Split Rock "Royal Flush" one year growth timeline
I got the majority of my succulent mesembs last year around beginning of July, including this Pleiospilos nelii "Royal Flush", and a year after, I have to say this is definitely the most successful mesembs I've grown. Others (Lithops, Argyrodermas) are doing okay too, but the regeneration process is hugely delayed even though I followed the "rules" and watched them closely, on top of that ignore them as much as I could xD. So I thought I would dedicate a photo thread to her for the exceptional performance over the year (haha); for anyone trying to grow these type of plants, I would really recommend the method of NEGLECT, the more you try to "fix" it or change its watering schedule the less you'll get out of it.
Early July, 2014 - Received the plants and potted up. Already has a bud, I was excited but scared that I will kill it at the same time.. old pair of leaves still hanging on
Mid July, 2014 - The red intensified a little after a few weeks, bud is coming out at a relatively fast pace (in mesembs)
End of July, 2014 - Getting ready for show.
Early August, 2014 - Bloom! Flower opened up every late afternoon around 5pm till sunset, then closes up for the night. It was quite difficult to catch the perfect shot! The flower lasted around 5 days.
After the flower died off, nothing really happened for a few months, I started to water much less, the old set of leaves disappeared almost completely.
Mid November, 2014 - New head emerged! Which means I should be holding off watering so I did....and that lasted for almost half a year. Still fascinating to me how a plant can receive no water at all for such long period and just does its own thing.
Feb, 2015 - The regeneration process is a slow one
Mid April, 2015 - The new head is finally taller than the old pair!
End of June, 2015 - Still shaking off old clothes, but looking nice and refreshed. I might give her a first drink after 7 months in a few weeks. Fingers crossed that I can keep it well and alive this coming year!
Comments (16)
Related Discussions
Split rock flower (of pleiospilos nelii)
Comments (2)Pleiospilos' blooms generally only open fully in the afternoon, with some warmth and direct sun. And if the soil is too dry, blooming may also be aborted. The window of opportunity is only a few days, after that if the conditions have not been met, the flower dries up and you have to wait again until next year. Since you have had it for one month, I can't tell if the bloom was about to open at the time you got it, or if it merely had a flower bud still forming. Regular watering is also crucial to sustain flower bud development. If watering is inadequate, the plant will use its available resources to stay alive and bypass flowering. "20 drops of water" is not really the right way to take care of these plants. If you use an appropriate soil mix in a pot, you can drench the soil during active growth and blooming. More reading here x...See More2 years of coconut growth
Comments (5)here it is today, the nut was so moldy i was worried the palm might be in danger. So i dug 4 inches below the crown and replaced with fast draining red lava rocks. looks cool too!...See MoreSplit Rock Question
Comments (17)I will second much of what has already been said. I have two split rocks that I purchased last fall. After two repots I got it right the 3rd time and got them into an abnormally deep pot. Most would look at the pot and think they are over potted, by they are in a very gritty mix (about 60%chicken grit, 20-30% turface, and 10-20% bark fines). The depth of the pot is really important as these plants have deep roots, I think it is called a tap root. I have a watering schedule written down somewhere and I cannot think of it right now. This photo is from May, when it finally started regenerating... I soon noticed the larger one regenerating too, and it is having twins! This is from this month, but it has already progressed from this. During this time you aren't supposed to water so that the new leaves take from the old ones and the old ones will dry up and disappear and not rot away... I found this website that has some good information... http://houseplantscare.blogspot.com/2011/01/lithops-101.html...See MoreHelp- Baby toes, Split rock and lithops- Water schedule- New York City
Comments (14)I do. It's using more energy than normal to bloom, so I water to keep it nice and pampered. Don't worry if it doesn't flower when it's supposed to, or if it doesn't at all one year. It's just being picky. :) But normally, if they flower, you can expect to see new growth poking out from the split rock/lithops afterwards Totally agree Kara, I feel I'd have so much trouble if I had to deal with freezing temps lol...See More- 8 years ago
8 years agoIt's funny you said that, because Friday evening I stopped by Lowes on a whim, and low and behold they had a new shipment! Including three Pleiospilos, one of which was actually healthy looking. I just got him potted up a little bit ago and thought I'd share :)
DavidL.ca thanked Sierra- 8 years ago
- 8 years ago
8 years agolast modified: 8 years ago
8 years ago
8 years ago
stonetreehouse