Morning Cliss, Good luck rooting your Tills. Hope you can open this link...isn't it gorgeous? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tillandsia_tower_arp.jpg Maybe your Tills are taking longer to root due to time of year??? I too like the look of different variety Crypts growing in one container. A shallow pot would probably do well, right? How about an Aechmea in the center, surrounded by Crypts? Preferably pups. That'd be a nice setup. I wish Botanical Gardens wasn't so far north. Seems, places to visit, are always up north.. You're far south, so the ride is a long hike for you, too. Can't recall the year, but we went to BG's the same wkend a Bromiliad and Succulent show was being held..I didn't know BG's sold plants, but what a surprise! LOL How long did it take by public transportation? Heck, it's a long drive by car.. We used to haul our bikes from Brookfield to Caldwell St. Ride through the bike trail until we reached BG's. A good 25 miles from Caldwell to BG's. Browse their gardens and of course, the 3 green houses. Bike back to the car, then the long, tiring drive home. I didn't bring much cash, so the only plant I bought was Sansevieria cylindrica...vendor charged 11 for this Sans, in a 3" pot. One of the least expensive succulents. lol. Did you browse the green houses and gardens? If not, next time you go, you must have a look-see. When is their next show? If it's warm enough, I'd like to go. Warm meaning at least 75F. lol. Discounts are 'usually' available for Navy Pier Show. Used to be. They're prices are way too high. And Parking!!! Last time we went, parking alone cost 27.00. We missed the shuttle bus, so ended up walking a little over a mile. One, tiny cup of pop, 1.75. I bought a few plants, lol. When we left, temps dropped, 'you know how windy the city is,' and snowing, big time. Temps were frigid. By the time we got home, 2 out of 3 plants were frost-bitten. I first met Ted at Navy Pier Show in the mid-90's. We started talking..I was delighted to hear Ted's Nursery existed, and located south instead of north of the city. Bought a Dracaena Draco that day. A few days later, I was off to Ted's. What a nursery!! Did you ever go to Jamacan Gardens? One was in Morton Grove, the other Libertyville. Both stores closed their doors 2009 or 2010. Terrible, just awful. They too had some real rarities. Anyway, Cliss, regarding BG's, owning a car, 'w/high gas costs,' isn't practical. Oak Park Conservatory has C&S's meetings every other Wed. Think it's 15.00 per year to join..A great deal! You're better off going to Ted's Nursery than Navy Pier. The money you spend on entry fee, parking or public trans, drink/food, and over-priced plants can instead go directly to Ted's plants..lol.. Ted told me he visits other locations every so often, plus Tinley Park is having a plant show in March. I might go, but no way will I head downtown only to be ripped off. Vendors acting like car dealers, trying to sell insurance! Unspeakable! Cliss, although I advise people not to repot during winter months, I've been doing it all along. Lights or no lights. I don't touch succulents, but if a tropical is in dire need of a larger home, where it needs daily watering, it's repotted. As long as one is careful, don't disturb roots, there's really no problem, but that's between me and my plants..:) Yep, gotta start somewhere. I mix up my soils, ahead of time, then ready to go. Ever read/watch James Underwood Crockett, the original Victory Garden's host? He also authored indoor and garden books. In one of his house plant books, he explains what needs doing from Jan-Dec. I learned a lot from this man, and pretty much follow his ideas. Insecticide. I mix 2-4 drops dish soap, garlic, hot pepper, citrus, and sometimes mouth wash in water the day before spraying. To prevent or rid Scale, Fish Emulsion with the above ingredients. If FE is used, it cannot be kept overnight. The mix doesn't smell like roses, but works. lol. Cliss, I made up this mix in the late 80's, early 90's. Because we have birds, and I simply dislike chemicals, I came up with this idea when I first found mites on a Croton. All except FE should be sprayed once every other week..w/FE once a month. What type of Philos do you have? I'm happy meeting another Chicagoian. lol. Toni

Trying to duplicate a natural habitat can be lots of fun but is probably not necessary. I'm not so sure the gigas "like" to grow in cracks on cliffs as much as simply that nothing else does, so they have adapted to that niche. I'd bet it is many years of slow growth with minimal soil volume + consistent precipitation that generates the fat bases. Socotra receives heavy monsoons for a good part of the year. Why not try growing one in a small pot to constrict the roots, and see what happens? I don't think you need to drill a hole through a piece of lava rock to achieve the same thing. From my understanding, D. gigas do best with constant warmth all year, but not too hot (85F max) with cooler nights. In these conditions they can be watered all year, no need to induce a drought or dormancy. I have 2 of them but I cannot provide those tropical conditions so they end up being dormant for many months.

Go through Ted Anderson's book. This would take a book to explain. Where do you live , what is your climate conditions, what do you know, and are you an expert. What you want may be beyond your budget, they are not found in Wal Mart, Target, those kind of stores. You may be able to get them mail order, and the more you pay the more rare they caan be. What is pricy to you? Check with Mesa Gardens for Advise, attend catus and succulent clubs to learn. Find out who the experts are, and ask their advise. Call major Cactus Gardens, if you live in a cold area contact gardens that are located in a cold area, most cactus need strong sun, and come from North America and So. America, some in high allitudes, and are illegal to bring into the U.S. so you need to find people who have old collections and are willing to sell. Try the Huntington Gardens, they have old and legal plants with excellent documentation. Do not buy undocumented plants for your purpose. They are easy to propagate if you have the experience to do so. If you are from England I know many good growers there. Italy has many good growers. I hope some of these suggestions will help you find what you seek. Crasulady2@dslextreme

This reminds me of a book I just picked up: Socotra: A Natural History of the Islands and Their People. It covers a wide variety of subjects, and is very well researched. It makes me really want to visit these fantastic islands. My one complaint is that it didn't devote enough coverage to my two favorite Socotran species: Dorstenia gigas, and Dendrosicyos socotrana... These broad subjects books seem to be a good source of information about specific endemic succulents. I just wish they were a little easier to find!