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Why is my monadenium growing upside-down?
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Posted by amccour (My Page) on Sun, Nov 22, 09 at 20:19
| Picture:
http://img72.imageshack.us/img72/2599/1122092007.jpg
I'm not sure what species. (It's one of the succulent, freely branch, bumpy, deciduous ones. It's also probably a hybrid).
Tonight I was looking at it and noticed it was kind of floppy looking. Except it's not actually floppy. Totally solid. Looked a bit closer and notice it had a branch growing *downwards* on it.
The rest of the plant looks fine. The main stem is bending over but that's probably just phototropism (it's behind a bunch of other plants and awkwardly shaped [Said branch always had a strong lean to it]. I just can't get at it to rotate it much). Rest of the new growth isn't etioliated since it's pretty near a window. In other words it's looking fine in comparison to this summer.
Except this one branch. I'm not even sure if it was THERE before. It's not even etioliated. The internodal length is SMALLER in the new growth than in the older parts of the branch and it's just as thick.
Also it looks sort of wrinkly looking and a little soft. The other branches aren't so much. If it's anything it'd be lack of water since I haven't watered this since bringing it in, so rot is sort of out of the question. Looking at older pics, some of the branches might be kind of droopy. Maybe it does need a drink. That still doesn't explain that one branch.
No apparent pests. There are webs on it but I'm pretty sure those are spider webs and not mite webs. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Why is my monadenium growing upside-down?
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| No problem in my opinion. Just normal growth. In habitat, that branch would have run into the soil and "turned around" (and probably root there too). Since it is in that pot, it just keeps growing down aimlessly. Like you said, it has nice tight growth, which to me indicates it growing normally... |
RE: Why is my monadenium growing upside-down?
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| Alright. I kind of figured as such. Some species seem like they're kind of... clumpier, and others are more upright. The lack of an ID I have contributes to m confusion on what's a normal growth habit for this thing anyway. It's still a bit soft on a few branches, though. Should I give it some water? As I said, if anything, it's from being too dry since I haven't watered it that recently. Rot seems VERY unlikely. |
RE: Why is my monadenium growing upside-down?
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| I have a very similar plant that lost its growth point, and the stem has turned to wood. It has one branch emerging in the middle at a right angle. It is growing very long, and I have to support the branch by leaning it over nearby pots. I think yours is Monadenium heteropodum. Another image: Monadenium heteropodum Here is a very similar looking plant showing a downward turn: NOID Monadenium another possibility is Monadenium guentheri Brad |
RE: Why is my monadenium growing upside-down?
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| IDing these stem-type Monadeniums is almost impossible for me. There just seems to be so few differentiating characteristics. Unless it is completely dormant, I would offer some water and see if that increases the turgidity and firms up the soft stems. Assuming you have it in an appropriate mix, I wouldn't worry too much about rotting it... |
RE: Why is my monadenium growing upside-down?
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| paracelsus: Mine has a heteropodum body and SOME guentheri colorization, but also gunetheri-ish leaves, which is why I guess at it being a hybrid. "Unless it is completely dormant, " It's not. It's actually flowering right now, a little, and I think that weird branch is mostly newish. I'll give it some water. |
RE: Why is my monadenium growing upside-down?
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| I have a monadenium as well, which Joscience thought might be M. schubei, though looking at the photos of M. heteropodum, it looks something like that also. I see now why Monadeniums are so hard to ID. My plant seems to be leaning a bit more than when I got it, though it hasn't lost any firmness, and still has most of its leaves. I don't water mine very often, though I've only had it a few months. This is mine. Christopher |
RE: Why is my monadenium growing upside-down?
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| I bought this recently at a big box store and it was tentatively identified by someone at a yahoo forum as Monadenium guentheri. The stems are quite firm and it is finishing flowering at the ends. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Monadenium guentheri?
RE: Why is my monadenium growing upside-down?
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| Your plant looks a lot like mine above, which I thought of as M. schubei, only yours has lost all its leaves. Christopher |
RE: Why is my monadenium growing upside-down?
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Here is a link that might be useful: M schubei? heteropodum?
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