That Titanopsis reminds me of a rash I had once ;0)

How old is your Welwitschia? I didn't thank they had big root systems, since they get most their moisture from fog. Next time you repot put it in a cascade bonsai container, that's what mine is in.

ouch!

The Welwitsch is about 5-6 yrs old I think. The previous container was a tall piece of gutter with a screen on the bottom to keep the soil in place, so it was only about 3 x 5 inches wide. I should see better growth now.

From my readings, Welwitschia send out deep tap roots in search of ground water, while the heavy fogs are a supplement. If the tap root is damaged while the plant is young, it usually dies. After a few years, it seems the tap root is not important anymore. In cultivation, if given enough water, I guess it doesn't need to put out many roots.

Either way, they need water all the time.

Has yours bloomed?

When does your Fenestraria flower? In a couple of weeks, I guess. Does it flower again in spring? I'm still trying to work out whether it is completely opportunistic or partly photoperiodic. Mine flower in spring and autumn but pause growing in mid winter even if they are under lights.

I'm thinking your Crassula mesembryanthemopsis may be a hybrid.

Good going with the Gibbaeum. I can keep these alive now, next step will be flowers :)

Time to water Conophytums, then they won't look so dead ;) Mine are now pretty fat and I'm watering less. The ones in an unheated greenhouse are distinctly fatter than the ones indoors despite getting very little water. They seem to prefer 30F-40F over 50F-70F. If the test plants survive the winter then that will be standard treatment from now on. C. pellucidum is even flowering despite nights below freezing. Does the C. stephanii smell nice? I don't have this one although I think it is a gorgeous plant.

Fenestraria continually flowers for a few months, those pics were taken yesterday so by around March the plant will slow down growth.

Why do you think the C.mesembryanthemopsis is a hybrid?

I have G. album in the same pot as G. dispar, they usually bloom in March/ April, but not reliably so.

I keep my Conos outdoors until temps consistently dip below 30, they have been under lights for about 3 weeks now. All the other species are very plump, but the stephanii just does it's own thing. I haven't taken a whiff, but the obcordellums smell very good for sure. I water them frequently. Sub-freezing temps does not stop mesembs from flowering at all, you should have no problem keeping them in those conditions.

x

Why do you think the C. mesembryanthemopsis is a hybrid?

The leaves just look a little thin and wide, not as "snub-nosed" as I'm used to. If C. mesembryanthemopsis is Titanopsis hugo-schlechteri, then the hybrids are Titanopsis calcarea. Make sense? Might just be the way its grown. Size would probably be the big giveaway, all the hybrids I've seen have been noticeably bigger than the quarter inch or so leaves on the straight species.

Welwitschia is not a tough succulent.If you allow to go too dry they up and die. I think we all see the photos of the harsh habitat of this plant and jump to conclusions. Very young Welwitschia need a good deal of water. I remember seeing large ones in 10-20 gallon pots at UC Berkeley that did not have the long dead leaf end look..They were dark green,plump. The greenhouse was at least right then,not hot in the morning. In the 60's F. As i recall,they were kept under seasonal temps..summers were hot in the greenhouse I suppose.

these are fantastic! thanks!

X,
Mine is similar in age, so no flowering. A friend had a couple in a raised bed that he didn't want, and said I could have them if I dug them up.

shrubs

when the blooms on the C. mesembryanthemopsis open, I'll post another picture with a coin for size reference. The leaves are tiny. I also have a Crassula 'Morgan's Beauty' which is indeed a hybrid with mesembryanthemopsis, those leaves are much bigger than the species.

stanofh
Welwitschia like hot and sunny conditions, but also cool roots. It's hard to strike a good balance in pots. The container I'm using was clear so I lined it with aluminum foil to reflect away some heat, but that still will not compare with growing it in the ground.

I think the dead leaf-end look is a result of not enough moisture being pulled in by the roots - could be a combination of inadequate irrigation, too much heat in the soil and not enough room for root development. All these factors are closely related. Hot soil kills tender rootlets, resulting in reduced water uptake.

I may try submerging it into a larger container filled with gravel during the summer.

Aloe polyphylla is the same in that it likes cool, moist soil. But they have no problems being root pruned after being submerged in pots and given free root run for the growing season. I don't know how Welwitschia would respond to that, and I'm not going to experiment with this one.

x

My pleiospilos nelii also has a bud. I've been looking at your thread and have been feeling a bit of jealousy at your plant collection and flowers and today I went to check on my little guys and noticed a flower bud.

I'm so excited!

Pleiospilos flowers smell like coconut, there's nothing quite like it. In my experience P bolusii has a much stronger fragrance than P nelii, however.

I have a plant with a similar flower as yours in the first pic, but the vegetative form differs greatly. I'm not sure what I have here but I think its some sort of crassula. Are these two related?