I dunno, I grow mine outside. This is the first time it's lost leaves. We had a cold snap come through and they all dropped every single leaf. There are some new leaves sprouting after it warmed up last week. But it's now getting cold again so who knows.

Tally HO!

T,
Try watering it a bit more, it thinks it's entering the dry season and conserving moisture by not putting out new foliage.

My plants go in and out of leaf a few time a year, only going dormant during the hottest months. They are outside as well, a few still have their foliage and a couple lost it after the last cold snap.

...thanks, I will try watering more regularly, see what happens.

Do yours ever flower?

I've had one for seven years. It was quite old when I got it, about 14 inches tall in a 3-inch container, grossly underpotted. It came from the estate of a grower who had died several years previously, and was probably in that container for many many years. There was no soil, just roots in the pot with a few bits of pumice.

Perhaps because of my cultural mistakes (not giving any water after October like my cacti), it grew leaves in April, and dropped it's leaves before I brought it inside during December and January. I'm not brave enough to leave it outside while overnight lows dance around freezing.

About three years ago, after being repotted in a larger container, it dropped it's leaves in July, and grew leaves in late Fall, and dropped them in May. So it's finally on the right annual schedule. I remember Jordi commenting that no self respecting namaqaunum would have leaves in August, so maybe that shamed my plant into adopting a more appropriate lifestyle. :)

Brad

My 2 largest flower in the fall, but not every year. Not sure why. Tallest is 40", next is 30".

Tom,

I remember when....I had this plant and it was puzzling (still is, AAMOF) that this plant from the winter-rainfall area of the RSA, would, in San Diego (likewise, winter rains) spend the most time in leaf, of all of the Pachys in my collection, dropping its leaves in March/April but almost immediately starting to grow them again.

My P.n. never flowered, but my friend Mark's did, at about 30" in height - he had stacked his potted one-it reminded me of a setup for growing Welwitschia-onto and slightly into a barrel of pumice and organic matter where it took off. Like Keith's, it flowered in the fall - I seem to remember September/October as being the prime months for its winish-coloured flowers to decorate the crown of the plant. I don't know of any other Pachy with this flower colour.

Since it grew all of the time, it seemed, in SD, with little down time, I can only suggest for the northern growers that a little water during its dormant season might keep it primed well enough for it to start producing leaves sooner than one that's been left completely dry. Also, if I remember correctly, you grow yours outside when it's warm? That would help, too, and water the heck out of it when it's in full leaf mode (I can't remember exactly, but I think that, though this plant comes from the area driest of all the Pachy places, it's at heart a tropical plant like its other RSA and Malagasy relatives.

http://s3.photobucket.com/albums/y55/kaktussy/?action=view&current=P3240019.jpg

Here is a link that might be useful:

Hi -

Yes, I do grow mine outdoors in the summer - the period when it is actually in full leaf is pretty darn short. If I increase the watering in the indoor season, at my temps am I pretty safe? I have it in a very coarse potting mix.

I am not sure I fully comprehend the 'stacked' potting method you describe. Could you elaborate a little?

BTW, beautiful flowers.

Tom

Tom,

He had a barrel full of pumice and old dirt - I suspect it was full of the middens of depotted plants' mix. On top of and slightly into that medium he put his potted P.n., noting which direction south was so he could reestablish it to the same direction. I think that it did so well because he watered it well when it was growing and its roots had to grow down to access the water. That reminds me of a Talking Heads song...

No, on second thought, you shouldn't increase watering, unless you're not watering them at all, given where you cultivate the plant. Of all the Ps, P.n. and our friend P. brevicaule are the most susceptible to rot from being wet at the wrong time. What I was advocating there was if you weren't watering them at all, you might give them a sip now and then when they're leafless, particularly since your soil is coarse.

Have you thought of increasing the soil part of it so that the roots are wet longer? IME they don't mind a non-coarse mix if they're watered correctly, and you're aware of that part of the mix.

Yes, Mark's grown that plant well - it's the only one I've ever seen in flower in SouCal or anywhere for that matter.

Water Dissolving...And Water Removing
There Is Water At The Bottom Of The Ocean
Remove The Water, Carry the Water
Remove the Water from the Bottom Of The Ocean!

My biggest I have had about 10+ years.

In the beginning, it kept a typical winter-growing schedule - leafing out in late summer, growing through the fall, slowing down in early spring and leafless during the hot months.

For the past 5 years or so, however, it has adapted for the better. Now, it leafs out in the late spring and grows all summer into the fall. It slows down greatly from the fall into early spring and will become leafless in late spring.

It is watered regularly from the spring into the fall. I cut down watering now that it is cold, but I don't ever stop completely unless it is leafless.

In the summer I water them as often as my other "summer growing" pachys.

This plant is, like many others, an opportunist. It does not have to be a winter grower. In habitat and in SoCal where rains are sparse in the summer, it will become dormant. I bet that if conditions are right in can grow practically all year long. Perhaps a short dormancy is required just so that the plant can lose its tired leaves before growing new ones.

As far as the "pot stacking", I have been doing the same thing. Rather than traditional repotting, I get a deeper sized pot and submerge the old one into the new one. The roots will escape into the new substrate without any transplant shock.

x

I keep mine is indoors, in an east facing window, with LED retrofit lights for 4 ft flourescent bulbs. i tried putting it in the greenhouse (40% shade 60% sun) and ALL its leaves dropped off. Apparently that was TOO HOT for it. So I brought it back inside and it grew more leaves than what it had before.

DO NOT give it water if it has lost all it's leaves. that's a winter dormancy thing and it does NOT like water in the winter. But if it looses all of it's leaves in the summer, during it's growing season ... THAT'S a different story. don't worry about if its December or June ... it doesn't care about the calendar OR the hemisphere ... disregard its hemisphere ... all IT is interested is whether it's winter or summer (OR TOO HOT to keep its leaves). feel free to ask more questions should you have them.