I have been told that it doesn't transplant well, I don't know how much sun it will tolerate. At the Huntington Gardens, they are green house grown. So are in controlled temperatures. Check with Jtrager@huntington.org how he takes care of them. I was surprised that they took low light. Never cut off the dead leaf ends. That was the first instructions they gave me.
Be sure to use Liquidnox fertilizer during their growing season, after you water. Dilute the stuff. Follow directions. You are in a perfect location to grow them, in Africa they grow close to the sea. Norma

Pot: try to find something taller than what it is in right now.

A well drained, porous, typical succulent mix will suffice. I would cut off the rim of the current pot with a scissor, as well as try to cut out the bottom of the pot. Set the entire thing into the new pot at the level you want to keep it, and fill in with the new mix. They transplant well once they have passed the juvenile stage. I can't tell if yours has reached that point but by keeping it in the pot you will minimize root trauma and new roots will grow through the bottom.

You should wait until warmer spring weather to transplant.

Never let the mix dry out completely. These plants need a constant water supply, except during cold weather when watering can be reduced but not stopped.

Full sun is fine, but the root zone MUST be kept cool. A pot out in the sun will cook the fragile root zone. If possible, bury the pot during the growing season.

Any well balanced fertilizer should suffice.

Some fungicide during transplanting may be a good thing.

Water regularly during warm weather.

x

Tongue in cheek, you are in Calif. now. I still suggest that you contact jtrager@huntington.org WE have been growing them for the past 20 years that I know of. Ours has been producing seeds for the past 10 yrs, leave it alone in the pot, you are located in the exact locaction in needs to live. They have very deep roots. The container, is fine for now, and for the next 10 years will be fine in the container, you may want to set it into a deep clay pot and fill in with the mix, punching some round holes into the plastic pot so the roots can grow out of if need be. You need to find out what soil it will need to stay alive. We have ours in a very fast draining soil, NO PEAT MOSS, email jtrager@huntington.org for more instructions. I grew them from seed. The plant could burn from direct western sun.

x have you had experience growing this species? Norma

Use a cascade style bonsai pot, they are taller than they are wide, I have mine in one. As for soil I use a sandy mix so it holds water more, the bottom half holds the soil, top half is decomposed granite so the water drains quickly away from the crown and there's moisture at the end of the tap root as in nature.

Norma - I have had this one for about 7 years, I think:

{{gwi:488380}}

I don't have a growing season as long as SoCal but that doesn't stop me. As far as I can tell the plant is happy and healthy. The photo is from 2008. I did transplant it at the time to a more attractive and slightly wider container, and it sulked for a long time until it resumed growth.

In nature Welwitschia sends out very deep taproots, presumably to take advantage of a deep water table since precipitation outside of heavy fog is minimal.

This taproot begins when the seed sprouts, and if it is disturbed, the seedling usually dies. This is where the "myth" about the need for an extraordinarily deep pot comes from. The truth is that a young plant, if watered properly, does not need a very deep root zone. A cool root zone is very important.

x

so, are these the plants that grow two continuous leaves throughout their lives and can live for a millenium?

They can survive for at least 2000 years, like a Redwood tree. Thr oldest one in Africa as passed away. But a large colony is left. Norma

X yours is a good size and looks very healthy, be sure not to cut the dried leaves. It looks that it may flower soon.
These plants need a male and a female to make seeds. The Huntington has them in tall clay pots now.

I have this one in my yard for about 9 years now. It doesn't get any protection and in January '07 its leaves froze back right to the 'stem'. It is sitting in a dg/clay mix and gets same extra water in summer.
This photo was taken 18 months after the freeze.

{{gwi:488383}}

Jordi

So I am still thinking of the punch line for 'A Welwitschia walks into a bar....'.

Would it be '...and the bartender looks up and says 'You're looking a little strapped.'?

Those are some great photos, all. This isn't a plant I ever tried to grow, but it's wonderful that some of you did, particularly y'all in a Welwitschia-friendly climate.

CJ,

So that bit of the Namib (?) was in flower in October 2008? Did it also flower last year?

X,

You're awesome to us all who grow and live in decidedly-non-succulent climes.

"It looks that it may flower soon."

Is flower really the right term? I'm not sure what you call it when gymnosperms start... doing their thing.

Yeah what do you say for gymnosperms? Coning? It looks like it may cone soon? That sounds weird.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I found the coolest pot at a neat little local nursery a few blocks away that fits it perfectly. A nice heavy duty tall rectangular terracotta pot. For now I'll probably just sit it in the pot and I'll consider actually potting it up in the future when I feel braver.

Very cool to see one growing in the ground Jordi. Is that a male plant?

And x why do you have the stem on yours exposed? Just because you like the way it looks or for cultural concerns?

I have grown them-and seen the big Berkeley plants in greenhouses-cool in winter temps. I can tell you-dont let those young plants go very dry in warm weather. Sure death.

It is a male plant and flowering every year now.

Jordi

"Flowering" is probably not the correct technical term, "coning" is probably more appropriate...but "ready for sexual activity" will work for angiosperms and gymnosperms alike :-)

I have the stem exposed mainly because that's the way it has grown its whole life and I was a little hesitant to bury it completely. When I repotted it, I did position it deeper. With some gravel top dressing it is almost completely buried.

One of the other challenges in a pot is how to position the leaves as they get longer and overflow. I already lost almost a foot of length when the dried up ends snapped off unintentionally while I was moving the pot around.

In coastal Namibia where they are native, the temps are moderate all year - never too hot or too cold. And there are regular, dense, heavy fogs that soak the soil. Bay area weather is probably very similar to habitat.

x

damn,Cactus jordi has some fine plants. The in ground Welwitschia for various reasons takes the cake. His soil-amended?- even looks Namibian.

Do these plants have any defense mechanisms? It's hard to imagine them not getting chomped over two thousand years.

I found one thing that said they were poisonous but I am not sure if it was a reliable source and haven't seen anything else to back it up. Supposedly large herbivores do exist in the Namib desert but I can't imagine they are in very large numbers or maybe the Welwitschias are in a more isolated area.

Jordi

That photo shows 18 months of new growth after the leaves died back?

x

Stanofh,
If one would call the big chunks of old road asphalt in my garden soil amendment, then yes, it is amended. :-)
Several decades ago the about 20º slope on the property was leveled by filling it with kind of topsoil (mainly clay + dg) obviously excavated at road construction projects.

Jordi,have your tried to get female pollen..maybe from botanical gardens?

"have you tried to get FEMALE POLLEN". ????

Jordi

Oh,you know what I meant.

Nevermind..you hurt my feelings now...