Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
laurarobichaud

Tiny Silver Queen pup--new sport?

Laura Robichaud
10 years ago

I was looking over my sans yesterday. My Silver Queen was potted a little too deep, so I thought I'd unpot it and lift it. I was afraid of crown rot especially in the winter time. I had noticed this small pup when I purchased the plant last spring. It was one or two small leaves then. The pup has grown a couple more leaves since then. They appear to be mature leaves 2" tall at the most. I decided to remove the pup and pot it by itself.

This plant grew a couple of full-sized pups over the summer, so this dwarf does not appear to be the way pups develop normally on this plant. What does everyone think?

Intact plant. Dwarf pup in the front:

Close up of the pup

Unpotted

Separated pup

Mother plant with full-sized pups in the front

Close up of potted dwarf

Comments (11)

  • Stush2049 Pitts. PA, zone 6
    10 years ago

    LauraRobichaud,
    You asked the million dollar question. Why do some pups spring out and grow while some sit and do nothing. I have some pups that for one year stayed the same. Grew nothing. Not up or across or any new leaves, then the plant will produce a new pup that shoots out and grows 12 inches in 3 months. One extreme to the other.
    Right now I am experimenting with a new idea. When it passed thru this winter, I will tell the world. Starting here of course. So far so good. This may change the way we grow our sans. Or I fail and say nothing at all. Ha ha.
    Stush, waiting for others to post

  • Laura Robichaud
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    I know what you're saying, Stsh, about slow growing pups. Doesn't this tiny pup appear to have mature leaves that are only a few inches tall? That's what struck me.

    Can't wait to see how your experiment unfolds!

  • Solar_Storm
    10 years ago

    There was a small sans called "'Silver Princess' with leaves that maxed out for me at about 8". I thought I had a photo, but alas, no. I'm trying to revive the plant now and if sucessful, I'll post a photo.

  • Stush2049 Pitts. PA, zone 6
    10 years ago

    Hope it does stay small and continue to produce more leaves and produce pups. If it was stunted, the new growth will start to return to normal. Some how we don't like normal do we?

    Dale,
    Didn't know such a plant existed. Would love to know more.
    Stush

  • michael1846
    10 years ago

    How is it now? Still small?

  • Laura Robichaud
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Yes, it's still small. It got a little wrinkled and lost one of its older leaves. The pup has plumped back up over the last few days. Of course, being winter, I'm just trying to keep it alive and somewhat happy until it can go outside when it's warm!

  • michael1846
    10 years ago

    So it is just a dwarf or stunted?

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    10 years ago

    This is interesting. I have a couple little pups that came from propagated leaves. I put them in this 'planter' (aluminum roasting pan, holes punched in bottom) last spring and they haven't grown more than maybe 1/2 inch, though the one that's not out of focus did make it's own tiny pup, back and to the right, from this angle. The leaf that spawned these lil' pups was a normal leaf from the large type Sans in this discussion. We will see what's going on under the surface when I unpot everything in this planter in 2-3 months.

    So yours came from a rhizome and mine came from a leaf prop.

    The only thing different about this planter is that I didn't keep it as moist this past summer as I usually would for Sans in a pot, pandering more to the other plants in there that can't take consistent moisture. Part of the Stapelia shriveled up too, too dry for it.

  • Laura Robichaud
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    no idea if it's a dwarf or stunted. I guess time will tell.

    Purple..very cool that such a little plant produced a pup. Please update us when you unpot this in the spring!

  • Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
    10 years ago

    IKR! Ever since I started paying more attention to these, they keep doing 'new' stuff. The chunk I sent to my Mom's house has done that thing where a pup forms in the rosette of an existing plant. Will see if it's still alive today & get a pic. I think it's out in the cold.

    Stunted (from thirst) is the word I'd apply to the ones I showed, but it's just a guess. Observing is a blast, even if what I see usually doesn't make sense.

  • michael1846
    10 years ago

    If it was stunted I don't "think" it would make a pup maby it's unusually small. If you fertilize them in the summer and they stay small then I would take it as a mini sans. Good luck.

Sponsored
Capri Home Renovations
Average rating: 5 out of 5 stars33 Reviews
Reputable Home Renovation Company Serving Northern Virginia