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Tag: succulents

Sowing cacti and succulents: what to do when the first little plants are born

Ok, between one drop and another of condensation inside the bag we can see some tiny green dots. The seeds gave birth to the first seedlings, in short, our baby cacti. And now? How do we proceed with the sowing of cacti and succulent plants after the first germinations? Should we open the bags right away? Should we keep the seedlings in full light or is it better to place them in a sheltered place? Should we water regularly the seedlings or it’s better to let the potting soil dry out? And, finally, can we fertilize?

In this article, let’s see what to do once the seeds of cacti and succulents have germinated, in other words how to move correctly to help the plants grow and avoid making the work done with sowing in vain. (…)

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Titanopsis calcarea, a winter flowering succulent with particular cultivation rules

From mid-December to the beginning of January is the flowering time for a rather widespread and highly appreciated succulent plant from an aesthetic point of view: Titanopsis calcarea. The appearance of the leaves, their arrangement, the color and the punctiform reliefs (similar to warts) on the fleshy surface of the leaves themselves make this plant  a small living rock, on a par with the Lithops. And it is no coincidence that the name Titanopsis derives from the union of the Greek terms “titanos” (understood as “gypsum”, “lime”) and “opsis“, i.e. “appearance”. In short, a plant with the appearance of a calcareous rock or a “clump of earth” (the effective definition is by Giuseppe Lodi), we could define it. The Titanopsis genus belongs to the Aizoaceae family (formerly Mesembriantemaceae) and is native to Southern Africa, in particular Namibia and the Cape Province. The cultivation of these plants, and specifically of Titanopsis calcarea, requires some special precautions compared to those we reserve for cacti.

Let’s go into detail and get to know this plant and its needs better in the following article (….).

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Sudden changes in temperature and first colds: with cacti and succulents there is nothing to fear

From the highest peak to the lowest, about thirty degrees Celsius passes. This is the sudden change in temperature to which my succulents (90% cacti) have been exposed in recent weeks, almost all kept in the greenhouse which is still rigorously open 24 hours a day. All the Agaves remain outside the greenhouse, some Aloes, various Opuntia, Tephrocactus, Pediocactus, some Echinopsis and some cacti that I placed in the ground for experimentation. Can such sudden changes in temperature damage plants? Are nighttime lows starting to get too low for cacti and succulents in general?

There are many who wonder and, since I have received several messages in this sense, I have decided to write this short article to answer these questions. (…)

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The Asclepiadaceae family: African succulents with beautiful but… smelly flowers

Although more than twenty years have passed, I still remember my first encounter with an Asclepiadaceae. A few years ago, I approached the world of succulents, and I went to visit a nursery just outside my city. I had been browsing among the succulents for quite a while when the owner of the nursery, an elderly but very chirpy lady, noticed me and my interests in plants, approached me and said: “Do you want to see a succulent plant with beautiful flowers?” I said yes, of course, I wanted to see it, so she took me down a narrow corridor cluttered with plants and pointed to a large succulent in a hanging pot. It had thick fleshy, straight green stems with reddish edges, and from one of these stems hung a big star-shaped flower with elongated, thin tips and shaded yellow petals crossed by tiny dark streaks. “Come closer, sniff how good it smells”, the lady said to me, passing from a restrained smile to an open, fat laugh, as soon as I obeyed and immediately withdrew, disgusted by the smell of rotting flesh that from that flower had entered right into my nose.

Keep on reading the article if you want to know how this story goes (…)

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Crassula ovata, “Jade Tree” or “Money Plant”: here’s how to grow this beautiful succulent

Commonly known as the “jade tree” due to the bright green color of its fleshy leaves, or the “money plant” due to the roundish/elongated shape of the leaves, Crassula ovata is a very common succulent plant in cultivation. It can also often be observed in apartments, where it grows well thanks to its great adaptability and where it can add an unexpected touch of green thanks to its sapling habit, with thick and robust brown branches. Crassula ovata is certainly a common plant, not at all sophisticated, and simple in its forms; however, it has its own charm and the ease of cultivation makes it a succulent practically within everyone’s reach.

In the following article we see in detail where it comes from, what are the cultivation needs of this succulent, what are its weaknesses and how it can be successfully reproduced even by those who are beginners in the cultivation of succulent plants. (…)

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