I mentioned this in another thread where pesticides came up but I apply a soil drench of systemic imidacloprid (Bayer Tree & Shrub) once/year, and I'm done. No mealies, no other pests, and no spraying. I don't even quarantine new plants because the systemic lasts so long that new pests can't get a foothold.

Andy, so you just water the gritty mix with the systemic and water?

When I've used Bayer products in the past, I just mixed it into my watering can along with my standard additions of vinegar and fertilizer. Bayer products have different concentrations of Imidacloprid, depending on the specific product, so read the fine print. The dose used by most people is 2 Tbs of 1.47% Imidacloprid per gallon of water. I used to use Bayer's season long grub control with 1.47% Imidacloprid at 2 Tbs per gallon, and it worked great. Other concentrations could be used with a corrected dose, but I believe 1.47% is the highest concentration Bayer offers for a reasonable price, so that's probably the concentration to look for when purchasing. Try to ensure that the plants don't get rained on, or dry out too quickly after applying, so that they have some time to absorb the product.

-Chris

penfold2, Now, I"m intrigued by the use of vinegar in the water. Can you, please elaborate? I've heard vinegar is applied to echinopsis and a few other cactus as well.

Chris, now you have inspired me to go out and get a PH kit to test my plants soil!

Cool info. Usually when I water my plants, I'll leave a container of water overnight for the chlorine to dissipate from the water. Not sure how effective is that

Sounds good, but we're testing the pH of the water rather than the soil. Ideally, we choose fairly neutral soil ingredients that have little impact on the water's pH. Then it's just a matter of getting the water's pH where we want it. Try to find a pH test that has a distinct color change around the 5-7 range. Some tests don't go that low, and some have very subtle color shifts within that range.

As for chlorine, some plants are said to be sensitive to it, developing brown leaf tips, but I don't let my water sit, and none of my succulents have ever had problems. Unless you're seeing leaf problems that can't be attributed to anything else, I think it's an unnecessary step.

-Chris

But Chris, I read somewhere along the line in Al's thread about how chlorine can build up and store in the mix as you water it over time. So I'm confused, wouldn't chlorine distrupt the ph of the soil and the roots to take in water and nutrients effectively?

I know calcium can accumulate in harder water city feeds. That WILL burn roots if not flushed out periodically. Evidence is seen in the whitish deposits on the edges of pots and whitish haze on porous clay containers....

Thanks Chris for the explanation. I use rainwater so no alterations needed here.

I don't recall Al saying anything about chlorine accumulation in soil, but if you can find the link, please post it. Like aztcqn said, calcium carbonate can accumulate with hard water use, but vinegar and regular flushing should minimize that.

-Chris

Thanks Chris! I'll keep this one on the top of my list, because I'm pretty sure I saw accumulation of whitish stuff my the top layers of my soil. Initially I thought it was deposits from the Foilage pro Fertilizers I use, but it could very well be calcium carbonate..

Bernard, fertilizer can definitely accumulate as deposits if your water is hard AND the fertilizer has salts precipitating out after applying. This is why a little sprinkle or measured amount of water (not that you're doing that) to just moisten the potted plant is not a good idea. It's very important to leach the salts and mineral build-up from your mix by flushing out with lots of plain water regularly. The mineral issue is why many go on to set up a reverse osmosis system of filtration for their plants, esp. orchids.

Here is the link to one of Al's post about fertilizing container-grown plants:
fertilizing - containers
Many already read it, some didn't, and may find it helpful...Rina

Nice info in the link....thanks Rina.

I need to share this picture!! Check out the Lauii plant on the 2nd picture, it extends out with a crazy stem with 2 rosettes and many baby Lauii offsets!! I wonder how old is that plant. It's a round shaped leaves Lauii plant too.

The plant in the second picture with the long stem looks like a Pachyphytum oviferum.

-Chris

Good catch Chris! For a moment it looked really similar.

But, there is this: Echeveria laui variegated

Here's the photo, just in case here's the link, as it didn't work for me.

It's so crazy to think, such a slow growing plant has a potential for variegation as well.

Gotta keep this away from Laurent, else he will be obsessed in acquiring one of these rare beauties.

Bernard, Where did you get your 2nd plant Mr. Lauii from??

Hey Cynthia, I got it off from this guy on Ebay. It took a while for shipping though..

Some updates here: not trying to be a pimp, but I found a seller that has some Echeveria Lauiis for sale.

Here's a picture of his plants that he had sent me.

The catch is, he is based in Europe. I'd already got the plant so I'm really not inclined to buy more. Just sharing this if you are fans of this plant and thinking of acquiring one. PM me for more details, I'll share his info.

Bernard

I would like to have one but by the time you pay for the plant, phyto certificate and postage, it becomes costly. It's one thing if you're making a large purchase or doing a group buy and share some fixed costs. I'd still be interested in details.

Hi Bernard,

Could you tell me were you found the lauiis in Europe?

Howard, I just sent you an email.

Wcislaczki - turn on your PM, and drop me a message; or if you are comfortable sharing your email. I will touch base with you.

Mr Laui is looking on its way to recovery..

Hi Bernard,

Sorry I'm sorta new so I don't know how to send a PM

You need to turn on your PM settings by:

Going to Edit Profile -> Advance Settings -> Privacy Settings -> Change to Allow anyone to message me. You can PM me from my profile page after you activated it.

Hi there, it had been few months, so I am just wondering how is your plant now?

Im wondering, too?

They look so much better now

Yay progress pics, they look better :) Def update us periodically!

Laui folks, as of last Sunday, I'm sad to announce the death of Mrs Laui..

Cause of death, unknown. I'm ruling the cause to stale air flow or overwatering that led to crown rot.

The winter set up comprises of a grow lights hanging under a wooden bench, suspending about 4-6 inches away from the plants placed on the ground. I'll leave the ceiling fan turned on before I go to work, but it's probably not enough.

The new leaves in the crown/core just turned jelly, and when I picked the plant up, all the leaves were soft and jelly that just tear apart from the crown. There was absolutely no way salvage any leaves..

I dug out the roots to see if there were any rot, but root hairs were intact, everything seemed fine.

There were a couple of settings that could have led to the demise..

1) Change in temp/light/environment

Due to the storm the week before, I had decided to move all my plants in for the season, and put them under growlights, including this guy that only sits by the windowsills. This plant had done fairly well under the lights before, but it's probable to all the sudden changes coming together that caused this.

2) Change in watering habits

With all the changes happening, I water less frequently too. Trying to enforce a fortnight before monthly, as we know how temp affects water retention.

It's so saddening that I'm still grieving over my loss. I would hate to blame my partner because he was the last person that watered it, and I was wondering what the hell he did to it that caused this. Anyhow, I believe it's inevitable that the plant would have died when I didn't have the level of attention, care and the right environment provided for such a sensitive plant.

Don't know if all is truly lost. Have never dealt with this one, but you might try cutting off the mushy material down to healthy stem tissue. (If it takes more than one cut to do so, sterilize the blade between cuts.) Dust the cut with cinnamon or other fungicide. Pot it back up. Keep in out of direct sun but in a warm well lit area. Keep the media barely moist. Perhaps there is a chance, albeit a remote one, that it will send out a pup from the stem.

Oh, no..... But the second one is doing ok?

Hey Paul, thanks for the mini encouragement. I already did that. The stem just continue dried up into nothing. The broken leaves were so juicy that there is no way of callousing to propagate them as they just shrivel. No kidding when people said the Laui species are some of the most difficult growing of most echeverias.

Katyad -- yea Mr Laui is doing just fine. I'm disciplining it with lesser water now. The lower leaves seems to be wrinkling more, but the new growth on the crown looked fine and sturdy.

Oh no Bernard, thats very sad considering how involved you were in that plants care :(... It could have been any number of things that caused its demise, in perfect conditions it already is a very high maintenance/difficult plant. All the expert growers have all had their fair share of losses, so don't be too down on yourself.

I wouldn't give up on it just yet, I would just set it to the side for a while. Almost every Echeveria I've almost killed has managed to recover.

The way your Laui rotted sounds pretty similar to what happened to my Black Prince this summer. It lost its main head and it's only offset, I thought it was gone, but I just left it alone, and now it has about 6 or 7 offsets and is flowering, it's unsightly, but it's alive. My Imbricata, which is now a brown stick, is sprouting new roots from the crown area.

I feel you Bernard. I lost one of mine in the exact same way. Condensation, water sitting in the center in the cooler evenings killed mine. I wonder how they survive in their native habitats. It must rain at some point? Must be some dew point moisture. I guess it's very dry and windy. These do not propagate like regular 'ol echeverias. Extremely rare to get plants from a leaf.

Is this a lauii as well?

No. Looks like a Perle Von Nürnberg.

It can be hard to tell the difference between echeverias, particularly when you're just beginning. For instance, Bernard, your Mrs. Laui looks like one I have seen before, but not Mr. Laui, although perhaps his leaves have changed now from those in the photos above and he more resembles Mrs. Laui.

Hi Bernard, I wanted to let you know that I was able to save some of my Echeveria that I grew from seed that got sick in the spring. They even went onto bloom for me, although it is cold here now and I had to bring everything in this weekend.

Tracy

It is very confusing! They all look the same to me. But the lauiis are beautiful!

Thanks for all your interest on Mrs Laui guys, but I'm sad to say she's a goner.

I don't think I have any intention any time soon to acquire anymore of these "rarer" more finicky echeverias. I just don't have the time/capacity and environment to provide the sufficient care and attention these delicate plants need.

I snapped some photos of the devastating final moments, perhaps this can become a learning reminder.

Aztc - I've read that their natural habitat, they grow on very high altitude environment, ie side cliffs on hills/mountains of Oaxaca in Meixco City with general dry arid weather and low humidity. The plant mostly extract water from morning dew and or night condensation, very rarely from rainfall.

I genuinely believe my sudden treatment to abruptly reduce watering and stale air, with constant intense light cause the demise of the plant.

Marguerite - I've read online that Laui have varying species too. Mrs Lauii generally originate from Mexico; and Mr Laui is a different breed that is identified as "narrow" leaved.

http://www.bcss.org.uk/foruma/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=156997&start=0

I guess we'll see when Mr Laui has more mature leaves grown down the line..

Hey folks! Mr Lauii is doing great, and in fact he had changed its leaves shape and form. Now it's looking more pinkish than green.

We are getting quite cold temps and very rainy weather, but I'm pretty lax with my care now. As long as the patio gets wind and it has some sheltered coverage, I'll let nature do its thing.

May 16

Oh they are nice , Bernard! Its got its lauii round shape. Good growing it looks very happy. Mine are chugging along, but, my fear of rot has made me water them less than they need and lower leaves are shriveling. Correcting, now. It's cool to see their nice round chubby leafed shape coming through.

Thanks Azt!! Hope to see your Lauii thrive! One thing I've learnt is that as long as there is air flow and light, for plants potted in terra cotta, it's good to water more frequently, especially when you see new growth.

Yes! I'm finding that to be exactly, true. :]
How funny the shape is so different from the the way they first arrived.