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Quarantine succulents to keep problems from spreading.
Whether we’re talking about new plants you just brought home or one of your favorite plants starting to look sickly, a good safety measure can be to quarantine succulents. quar·an·tinekwôrənˌtēn/ nouna state, period, or place of isolation in which people, plants, or animals that have arrived from elsewhere or been exposed to infections or contagions…
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Hawarthiopsis Pup-date
Tale of a Hawarthiopsis I discovered a white, sun-deprived pup in the bottom of a rootbound haworthiopsis. I had intended to document the pup’s growth and recovery. I took several photos showing its transition from white to green. Unfortunately, while it was growing strong, it met an untimely demise. In the end, I realize I…
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Holiday Cacti—Thanksgiving and Christmas Cactus
Schlumbergera, Not bah humberera Thanksgiving and Christmas cacti are plants of the genus Schlumbergera, a sub-classification of the family Cactaceae (which includes all cacti). These late bloomers are great to keep some color during the cooler seasons, as they generally bloom close to the holiday for which they are named. These holiday cacti aren’t quite…
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7 Tips to Stop Overwatering and Killing your Succulents and Cacti
The most common problem people have when starting out with succulents is overwatering. Imagine a cactus in the wild. Where do you see it?—probably some sandy expanse, right? Succulents and cacti are typically desert plants, and as such they’re adapted to living in dry, arid environments. They are xerophilic, and aren’t used to receiving lots…
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Review — Garden Pumice (General Pumice Products)
Pumice is one of the best soil additives to use when planting succulents and cacti. It absorbs and holds the right amount of water and nutrients, while creating space for aeration and fast drainage. Pumice can be better than perlite as an additive, because it doesn’t have the same tendency to separate out of the…
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Make a basic propagation / etiolation station
Do you need one? Sometimes your plants just aren’t getting enough light and need a little extra care. Most succulents prefer a minimum of 6 hours of bright, direct sunlight a day. When plants aren’t getting enough light they start to etiolate or stretch out in search of more. This causes the stems to elongate,…
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Succulent salvage—clearance plants
The other day I took a quick trip over to the Lowe’s garden center. Initially I was just going in to find a drill bit for a future project—hopefully I’ll be adding some drainage holes to some cheap ceramics and glass that will make great succulent planters. I’ll let you know how that goes in…
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Separating Haworthiopsis for propagation
I recently picked up this succulent at Lowe’s. It was labeled generically as haworthia asstd./haworthia spp. I’ve since been told it may likely be haworthiopsis coarctata, and a stop over at Wikipedia certainly validates the opinion that it is a haworthiopsis of some kind. The plant looked pretty crowded in its pot, and I wanted to separate some…
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How to Sterilize Soil
Why would you sterilize soil? Taking the precaution to sterilize soil can kill off insect eggs, fungi, and bacteria that could potentially cause harm to your plants. In my previous post, Why All My Succulents Almost Died and What I Did To Save Them, I discussed needing to re-pot my plants because of over-watering, root rot,…
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Why all of my succulents almost died—and what I did to save them.
What happened? A little over a month ago nearly all of the succulents on my porch started showing signs of deterioration. It started with one pot at first—my most recently acquired echeveria. I watched in dismay as the problem spread to my other succulents over the course of the next two weeks. Leaves were falling…
A blog for lovers of succulents and cacti