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Prepodesma about to bloom in July?

July 18, 2013, 1:50 am
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Well, this is strange. Shouldn't Prepodesma orpenii be done with flowering by mid-spring? Or could this already be the result of the valerian flower extract I'm trying out this year? Not that I'm complaining of course. As long as it's not a swan song it's okay with me.

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One grateful mesemb, Stomatium (2 pics)

July 19, 2013, 10:54 am
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My Stomatium trifarium looks great nowadays, especially from below the leaves where the warts shine through. One day when I have more room I want to grow all different kinds of them from seed. For now I'd like to repeat myself - dividing this plant into cuttings was the best idea ever! You can practically see the plant brim with new life force now without all the dead weight of dried up leaves and stems and roots. All new and fresh. I'm trying to restrain myself from watering it as much as before, even though it wrinkles fast. But I really want the leaves to stay compact and with less water not only the color is more vivid but also the teeth and warts are much more prominent.


Same goes for the seedlings. These two grow really fast. They now have three branches each! I'd like to start watering them less but they look thristy very quickly in this heat and I'm still afraid it might be too early to treat them like adults.

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Other regeneration problems

July 20, 2013, 2:25 am
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Generally speaking there are two problems with regeneration lithops can have. First is being too slow. Second is being too quick and doing to two times in a year. The second one isn't very problematic though as long as the leaf changes go safely. But you can forget about flowers.


I read somewhere that in case of lithops new bodies and flower buds are very similar in the early stages of development. Might the second regeneration be flower buds that have been "re-directed" at the early stage?

Btw, this schwantesii's pot-mate is doing it, too. Just like a bunch of my fulvis last year.
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And more Avonia flowers! (2 pics)

July 20, 2013, 12:50 pm
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I'm going to flood my blog with them. XD But I don't have a choice, do I? Too pretty.
Two more flowers opened (ca. 6 pm), another five to go.

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Aaaand two more flowers :D

July 21, 2013, 10:01 am
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Today's photo shooting is all natural. :)
No staging with black background or anything. Even though the flowers open after the sun is gone they light up the windowsill themself, it seems.


And to give you some sense of the scale:


You can see that the already closed flowers still stay there and look just like those that about to flower. It makes it more difficult to catch them open. 
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Prepodesma's late flower

July 26, 2013, 11:58 pm
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Well, this week I started my new job. :) 
I'm doing something completely different from what I did before and it's all still odd and sometimes frustrating but I hope I can learn quickly. The office is 1,5 hours away (by bus), in a different country actually. It's a strange thought that I'm crossing the border two times a day going from Germany to Luxembourg and back. But this way me and my plants don't have to move just yet, and even if we do I'd only change appartments, not the town. Going from 4 to 40 working hours a week is also something yet to get accustomed to. 
To celebrate my first weekend as a person with a job the Prepodesma orpenii opened its flower yesterday at 7 pm: intense yellow color with reddish tips.


When I think about it, Mesembs flowers are quite job-friendly, opening in the evening like this for us to enjoy. Another reason to grow them.
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T. calcarea seedlings roots check (4 pics)

July 28, 2013, 12:45 am
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These Titanopsis calcarea seedlings are now almost 3 months old. Even though they are so young they already have several leaves and the leaf surface is just as nicely textured as the adults. The roots are of an appropriate size compared to the plant size. After the inspection I've planted them more evenly in the pot and can now only hope they don't hold the dig-up against me.
They spend their whole days in the full sun but, compared to Stomatiums, rarely look thirsty. I like that.

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Marshmallow leaves (3 pics)

July 29, 2013, 9:00 pm
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What is it? That's right. Delosperma sphalmantoides, a miniature species that grows more neatly than others of its kind and thus allows us to grow it on the windowsill. Even though it's really mini it does spread. Just like with Neohenricia I hope to have them grow in a big bowl like a carpet in the future. I don't have room for that yet but hopefully sometime soon.
The leaves are quite amazing. They are oddly soft and if you want to keep them marshmallow-like you should probably be careful if you touch them. And I don't have to say anything about the color, see for yourself. :)

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White Avonia's flower (2 pics)

August 7, 2013, 12:25 pm
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I'll just quickly post the pics because I really need to go sleep now. Waking up at 5 am every day isn't easy. I was back from work at 7 pm today and found this waiting for me and for the camera. :) There are 10 flowers altogether! Amazing little plant. This summer is officially Avonia's summer.

Thank you, my dear readers, for commenting and mailing me these days! I will write to you (and update the blog at the normal rate) as soon as I'm able to gather my thoughts between work and sleep. 
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Rabiea's revitalization. I want one, too! (3 pics)

August 17, 2013, 12:11 pm
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It have been three weeks and I'm getting used to working "like an adult". :D Now waiting for the first paycheck! The work is completely new to me, I'm learning everything, a new profession basically, from scratch. Not much time for hobbies but I'm sure I'll get into the rhythm and figure it all out eventually. 

Recently I've repoted the Rabiea albipuncta to see how the roots are doing after a year (after all it has had some bug problems). I heard there might be thick roots but they look normal. Maybe it was a cutting? 

Anyway, this is how my pumice substrate looks like. The plant has grown a huge beard of roots in it over the last year, so I've trimmed it. Should do it good. Could trick it into thinking it got a bigger pot ;)

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First lithops flower buds this season (2 pics)

August 17, 2013, 12:41 pm
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Fulviceps is this year's first again! :) Might be even the same plant, I'm not sure. Can't wait to see it bloom!


In general though, I can't figure out my fulvi  'Aurea' and their cycle. Look at these two - instead of flowering they started regenerating.

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Avonia continues to flower

August 18, 2013, 12:06 pm
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The flowers don't open all at once because they aren't all at the same stage of development. That's even better. This way you can enjoy the "flowering season" longer. Last night two more flowers opened and both had only 4 instead of 5 petals. I guess, if you're a tiny plant and you grew 10 big flowers you have to economize on something :)

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Rubroroseus babies (3 pics)

August 19, 2013, 8:19 pm
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I'm taking back my previous rant about my L. bromfieldii v. glaudinae 'Rubroroseus' seedlings being neither rubro nor roseus. After the leaf change into first true leaves several of them now show a nice magenta color just like they should and I have nothing to complain. 


Sown in October 2012
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Breaking news!

August 20, 2013, 11:41 am
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This is going to be the event of the year among lithops! :D
Finally a plant I've grown from seed is going to flower! Such a miracle. I'm so looking forward to it. Just like I've been looking forward to it for 5 years.


None of the flowers you get from plants you bought is as precious as a flower on a plant you've grown yourself. :) One of the reasons - if not the main reason to sow.
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mesemb seedlings update

August 22, 2013, 11:23 am
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My youngest seedlings are doing fine so far. Aloinopsis schooneesii are cute as a button. Aloinopsis malherbei are growing 2nd and 3rd true leaves which finally look much flatter and malherbei-like. Among the Aloinopsis "giants" two little Frithias are hiding. They seem to enjoy some shade.
PS: Sorry for taking so long answering the comments and emails. It's difficult during the week. I really need to buy one of those smartphones kids use nowadays so that I can write from the bus ;) 

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Own seedlings became two-headed

August 24, 2013, 10:36 am
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I was sure I've already shown you this year's photo of these guys but I surprisingly haven't. These two lesliei 'Storms Albinigold' C36B (green body/yellow flowers) are my own seedlings from 2008. Yes, they are 5 years old already! Quite small and short though. This year they both regenerated into two heads making me very proud. 

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Nicely uniform

August 24, 2013, 10:38 am
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These lesliei v. minor C6 are also from my first seedlings bunch back in 2008 and still haven't flowered yet. They make up for it by being so uniform in their color and markings. The one that is different is regenerating early every year so that the leaves are now "older" and paler.

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C2A: first true leaves

August 24, 2013, 10:54 pm
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Just had to show you these little aucampiae C2A. Now that most of them changed into their first true leaves (it took them a long time) and have grown a bit since then the markings became more apparent. I really like what I'm seeing :) One day they will hopefully look like their beautifulparents.

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Aurea in bloom

August 25, 2013, 9:50 am
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Today's flowers :)

In the morning the buds still looked like clenched fists.

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And finally, the long-awated moment!

August 25, 2013, 9:57 am
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I guess I'll stop calling it "seedling" then :)

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