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Breakin' up families

Colleen E
10 years ago

Did some of that yesterday, and enjoyed it. :)

This

{{gwi:578964}}

became an almost-solitary mother and several little pups who all came off easily and with roots. Four pups now on their own, two potted with Mom.

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The favorite, with ten pups, was split off as well. Most of its pups have flowered in the last two months, which is great.

Then:

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Now (7 of the 10):

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I think I heard a discussion among them concerning Canadian living conditions and cat culture, Jeff, but I'm not sure.

Then, there's the G. glomerata leaf that one cat here, who won't admit to it, knocked off a plant three weeks ago. Threw a little rooting powder on it and tossed it in soil, and forgot about it. No roots yet, but I was a bit late in noticing something else. In three weeks? Glomerata does the work fast.

{{gwi:578968}}

Not the only one to be thrown somewhere and abused this summer. Except, ashamed to say, not all have had the luxury of soil. But they still do their job.

{{gwi:578969}}

-- Colleen

This post was edited by teatree on Fri, Jul 26, 13 at 1:19

Comments (15)

  • Deion
    10 years ago

    No soil and they grow like that? WOW

  • Colleen E
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yes, some leaves do! I just had more Echeveria 'Black Prince' leaves than I knew what to do with, and that's one plant/leaf that will start rooting and/or producing new plants after a few weeks of laying somewhere without soil. These started making new plants before roots, but most seem to be beginning to put out roots now. I'll quit being lazy and get 'em in soil soon.

    Many leaves can fall on the ground off somewhere and start the rooting and growing process without your realizing. Neglect works. :)

    This post was edited by teatree on Fri, Jul 26, 13 at 10:55

  • rosemariero
    10 years ago

    Ha ha, Colleen...whatever abuse you put your plant wards through...they still make it! You're a good plant Mama, breaking up families or not! Now, MY abuse is bordering on folks calling the PAH (Plant Abuse Hotline). =)

    I think maybe you & Jeff need to get your kitties under control. ;)

    All your plants look great! Thanks for showing!

  • Danielle Rose
    10 years ago

    Colleen! Is there any way you would share some of those black prince leaves if I sent you postage? I've got some pups and newly rooted leaves that I could trade, as well, I'm just not sure if you're looking for anything.

  • Colleen E
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yes, Danielle, I would. Why don't you send me an e-mail (if that doesn't work for you, tell me, but after clicking my username here, there should be an option to send me an e-mail). This forum is not an exchange forum, of course, so I mind my "P"s and "Q"s. ;)

    There's E. 'Black Prince,' but also its cousin, 'Black Knight,' and I have leaves and such of 'Black Knight' too. And this is the full plant of 'Black Prince,' for clarity's sake. Pictured a couple winters ago, without its full summer darker color. Great plant.

    {{gwi:524439}}

    This post was edited by teatree on Fri, Jul 26, 13 at 22:44

  • hanzrobo
    10 years ago

    Beautiful armstrongiis, Colleen! I have 2 that are in bloom right now but just slightly out of sync. I may get a few flowers that coincide and hopefully make some pure seed.
    Great photos.

  • Colleen E
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Of course, have to thank you for that plant shopping, Rosemarie. The first G. pictured--the awesome fat one, as I call him :)--is, of course, thanks to you.

    Seed experimentation I should do one of these days... First time doing anything is always the shakiest.

    The large G. you last sent, Ryan, is just starting flowering. Great, great plant. The one bestowed on me from Jeff a year ago bloomed two months ago, but is now sending up another shoot. :)

  • hanzrobo
    10 years ago

    Oh, excellent! Mama is blooming now too! She's sent up a huge inflorescence, actually. Maybe a pic later... my neighbors are painting their house and I have everything covered in plastic.

    It's interesting which Gasterias are in bloom right now. I have armstrongii, brachyphylla, the big stacked mama that you mentioned, and a few other big ones that I suspect are armstrongii hybrids.

    Great title, by the way.

  • wantonamara Z8 CenTex
    10 years ago

    I guess you don't like family closeness. Every one has to have their own room, huh?

  • Colleen E
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Ooooh, brachyphylla. Sigh!

    And normally I do prefer keeping the families together, Mara. Haws I rarely ever split up; I don't find them at all impressive alone. But this time, eh, might as well, I figured, because I was going to re-pot and these guys are more likely to find different homes in the future. The one with ten pups I was kind of "awwwwww" after I split them up, because I do prefer the look of the cluster, but it's okay; that one pups fast.

    I'm an only child, though... solitary from birth. :)

  • squishyplant
    10 years ago

    Those are fat and awesome! I need more Gasteria!!
    Matthew

  • kathi_mdgd
    10 years ago

    That first picture looks like an alien being.Nice,all of them.
    kathi

  • cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
    10 years ago

    Being fruitful and multiplying, isn't it ever so satisfying. You're doing it ever so well. I'll have to look around for a G. brachyphylla for ya, C, so that another check mark can be made. I think I have one (Ryan has the mother plant) but I'm not terribly enthralled with mine (truth be told, I never was), so maybe it's saying it should go to a proper home in OR...Gasteria anthropomorphizing is, however, not for the faint of heart.

  • Colleen E
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Don't spiral and I'll usually love you, is my Gasteria motto...with several exceptions; if you're a G. batesiana or G. excelsa, you can get away with anything. I've seen some really great G. brachyphylla pictured and some just alright. Depends on the specimen for me, and if I were to wait it out until it's fully grown, I might learn to love it if I didn't earlier on. G. bicolor is usually the one I consider a big dud when I see it, but again, depends on the plant. The dislike isn't even related to my growing dislike of the miniature H. b. v. liliputana.

    Over here, I'm seeing H. croucheri (a spiraler, but I've got one and like its fatness) and H. ellaphieae (have it, too, and when purchased didn't realize it would spiral) quite a bit locally now. And G. rawlinsonii, the sloth I do like. And that's great; I like more variety coming around these parts.

    This post was edited by teatree on Tue, Jul 30, 13 at 14:35

  • nat_lia
    10 years ago

    Beautiful mommy and pups :) I had 3 Gasteria armstrongii planted in a pot before but lost them....they were gift from another member of this forum. A hungry squirrel took them I guess :( I found only one out of three not far away from the pot but died already. TFS, you have beautiful Gasteria :)

    Natalia