Sorry in advance everyone... I do not grow Gigas... But I do grow Foetida and Crispa. I have great luck with these two and find them relatively simple. I have these 2 planted in MG Cactus soil mixed with sand ;) spare me please. I take these 2 outside in the summer and bring them inside to my computer room in the winter. They retain their leaves all year and stay in flower all year. In the summer they get whatever rain falls, and supplemental waterings when other nearby plants are in need. I have never noticed these plants to get pouty in dry growing situations. I water them about monthly in the winter and when I water them I may use an 8 oz cup. My computer room has the least humidity in my home. 1 Heat vent(wife keeps heat on 73), 2 computers running always, 2 printers, 6 monitors, and various other heat producing electronics. This room also has 2 south facing windows. I do not know if this is the proper way to grow these plants... But I can say that it has been working for me for several years now. BTW - In my research I found that Gigas is the most sought after Dorstenia maybe after Lavrani at this time. Dorstenia Gigas fetchs a higher price because it is know to be hard to propagate successfully and doesn't flower/seed as frequently as other Dorstenias. -David

Bikerdoc...How do the plants on your wish list, differ? What I mean is, I've seen D. crispa and D. foetida sold as two different succulents. Same family, different species. I thought one grew viney, one upright??? Penfold..hope you're still around. I got D. gigas for Valentine's Day from a local nursery. Dorstenia gigas was not in the succulent section of the green house. 'succulent area is kept very cool to semi-cold,' huge exhaust fans blowing above to circulate air flow. The area D. gigas were placed is moderately cool, temps a little warmer than the succulent area. You said you haven't had much luck growing gigas. It rots. How often did you water? What temperature was the room it was in? A few days after bringing D. gigas home, leaves started yellowing. It wasn't watered, fertilized, etc. Did your ex-Dorstenia leaves yellow before rotting? I'm quite concerned. This little plant, about 8" or so, cost 20.00. Some might consider 20.00 inexpensive, I don't..lol. I have other Dorstenias that do well. I never thought twice about watering, ect. Now that you mention rot, I fear the reason foliage is yellowing could be due to rot. Do you or anyone here know how dry soil should be before giving a drink? Should D. gigas be kept in a cool room? I agree..D. gigas is one of the most beautiful Dorstenias around. The leaves!!! Thanks, Toni

I had hard time figuring these plants out during the winter. I had them under lights, in pumice and turface on a heat mat. They kept drying at the tips and towards spring, lost all their leaves. I suspected the pots were too small and the heat was drying out the roots so I unpotted and the roots were, indeed, drying out. So, they were repotted in a slightly heavier soil. They are doing better but I really do not like soil, even those without peat, since they are too unforgiving to me. In the end I decided I would just treat them like the seedlings that they are, with watering and light requirements somewhere between coleus and lithops. I know! lol this range is wide enough to land a Boeing 777. But I've only been with dorstenias for a year and my plant experience dates only to 2012. This thread saved their lives, actually. Thanks for that, you guys. I have a better relationship with haworthias and gasterias.

RE: Raspberry x Blackberry hybrids clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by farmfreedom (My Page) on Tue, Dec 15, 09 at 14:31 Yes you can cross: raspberries , blackberries , mulberries , wineberries ,dewberries , tayberries , boisenberries ,loganberries , salmonberries ,black caps, can all crossbreed . There is even a "white blackberry" developed by Luther Burbank The Nothernmost most cold resistant fruits in the world are berries. We should be using the most cold resistant fruits in the world to extend the range of all berries that they can crossbreed with . o RE: Raspberry x Blacberry hybrids clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by henry_kuska z5 OH (kuska@neo.rr.com) on Thu, Dec 17, 09 at 14:34 See: http://www.rosehybridizers.org/forum/message.php?topid=2986 for additional "possibilities". Here is a link that might be useful: link for above o RE: Raspberry x Blacberry hybrids clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by tugbrethil Sunset 13, USDA 9 (My Page) on Sat, Jan 16, 10 at 1:27 Wait a minute, farmfreedom! All of the brambles (blackberries, raspberries, etc.) are members of the rose family (Rosaceae), while mulberries are members of the Moraceae, along with figs and the rare succulent Dorstenia. There is virtually no structural similarity between the families: are you sure that mulberries and blackberries will hybridize? Kevin : ) o RE: Raspberry x Blacberry hybrids clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings * Posted by farmfreedom (My Page) on Mon, Feb 1, 10 at 16:30 I believe if you look up the "TAY berry " or the "Logan berry " you will find that that is the cross breed. Also If this was not true How Did Luther Burbank develop the " White Blackberry " . He is also said to Have crossed Strawberries and Blackberries which I would like to see if anyone has a picture . The Nothernmost most cold resistant fruits in the world are berries. We should be using the most cold resistant fruits in the world to extend the range of all berries that they can crossbreed with . 1. Will native strawberries (F. vesca or F. virginiana) cross-pollinate (freely, open-pollinate) with F. ananassa or even F. moschata? I know that half of the gene-pool comprising F. ananassa is F. virginiana, but I'm not sure if this was 'forced' under controlled conditions not present under normal circumstances - just like when you force American persimmon (var. virginiana only) to hybridize with D. kaki (with much effort)? With strawberries it depends on if they are diploid, triploid, quadriploid, etc. 2.Native plums (P. angustifolia; P. americana; P. maritima; P. alleghaniensis; P. pumilla var. besseyi) with European plum (P. domestica) or with the Asian plums (including P. tomentosa). Someone said the natives will not hybridize with the European species but will with (?all)Asian species. Plums,beach plums, apriocots, peaches (including nectarines), almonds and I believe sand cherries can all cross breed with each other , but not with real cherries . 3. The wild native mints (or plants in the mint family) with the Eurasian mint types. 4. The native garlic spp. with the Eurasian garlic spp. garlic can cross with onions( shallots) and other garlic but neither can cross with leaks. 5. Are there natural native crab apple x European apple hyrbids? Yes 6. Other then the supposed Amelanchier canadensis x A. laevis alleged hybrid resulting in A. x grandifolia, will the various Amelanchier spp. hybridize with one another - i.e. A. alnifolia, A. canadensis, A. humilis, etc. with one another? 7. Will the various hickories hybridize with one another, such as pecan x shagbark x shellbark, or are these either extremely rare hybridizations or ones requiring human intervention? Luther Burbank crossed them and crossed the heart nut and all the walnuts . he was trying to cross the walnut with the pecan when he died. 8. Will the various native plums hybridize with one another? - I think several will with A. americana, but not sure if those that would will hybridize with one another. Probably 9. Will native currants and gooseberries hybridize with their European counterparts? And will native currants/gooseberries hybridize freely among themselves? currants X gooseberries are called jostaberries 10. Will native raspberries and blackberries from the north east hybridize with those (Rubus) from the western states? Same question for native blueberries/huckleberries from the east and western coast? Why not ?