Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
land3499

Pachypodium brevicaule cultivation tips?

land3499
13 years ago

I've had this plant for three years, and each summer it leafs out nicely, but I can't get it to bloom. I've tried keeping it both wet and dry, hot and cold, and various combinations thereof. Any tips as to how I can get it to bloom?

Thx,

-R

{{gwi:689551}}

{{gwi:689552}}

{{gwi:689553}}

Comments (25)

  • cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
    13 years ago

    -R,

    Holy mackerel, that looks like a habitat plant - it certainly is large enough to flower. Since it is living long and prospering, I shan't ask how you cultivate it, but is it ever exposed to cold in the spring?

  • cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
    13 years ago

    Yours made me think of this.

    How long have you cultivated it?

    Here is a link that might be useful:

  • lzrddr
    13 years ago

    that is indeed an exceptionally old and healthy looking plant... had it three years, you probably got it pretty large... must have been $$. Nice plant!

  • land3499
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Yes, it's definitely collected from habitat. I was naive about these things when I bought it....I don't buy habitat-collected plants any more.

    The one saving grace is that this species is so widespread, so hopefully my mistake didn't have much of an impact :)

    Now if only I could get it to flower! I'll try keeping it cooler next spring.

    Thx,
    -R

  • ronsnakes
    13 years ago

    I live in Australia and would appreciate and tips please, I have just obtained a small seedling Brevicaule, could you tell me what potting mix I should be useing---I have 19 other pachypodiums, and I grow them in a shop bought special cactus mix with extra coarse river sand and perlite added, would that be suitable for my new brevicaule ?

  • land3499
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thx x_nyc, your advice is very much appreciated. My two choices in terms of temps are my sunroom, which is kept at about 55 degrees, and an unheated room, which goes down to about 45 degrees. So far I've kept it in the sunroom, and it gets watered every 3-4 weeks during the winter, but not enough to completely saturate the soil. The pan that it's in dries out quickly, within 2-3 days.

    I didn't uproot the entire plant, but its roots certainly don't fill the pot.

    What would you suggest?

    Thx again for your help,
    -R

  • caudex1
    13 years ago

    I would say it's not cold enough during dormancy. Mine get chilled to about 30f, with no water from Nov to Mar and flower every year. Some years more than others but there's always something.

  • land3499
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Thx caudex.

    I've moved it into the room that gets down to about 45 degrees -- hopefully that's low enough. And won't water it again until spring. I'm a little concerned about root loss, as xerophyte mentioned, but there's probably nothing I can do about that now. Hopefully it will enjoy the cold/dry snap, and root better when it starts to warm up.

    Thx again guys for the help.

    -R

  • winnjoe
    12 years ago

    land3499 - any luck this past year with flowers?

  • CorpsmanCooper
    12 years ago

    I too would love to know!

    ~Erin~

  • cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
    12 years ago

    Joe and Erin,

    Robert won't be answering you - he's been banned.

  • CorpsmanCooper
    12 years ago

    Uh oh! What did he do? LOL

    ~Erin~

  • Pagan
    9 years ago

    This is unfortunate. I, too, require as much information about P. brevicaule which has now been officially designated and elevated to the status of Supremely Precious Plant The Cat Must Never Sit On or SPPTCMNSO for short.

    My SPPTCMNSO is a grafted seedling and I would like to know if anyone here has any idea what a grafted plant looks like when mature? Does it engulf the base or do both grow at the same rate and I will thus end up with an alien lollipop?

    TIA.
    Pagan

  • rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
    9 years ago

    Pagan

    I don't know anything about growing the plant, but would like to see picture of grafted one...(and maybe bump this thread up so hopefully someone who knows will answer?)

    Rina

  • Pagan
    9 years ago

    Hey Rina, thanks for the bump.

    My plant looks like this (proto-lollipop)

    {{gwi:689556}}

    I have this nutty idea of slowly burying that stem until the P. brevicaule top touches the soil. If the stem doesn't rot underneath (I suspect it will) yet continues to grow, I'll probably end up with a pot 12 feet tall.

    Pagan

  • rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
    8 years ago

    Pagan

    This older thread has been brought up, and I am wondering if you did bury that plants stem?

  • Pagan
    8 years ago

    I did, Rina. I had kept it in the nursery pot in came in with for the first two years and repotted it last autumn into a deeper pot. The roots turned out to be more extensive than I thought. So in it went into pumice with about a couple of tablespoons of soil. Then I sifted out the biggest chunks of pumice and used that as topdressing up to about 3 centimeters of the stock. It looks like this now:

    I still think I'll end up with a pot 12 feet tall in a few decades.

    Pagan


  • rina_Ontario,Canada 5a
    8 years ago

    Pagan

    Thank you for update. I don't have any of these plants, but one day...Rina

  • kuroc
    8 years ago

    I don't think you have to worry about having to put it in a 12 foot pot because the stock no longer has a growth point. Only the brevicaule grafted on has growth points.


    I have five small seedlings. Two I bought off ebay and 3 very small ones I grew from seed. Two of the ones from seeds are coming out of dormancy. So far they have all been easy to take care off.


  • Pagan
    8 years ago

    Fantastic growing, kuroc. How long did it take your seed-grown plants to reach this size?

    Pagan

  • kuroc
    8 years ago

    About a year and a half. They would have gotten bigger by now but I haven't taken care of them consistently and they've been dorment most of the time.

    The reason for that is I go though periods of depression and I don't take proper care of my plants when I'm depressed.


  • laticauda
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Lady Chuchi,

    I was informed that these particular grafts end up encompassing the root stock and becoming beautiful specimens (I asked because I am hesitant to get grafted stock but may end up with quite a collection).

  • Pagan
    8 years ago
    last modified: 8 years ago

    Welcome back then, Kuroc. I guess your seedlings will now start to kick up some dust.

    I doubt that, Laticauda. Since my original query in this thread in 2014, I've seen a lot of lollipops and not a single one that encompassed anything. They're stunning in their own way, but lollipops lol

    Still, that is much better than getting a 9-year old habitat specimen off of some poacher on eBay.

    Are you getting a seedling? I noticed it's not in your pachy list.

    Pagan

  • laticauda
    8 years ago

    The rosulatim uh.....*called out* to me.

    and it's hot back there after about 10 am. I was there about 1pm

0