alive. This is probably the 4th one I've tried to grow over the years. Just can't seem to figure out what the trick is with these guys. This one was outside all summer, the leaves stayed green and healthy-looking, but it never grew any new leaves. Just noticed it starting to brown up and die the other day.

Any advice?

Dioscorea elephantipes update

Just posting a more recent picture of my oldest Dioscorea elephantipes. Lots of heart-shaped leaves, and he keeps growing at a slow and steady pace, even in the face of my currently spastic watering schedule. Man I love this plant! Still have three others tangled together in a pot and it doesn't seem to bother them in the least.


Obligatory caudex shot - it's small but there!

The little flower machine

I don't know much about Faucaria paucidens except that they grow like weeds. I wish all mesembs were so amiable. This Faucaria has been more or less constantly in flower since late September - you can see the older flower heads to the left of the current one. I wonder when he will get tired and take a rest for the winter?

Peeking

L. lesliei C1

Lo and behold, things are happening even in the depths of winter! Some pictures of my lithops changing their leaves. Many more in my collection are doing the same thing, just picked some of the more interesting ones. Looks like a few will be becoming two-headed this year, which saddens me since my favorites are always large, single-headed plants. But I guess it means they are happy.

L. hookeri

L. halli

L. gracilidelineata (C261)

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Winter blues and bugs

Wow, I really didn't think it had been so long since I last posted. It seems like my urge to post dried up when I brought most of my plants in for the season and they are mostly crowded around windows or tucked away under the grow lights. 

Plus I've switched computers (again) and I'm always slow about getting my camera software setup on a new comp and all the settings arranged for maximum posting ease.

Working on it though, in between family illnesses, thesis, Christmas shopping, making Christmas gifts etc. etc.

Should have something to post soon - did my first detailed plant inspection in awhile and some of my Huernias seem to have contracted a bad case of the mealies. They are crowded in with other succulents in one of the few west-facing windows in the house, so I forsee a vast bug-murder spree in my future. I also suspect red spider mites are kicking about too. Argh!

Sigh I hate dealing with pests, particularly in wintertime when it's hard to spread things out.

Luckily my beloved lithops and other mesembs are kept in a completely different part of the house from the rest of my plants so they seem fine for now.