# My Hens and Chicks Plants



## sarahspins

How appropriate - I just bought a Hen and Chicks plant this morning 

I like seeing how you did yours, I'm thinking I am going to plant mine in a large bowl, but I haven't had a chance to go get some gravel


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## samee

sarahspins said:


> How appropriate - I just bought a Hen and Chicks plant this morning
> 
> I like seeing how you did yours, I'm thinking I am going to plant mine in a large bowl, but I haven't had a chance to go get some gravel


Cool, Id like to see pics of yours. Im hoping they will grow well and fast. atm theres in space in the dining room where the big windows are (balcony) as they are occupied by other plants. So I have them in my room. They get a little but of direct sun light and moderate bright light.


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## Sajacobs

Enjoyed your pics. I love chicks and hens. They are such beautiful plants. The red colors on yours is eye catching. What type is the one thats bright red?

Thanks for sharing


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## samee

Sajacobs said:


> Enjoyed your pics. I love chicks and hens. They are such beautiful plants. The red colors on yours is eye catching. What type is the one thats bright red?
> 
> Thanks for sharing


Thank you, I dont know the name of any of them. I bought them without names. The only name is the cob web, which is not of much help.


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## Nambroth

Hens and chicks are so easy! You will have a lot of fun with them. I like to stick them in those pots that have holes all up and down the sides, and mine grow to cover nearly the entire pot, so it looks like a mound of a plant. I've noticed that mine hate to be indoors for too long, I think they don't get enough light. If you have a lot of light it shouldn't be a problem, but I have the best success just leaving them outside all year long. They go dormant in the winter and then bust forth like crazy in the spring, summer, and fall.

Just wait 'till you get a rooster (flowering stalk)! 

I tend to put all my more tender succulents outside in the summer on the eastern side of the house and they really take off.


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## BruceF

Some of those look like Echeveria and at least one appears to be a sedum. I keep all my hens and chicks outside. Right now they are covered in snow.

edit. and the other one looks like a Tradescantia zebrina


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## samee

Thanks guys. yes that is a Tradescantia zebrina!

I dont know how but I thought I didnt get any replies so never bothered to check the thread.

atm I have them in the room, they get a good amount of indirect light and a bit of direct. I have a T8 shoplight, 6400k, on them atm. So its a good amount of light. I want to keep them in the balcony year round as well, but I really hate squirrels. I live on the 9th floor and those buggers are a problem for everyone. during spring and fall they dig out and make a mess of all our plants in the balcony. We grow tomatoes, chillies and a few other things (our balcony is a jungle). We also have the Tradescantia zebrina and other plants outside during the summer. The squirrel climbs the building with no problem and digs around for food it either stored or is going to store. So I think Ill move them out after spring.


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## ValMM

You have such pretty plants! At home, my mom keeps aloe vera. We recently repotted them and the small ones are producing babies 3 months later. 

I don't have any succulents in my collection here at school, the 4 grapefruits are the most exotic ones I have.


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## samee

ValMM said:


> You have such pretty plants! At home, my mom keeps aloe vera. We recently repotted them and the small ones are producing babies 3 months later.
> 
> I don't have any succulents in my collection here at school, the 4 grapefruits are the most exotic ones I have.


Cool, I want to try avacado, its really easy to grow. But youl have to wait 5 or so years for the fruits :biggrin:

About your aloe, thats good to hear, maybe you can start making that aloe drink.


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## ValMM

From what I read, grapefruit takes 7-9years to mature. When they get too big to keep in the house, we are going to look for someone who will want them. 

We've had the aloe since I was in late elementary school. Every time we separate the plants we give them away to people. We have had two flower stalks throughout the years, the blossoms are peach and yellow colored. Very dainty.


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## caliherp

Nice looking plants samee. Be careful, they are highly addictive. I started out collecting rosette type succulents(I love there symmetry of them) then all hell broke lose. When I get off work ill share some pictures. 


Regards, Patrick


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## samee

Cant wait to see them.

Is there a trading forum like pt about succulents? If you guys have good looking semps, I might want to try a buy/sell.

As for my chicks, I think a few grew a bit. They look bigger than I remember. I will wait another week or two before taking new pics.


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## In.a.Box

Wow those r beautiful.
Why not use Sts over rock?


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## samee

In.a.Box said:


> Wow those r beautiful.
> Why not use Sts over rock?


sts? And thanks


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## In.a.Box

samee said:


> sts? And thanks


*Safe T Sorb*


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## samee

In.a.Box said:


> *Safe T Sorb*


Oh, it sucks up the moisture and keeps it in right? Kind of like a one time use?

Although I made a layer an inch under the soil the semps are planted in, the purpose of top soil was something else. I made the layer under the soil so excess water just flows through, so I dont have to worry about root rot (even though I have a high drainage succulent soil). The top layer was pebbles on purpose because I wanted a "rock garden" kind of feel. This is just the beginning. Once I find more squarish, bigger container, Im going to be placing big rocks along with gravel to make it more rocky. If I get that far, I want to do a dw or bonsai type scaping as well.

This is what I want to pursue(NOT MY PIC):









Here is another examples









Ultimate goal, make a DIY rock wall like this with soil and gravel. All indoor.


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## In.a.Box

STS has a high CEC, clay Substrate. a lot people on this forum use it.


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## samee

In.a.Box said:


> STS has a high CEC, clay Substrate. a lot people on this forum use it.


umm, will need to read up on it, although Im not interested in reading essays and lengthy paragraphs atm.


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## In.a.Box

really liking the plant, maybe I should start a 10g hens and chicks tank for display.

maybe this will help 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=149589&highlight=sts


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## Wasserpest

samee said:


> Where the heck is the section for plants but non aquatic? Oh wait, there isnt


This board deals with drowned plants. :icon_eek:

Your un-drowned plants are really adorable.




samee said:


> Another tropical plant I have, dont know the name


It is Tradescandia zebrina, aka Wandering Jew.


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## zoragen

I love hens & chicks. We have them outside & they do great.

I was given some mason jars w/ holes in the bottoms for x-mas that I filled w/ colored gravel & I've been thinking about creating a succulent garden.


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## samee

Wasserpest said:


> This board deals with drowned plants. :icon_eek:
> 
> Your un-drowned plants are really adorable.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> It is Tradescandia zebrina, aka Wandering Jew.



ehehe thanks. Yes there is a bonsai thread in the lounge area, but I was going for more of a pic + journal thing.

For everyone else who have semps or just succlents, post pics. I really want to see. Is anyone here really into plants though? Like the hardcore EI dosing, T5HO, pressurized CO2 with $400000 anabuis plants except with non aquatic/terrestrial? plants? (Amano, Barr and many others on this forum)


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## caliherp

Rember you asked for it.





























































































































































































































































I should probably stop now. I can post more later if you all would like.


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## samee

nice, I LOVE ur send pic. Love that semp. You have more semps? You have all ur plants in pots indoors?


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## caliherp

Thank you. Ill have to take some pictures of my semps. I only have a couple semps out of all he succulents I have. I have some extra cuttings in the ground. I keep most my succulents in pots. I keep them outside. My house doesn't get enough light to grow succulents inside. I have a few houseplants in my room, along with many tips of bromeliads in and out of some of my reptiles cages. I also keep a few broms out doors.


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## samee

Rain or snow dont bother your semps? Where do you live?


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## caliherp

I live in the Bay Area California(inland). We get mild frosts and moderate rain. I have had mixed results with unprotected succulents. Haven't tried any semps unprotected.


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## samee

caliherp said:


> I live in the Bay Area California(inland). We get mild frosts and moderate rain. I have had mixed results with unprotected succulents. Haven't tried any semps unprotected.


Oh, thats perfect weather. I think there are semp nurseries in cali. Semps are alpine species, they dont need full day of direct sunlight and they can survive -40c weather. So winters and frost is no problem for you. Just the sun is.


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## bluestems

Love hens and chicks! here's mine, taken from my grandmother's garden in Colorado & planted with some thyme:










They ended up deteriorating being potted in our wet climate, so I moved them to the top of the driveway slope, in full sun. Here they are in bloom this summer. :smile:


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## samee

Ok this is pretty frikkin cool. So I think I see a change in size on a few of them, they look bigger. Two of them its clear since new small, green leaves are right in the midde showing new growth. one of them, however is doing this:










So Im assuming hes expanding? Its no way flowering since hes only a chick, majority of them are an inch in size or less.


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## samee

Many of my chicks are doing this

I thought they were too small to even begin to multiply


























My succulent, I think its a sedum?


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## 10gallonplanted

I love these plants! I have some aswell!


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## samee

10gallonplanted said:


> I love these plants! I have some aswell!



I wouldnt mind if you posted some pics of yours


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## samee

1k + posts and no one bothers to post. Only RAOK makes people post.

It would be great if someone could tell me why Im getting this. Is it because of too little watering? I water on Saturdays every week. So it should be enough, no?











Here are my succulents


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## samee

Oh boy


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## Platy_lover21

Hens and chicks are the only succulent I have never been able to raise. >_>


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## samee

Platy_lover21 said:


> Hens and chicks are the only succulent I have never been able to raise. >_>


ehehe, apparently, they should be a little easier than other succulents to keep. Mine are drying up, people have said that they dont do well indoor, so I want to get them out asap. Just waiting for warmer temps. Now that I have alot more succulents, I gotta be really careful about their placements, watering and general care.


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## Platy_lover21

They hate me. x_x


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## samee

Platy_lover21 said:


> They hate me. x_x


Lets here it, maybe I can help.


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## samee

one of my succulents flowered


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## sumer

Well you seem to have a nice collection. 
I started mine just yesterday 
Everybody was buying flowering seasonal plants and these poor succulents were sitting sad in a corner. Got 7 of them. They were pretty cheap too. Took a lot of photos and replanted them in a pot. Would be following this thread !


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## samee

sumer said:


> Well you seem to have a nice collection.
> I started mine just yesterday
> Everybody was buying flowering seasonal plants and these poor succulents were sitting sad in a corner. Got 7 of them. They were pretty cheap too. Took a lot of photos and replanted them in a pot. Would be following this thread !



 good to see the love being spread. Post ur pics here, Id like to see them.

I saw succulents that look exactly like corals. Frikkin crazy. Red coral, green coral...


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## manzpants92

great work, very cool


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## samee

manzpants92 said:


> great work, very cool


Thanks. My hens and chicks arent doing so well. Im itching to move them outside. As soon as I can buy proper fencing I will put them out. Headed to mexico this weekend for a week so itl have to wait.


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## Sajacobs

Love your thread. Congrats on your blooming plant. I can see they are slowly growing. You should change your user name to chick&hen.


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## samee

Sajacobs said:


> Love your thread. Congrats on your blooming plant. I can see they are slowly growing. You should change your user name to chick&hen.


ehehe Im far from an "expert". Thanks  As long as people post Ill be encouraged to post updates and stuff. In about a week or two they will go in a big planter and outside, hopefully they will rebound and look much better.


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## verongome

I liked the photography of the plants. You clicked some really nice pics!


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## caliherp

Here are a few pictures of some of my blooms that opened up today. Sorry for the crappy cell pictures. I was only able to get pictures of a few of them before my phone died. Ill get the rest later.


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## caliherp

samee said:


> one of my succulents flowered


If given the proper amount of sun this plant turns a redish orange.



Although not true succulents xeric type Bromeliads are becoming some of my favorite plants.







I just thought you guys might enjoy those.


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## caliherp

A couple more for today.

















Please excuse the bird damage.



Heres a picture I took a month ago of one of my semps.


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## samee

verongome said:


> I liked the photography of the plants. You clicked some really nice pics!



Thanks.

Really nice pics.


Many more updates to come from my semi-big DIY project. Ill try my best to get pics tomorrow and post them. Big tank journal update tomorrow as well  I hope I can get it all done for tomorrow.


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## PunknDestroy

Its so cool that I'm not the only gardener here that loves cacti and succulents. Can someone explain to me what hen and chick plants are? I hear that alot


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## samee

PunknDestroy said:


> Its so cool that I'm not the only gardener here that loves cacti and succulents. Can someone explain to me what hen and chick plants are? I hear that alot



Sempervivum. They are perfect for our NA climate. They can tolerate upto -40 c. While in Toronto we only go to a max of -25 during our coldest nights. I can leave these guys outside year round.

--------------------------------------
Ok big blog post. I just finished a huge post over at my aquarium journal thread, please check it out and comment, link in my sig.


So when I was in US, I bought Lava rock and pea gravel. Big bags. I also bought a bag of cacti and suc soil. Since all succulent soil on the market suck, it was up to me to make a good mix. Ive used the cacti and succulent soil before and it becomes a piece of foam thats rock hard. Its terrible. I know because I transferred my plants here and there today.

Ok so the lava rock was too big. I wanted to make it the size of pea gravel but it was just too much work. The reason you need all material of the same size is because water tends to make a layer over the odd sized stuff. So water would drain around the gravel but pond up over the big lava rock. Atleast thats what I think I read elsewhere. So I spent about 2 hours or so hammering lava rock. Made a mess of the balcony. I coundnt hammer hard enough or else my neighbours would knock at my door. 

The plastic container is huge but even then I couldnt condense my other hens and chicks. I wanted to reduce the pot/container use but couldnt. I also made the same soil mix for my Sago Palm. I love that plant. Bought it for $1.50 because it was "damaged". The leaves are yellow as you can see. Im assuming it was over watered. Dont worry baby you're in the right hands now 

So it begins

















The mess










































Final










I couldnt set the top layer becuase there are too man small succulents everywhere. So setting it would be hard. Not to mention I ran out of the soil bag. So maybe next week I might get more and top it up. I still have to move around a few soil pots.


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## Noahma

I LOVE succulents. I go from one end of the spectrum (planted tanks lol) to very dry plants. My big thing right now are Sedum mixes. My back yard is a pain in the rear to mow, so we ripped out the grass, and now are planting a Sedum mix in its place. They tend to grow very well in our climate (semi-arid) and do well over winter as well. My Sedum Angelina turned a very deep red over winter which looked really nice!


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## PunknDestroy

Same here. I'm part of a nature preservation group. I collect and propagate rare and endangered species of cacti and succulents. At one point I had around 100 endangered species until I received some stock with a nasty fungus. Killed off everything except one of my cacti 





Noahma said:


> I LOVE succulents. I go from one end of the spectrum (planted tanks lol) to very dry plants. My big thing right now are Sedum mixes. My back yard is a pain in the rear to mow, so we ripped out the grass, and now are planting a Sedum mix in its place. They tend to grow very well in our climate (semi-arid) and do well over winter as well. My Sedum Angelina turned a very deep red over winter which looked really nice!


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## jnaz

caliherp said:


> If given the proper amount of sun this plant turns a redish orange.
> 
> 
> 
> Although not true succulents xeric type Bromeliads are becoming some of my favorite plants.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I just thought you guys might enjoy those.


What is the name of the last one?


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## caliherp

Noahma said:


> I LOVE succulents. I go from one end of the spectrum (planted tanks lol) to very dry plants. My big thing right now are Sedum mixes. My back yard is a pain in the rear to mow, so we ripped out the grass, and now are planting a Sedum mix in its place. They tend to grow very well in our climate (semi-arid) and do well over winter as well. My Sedum Angelina turned a very deep red over winter which looked really nice!


You should have a look at Sedum spurium c.v dragons blood. It is by far my favorite ground cover. It has a really deep blood red color to it.


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## caliherp

jnaz said:


> What is the name of the last one?


Dyckia Micheal Andreas. If you need a source shoot me a p.m. Here are a couple new ones I got the other day. They have some growing and some colorin up to do, but I figured I'd share them anyways.


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## Sajacobs

Are you doing all your plant work on a balcony?


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## samee

Sajacobs said:


> Are you doing all your plant work on a balcony?


Yes :redface:


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## samee

Does anyone have Agave toumeyana var. bella? Im in love with it. For a week now Ive spent hours and hours trying to find an agave I can grow in m balcony. Im zone 5/6 and need something that hardy. I was looking at Parryi but its so hard to buy. Then I found the bella which is hardy to my zone and it looks so nice. I wanted to know if it stands a chance here though.


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## samee

Just bought Agave Parviflora. I think someone stepped on the box as it was damaged. The plant too is damaged


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## samee

Update!!!!

Its a mess I know, its my first setup ever!










Agave parviflora 

















I also have Agave parryi truncata but its been damaged from the strong sun. So Im not going to post here 


Aloe vera var chinensis (I think)


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## DaveK

Thanks for posting all those picts of the hens and chicks plants. My grandmother use to keep a lot of them growing in her rock garden wall. Brought back a lot of memories.


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## Sajacobs

My moms hen and chicks just bloomed. Thought of your thread. What happened to the poor plant that was stepped on?


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## Chrisinator

Very nice collection!


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## samee

Thanks everyone 

The box the plant was in was stepped on, its the Agave parviflora. As you can see, one leaf is bent and one is half missing. atm I think its growing, not sure. I misted it one day and its really cool, the white hair twirl inwards when water touches them.


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## caliherp

samee said:


> Thanks everyone
> 
> The box the plant was in was stepped on, its the Agave parviflora. As you can see, one leaf is bent and one is half missing. atm I think its growing, not sure. I misted it one day and its really cool, the white hair twirl inwards when water touches them.


Agaves can be painfully slow growing. One of mine that i have had for over a year just now produced a leaf. once they start a growth spurt they usually produce leafs quickish. Be careful spraying them like that. As they can rot rather quickly. I spray my plants about once a month and blow the water out.


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## samee

caliherp said:


> Agaves can be painfully slow growing. One of mine that i have had for over a year just now produced a leaf. once they start a growth spurt they usually produce leafs quickish. Be careful spraying them like that. As they can rot rather quickly. I spray my plants about once a month and blow the water out.



I dont mist any of my succulents, I was misting my bonsai and I thought to mist the agave, pretty cool and worth the mist  Besides that misting does not help them, I only give a good watering once a week. As for the agaves, I water them once a month.


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## caliherp

samee said:


> I dont mist any of my succulents, I was misting my bonsai and I thought to mist the agave, pretty cool and worth the mist  Besides that misting does not help them, I only give a good watering once a week. As for the agaves, I water them once a month.


I should have worded my post a little better. The reason I spray my plants off is because my back yard is dusty. I know it doesn't benefit to them. I was just saying I make sure there isn't any excess water stuck in between the leafs, especially in the summer because of the heat. I have to water my agaves once a week when they are actively growing in summer.


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## samee

caliherp said:


> I should have worded my post a little better. The reason I spray my plants off is because my back yard is dusty. I know it doesn't benefit to them. I was just saying I make sure there isn't any excess water stuck in between the leafs, especially in the summer because of the heat. I have to water my agaves once a week when they are actively growing in summer.


Ah I see.

My aloe is growing like crazy, the pups are growing very quick. I think I will water my agaves, Ive been scared to water the parviflora as its very very xeric. I will water both this weekend though.


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## jerrytheplater

Samee

Look into making a planter out of Hypertufa, a mixture of Portland Cement, Sphagnum Peat Moss and Perlite. Great outdoors and does not crack in the winter when it freezes. I own two, but I didn't make them. I bought them both at a Connecticut Cactus and Succulent Society spring show. John Spain of CT wrote a booklet on growing cacti in the NE outdoors in the winter. He's really an expert.

I'll supply links later.


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## samee

jerrytheplater said:


> Samee
> 
> Look into making a planter out of Hypertufa, a mixture of Portland Cement, Sphagnum Peat Moss and Perlite. Great outdoors and does not crack in the winter when it freezes. I own two, but I didn't make them. I bought them both at a Connecticut Cactus and Succulent Society spring show. John Spain of CT wrote a booklet on growing cacti in the NE outdoors in the winter. He's really an expert.
> 
> I'll supply links later.


Very interesting. I googled it and found DIY ways to do it. hmm Id love to try this when I have the time. Thanks for sharing.


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## jerrytheplater

Here are some links on trough gardening: http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/4DMG/Garden/trough.htm
http://www.thealpinegarden.com/newtroughgarden.htm

Hardy succulent source: http://mountaincrestgardens.com/hardy-succulents.html?SID=bdbpv9v6dn63utgor5g9tvs717

Hardy cacti source: http://www.intermountaincactus.com/Intermountain_Cactus/Home.html

Article on John Spain's gardens and his address to buy his booklet called, Growing Winter Hardy Cacti in Cold/Wet Climate Conditions. http://www.dig-itmag.com/features/grounds_story/384_0_4_0_M/ 

John has spent probably over 40 years figuring out which cacti will do well outdoors in the North East. 

Here's a photo from this article showing his trough gardens with a number of Hypertufa pots. http://www.dig-itmag.com/photos/index.php?pic=grounds200905g_L.jpg


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## caliherp

One of my Semps bloomed last week for me. I thought you might enjoy it.



I take it your plants have started to slow down? Have you started to winterize them?


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## samee

caliherp said:


> One of my Semps bloomed last week for me. I thought you might enjoy it.
> 
> I take it your plants have started to slow down? Have you started to winterize them?



Beautiful :angel: But I guess it will die very soon. How old was it? Does not look too big to me though, I guess it depends on the variety.

atm my succulents and semps are growing strong. Ill try to get a pic. I will be moving my succulents, aloe, sago palm and agaves inside. My semps will stay outside. Not only are semps very hardy to the cold but they did terrible when I had them inside this past winter. About 10 to 15 have dried/shriveled out. They were in bad shape when I brought them out in the spring and the heat only made it worse.

In terms of wintering, Im very worried. Im not sure how my succulents will do indoor. Ill be placing T8 light over them, they will be at room temp of 23 to 26c, I will be watering them once every 2 weeks and they will get little to moderate indirect sunlight. Im worried because you are suppose to keep them in a cool spot so they go dormant. Since Im in an apartment, I seriously dont have much space. I have too many tropical plants that are taking space and all the window spaces are occupied. From next year my agaves will be outdoors for their lifetime, atm they seem damaged so Im not taking any chances. 


Here are 2 pics comparing them. To be honest, they have grown a bit since Aug 30th.

June 30th









Aug 30th










Ill try to get pics today of them all.

EDIT: PICS from today!!!


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## caliherp

It is one of the smaller variety's. Im not to sad to see it go. I went on a propagating spree this summer, and I have far to many plants then I know what to do with. I really need to get some pictures of my whole collection. Maybe ill do that today and post them if you don't mind. 

Most should do fine under a T8. They may stretch out some but you can just behead most of them and re root them. I would set the light as close to them as possible.


Edit: I just took a few pictures. This is a majority of my succulent collection. There are also a few bromeliads pictured. Please excuse the mess, Im in the middle of cleaning my back yard and there is crap everywhere.


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## samee

Wow they are beautiful!! You are a professional 

Id love to buy some clippings off of you. As long as I can throw them outside for the summer and they survive inside for the winter.

I want to trim a few of my plants but was wondering, after I move them inside, would it be wise to clip them? I will leave them on paper for a week before planting them but they will be under T8, or should I do it during spring?

Again, lovely collection. Im a member of the Cacti and Succulent forum, 

http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/cacti/?29005

Some of the members there have crazy succulent collections.

I also have Veitchia merrillii "Christmas palm" and Zamia furfuracea "Cardboard plant/palm" seeds that I want to attempt to grow. I dont think Ill have much of a luck with them though.


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## caliherp

samee said:


> Wow they are beautiful!! You are a professional
> 
> Id love to buy some clippings off of you. As long as I can throw them outside for the summer and they survive inside for the winter.
> 
> I want to trim a few of my plants but was wondering, after I move them inside, would it be wise to clip them? I will leave them on paper for a week before planting them but they will be under T8, or should I do it during spring?
> 
> Again, lovely collection. Im a member of the Cacti and Succulent forum,
> 
> http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/cacti/?29005
> 
> Some of the members there have crazy succulent collections.
> 
> I also have Veitchia merrillii "Christmas palm" and Zamia furfuracea "Cardboard plant/palm" seeds that I want to attempt to grow. I dont think Ill have much of a luck with them though.


Thank you for the complement. I wish I was a professional. I would be more then happy to send you some. Shoot me a p.m when ever your ready. 

I've had success re-rooting them under fluorescent lights. I usually wait till its spring time to do my hacking and slashing. When you chop your plants up don't discard the bottoms or extra leafs. A lot of succulents sprout new plants from stems and leafs. Ill get some pictures of them up sometime today. Don't be afraid to chop them up. They grow back quick. Just remember to let the fresh cuts callus over. I've thrown them under t8's, I have also left them in the shade to heal up. Both ways have worked well for me. Although I prefer to keep them in the shade while healing. 

I am a member of xeric world forums. There is a vast amount of knowledge on that site. I mainly lurk there though.


----------



## samee

caliherp said:


> Thank you for the complement. I wish I was a professional. I would be more then happy to send you some. Shoot me a p.m when ever your ready.
> 
> I've had success re-rooting them under fluorescent lights. I usually wait till its spring time to do my hacking and slashing. When you chop your plants up don't discard the bottoms or extra leafs. A lot of succulents sprout new plants from stems and leafs. Ill get some pictures of them up sometime today. Don't be afraid to chop them up. They grow back quick. Just remember to let the fresh cuts callus over. I've thrown them under t8's, I have also left them in the shade to heal up. Both ways have worked well for me. Although I prefer to keep them in the shade while healing.
> 
> I am a member of xeric world forums. There is a vast amount of knowledge on that site. I mainly lurk there though.


Thats great, thanks. Yes callus, thats what its called. Just like aquatic plants, new shoots come from the trimmed stem  I guess I will do a small trim soon. Oh yea, the mother of thousands has like hundreds of small pups. Should I get seperate container and make them fall in there? how would you go about growing those? I think they will be perfect for t8s where as the sun would cook them. Should I mist or water them every week?

I was trying to find an active succulent forum a few months ago when I was starting out, didnt find much. Ill check your forum out.

Both my agaves are damaged, so Im not sure if I should leave them out for the winter. Im zone 5 and they should survive, but the damages worry me. What would you suggest?

I hope you dont mind me asking you questions :smile:


----------



## caliherp

samee said:


> Thats great, thanks. Yes callus, thats what its called. Just like aquatic plants, new shoots come from the trimmed stem  I guess I will do a small trim soon. Oh yea, the mother of thousands has like hundreds of small pups. Should I get seperate container and make them fall in there? how would you go about growing those? I think they will be perfect for t8s where as the sun would cook them. Should I mist or water them every week?
> 
> I was trying to find an active succulent forum a few months ago when I was starting out, didnt find much. Ill check your forum out.
> 
> Both my agaves are damaged, so Im not sure if I should leave them out for the winter. Im zone 5 and they should survive, but the damages worry me. What would you suggest?
> 
> I hope you dont mind me asking you questions :smile:


Here are some pictures of some of my plants I beheaded less then a month ago.











It doesn't take long to see results.

You can put succulents through hell and they still will produce plantlets. here is a stem I tossed between my tables in the spring and it still hasn't died yet. It actually is producing new roots and plantlets.



I toss any leafs into this clay dish to callas and grow roots, you can see roots growing from one of the leafs.



When the grow roots I plant them in a pot and keep them moist. if they haven't grown a plantlet they will soon.





As far as the Mother of Thousands go don't worry about catching them. They get everywhere and will fill up your pots in no time.





I have had the best success growing them after they produce there first set of serrated leafs. Although they will grow with there first set of round leafs. 

Here is a old picture I dug up to show you a mature plantlet.



I would keep the soil moist while they root.

As long as your agaves don't get frost on them they will be fine. A vast majority of agaves can take frost and some can take snow when they are mature. If it gets to cold you can cover them with a tarp.

I don't mind the questions. I am more then happy to answer them to the best of my knowledge.

Regards, Patrick


----------



## samee

caliherp said:


> I would keep the soil moist while they root.
> 
> As long as your agaves don't get frost on them they will be fine. A vast majority of agaves can take frost and some can take snow when they are mature. If it gets to cold you can cover them with a tarp.
> 
> I don't mind the questions. I am more then happy to answer them to the best of my knowledge.
> 
> Regards, Patrick



Thank you Patrick, thats very helpful. I guess I will let the pups do their thing and just for curiosity, throw them in a separate container as well. I love how you can clip leaves of them, put them on the soil and they grow a new plant. Ive done that with 2 different species and it worked.

I dont think I asked, but where are you located? You seem to be in succulent heaven interms of weather.

I will also be attempting to grow semps from seeds. I tried last year but didnt work out. They grew from seeds but mold ended up killing them. I think Im going to put them in a pot and mist them a few times everyday. Maybe put a cling rap over the pot and poke holes in them. Ive read everywhere that soil should be moist and not wet. What no one bothers to mention is how do you keep it like that. I read another site where they set the pot in a bucket of water, so the soil becomes wet from underneath. Would that work?

I will also be attempting to grow:
Avacado (already soaked in water with toothpicks)
Zamia furfuracea "Cardboard plant/palm"
Veitchia merrillii "Christmas palm"
Pineapple (sometime in the future)

I also ordered seeds from Africa last year but had no luck growing them. What was I thinking? Typical noob step. 

Lobelia Giberroa
Glottiphyllum Depressum
Agapanthus Campanulatus
Kalanchoe Longiflora Var. Coccinea
Brachylaena Discolor

I have the seeds in a cool, dark location atm.

Perhaps Im chewing on too much. I find winter to be the most stressful time with these plants. Moving them indoors, watering them rarely, some are dormant and need cool temps...My semps really gave me a scape this past winter, a few died because whatever you do, they dont do well indoors.

I will be moving my agaved indoor then, I bought the two agaves because I was told both will survive in zone 5, as long as they are kept dry. Thats no prob since they are in my balcony, but due to their leaf damage, I think they are too weak. So this winter, they are indoor.


----------



## samee

I received these plants from a very generous person, now my collection is bigger and better looking  I cant wait for spring, really want to see them grow.



















I will get better pics when I get them in their right containers and everything.


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## Sajacobs

Still loving your thread. It's wonderful to see these plants with explanations about them. Can't wait to see the new additions planted.


----------



## samee

Sajacobs said:


> Still loving your thread. It's wonderful to see these plants with explanations about them. Can't wait to see the new additions planted.


Thanks!

I should update soon. I had a major loss. Darn mealy bugs! I hate them so much. Being new to succs I didnt need even more problems. I will get the gruesome pics and the rest in a few days.


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## twentypoundtabby

Wow, I never would have thought to find a sempervivum thread here. I love them and they do so well in my climate. I've been collecting and growing semps and various other succulents for a while now and have something over 150 varieties. There's a really active sempervivum and sedum forum over on All Things Plants.


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## samee

twentypoundtabby said:


> Wow, I never would have thought to find a sempervivum thread here. I love them and they do so well in my climate. I've been collecting and growing semps and various other succulents for a while now and have something over 150 varieties. There's a really active sempervivum and sedum forum over on All Things Plants.


Share pics of your plant with us


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## Sajacobs

samee said:


> Thanks!
> 
> 
> 
> I should update soon. I had a major loss. Darn mealy bugs! I hate them so much. Being new to succs I didnt need even more problems. I will get the gruesome pics and the rest in a few days.



Sorry to hear about your plants infestation issue. Hope you have an upswing in recovery.


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## twentypoundtabby

Here's one of my gardens:
















Some hypertufa pots:
















Lots more pictures:
http://smg.photobucket.com/user/cnetter/library/sempervivum?sort=3&page=1


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## Sajacobs

Twenty
Wow! Impressive! Beautiful! I've never seen hens and chicks in that rich red color.


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## Sajacobs

Twenty 
I just checked out your photo library......where did you get these plants? The variety is amazing. So beautiful.


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## twentypoundtabby

I was lucky in that a local nursery carries many varieties, but there are some amazing online nurseries out there such as Squaw Mountain Gardens. Plus I've done trades with people in the sempervivum forum at All Things Plants.


----------



## samee

wow amazing stuff. Saw your gallary. So jealous of people and their back/front yard succulent gardens  Ive had semps for almost a year now and majority of them were green the entire summer. They are in my balcony facing west which gets the most sun from any direction. I guess its still not enough for them to go red.


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## twentypoundtabby

Winter makes them red. They are reddest in the spring and early summer and get greener throughout summer.


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## Sajacobs

Twenty
Thanks for the plant sites. Going to check them out. Keep posting


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## samee

I know Ive not updated but I got more pressing concerns 

I posted this on another forum but have not got help yet, so Im posting here as well because I know there are knowledgeable people here.

"Hi guys, the temps finally went above freezing for two days in my balcony since, I dont know, at least a month so theyve not gotten water since.
One of my semp has turned white, dunno what it is. This is before the watering, I think.

Last night I watered them, it was 1c so it could be the plants were at the freezing mark. It was dark so I couldnt see, just watered them nicely. I wanted to water asap because it takes a while to dry out. Its almost at the freezing mark right now.

So I watered them and this morning many of them are just...flat. What the heck happened? They look soggy too. Did I make a mistake?"


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## Fishnshrimp2

If they're soggy then they froze. I have a few that did this 2 nights ago. I forgot to bring them in the house. I thought they would be safe inside my greenhouse.


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## twentypoundtabby

I have all of mine outside where it got -12 F (-24 C). Some are in the ground and some are in pots. I have learned over the years to never ever water them in the winter. Even if they look shriveled. They are dormant. Once spring comes they will plump out again. 

I do lose some, but the vast majority live.


----------



## samee

Thanks for the response.

So I heard the ones that are flat are dead. This sucks!! I watered them when it was above freezing. But they are soggy, which does mean they are most likely dead. I still dont understand about the white brown semp, how that happened.


----------



## caliherp

As you are well aware by now watering plants when temperatures are close to freezing is a big no no. Especially potted plants. The damage is already done though. While the worst of frost damage usually shows its self almost instantly, it can take up to two weeks for the damage to manifest itself. The only thing you can do at this point is wait and hope for the best. Don't toss the brown ones yet. There is still a chance there is some life left in them, although highly unlikely I figured id let you know. 

I have had to deal with mealybugs one time. It was actually when I first started to collect succulents. By the time I realized I had a problem they reached epic proportions. Once I figured out they were root mealys I tried everything I could. In the end I just tossed what I had and started fresh. Now whenever I get new plants I quarantine them as I acclimate them to my to my lighting conditions. luckily for you normal mealys are easy to deal with. You can eradicate them rather quickly with h2o2 treatments or insecticidal soaps . When I get home ill check my notes to let you know how concentrated the h2o2 should be. I would use a fan to get some air movement around your plants indoors to help keep them in check. Don't let this discourage you. You can manage this. 

Besides the bugs how are the plants doing under the lights?(specifically the Agave)

Regards, Patrick


----------



## samee

Hi Patrick, totally missed out this thread.

Im so sad about my semps. Majority of them are probably dead. I wont be touching them till spring, thats when I will toss them out and see what to plant.

The plants with mealy are reduced to almost nothing. Like you mentioned I found out too late. Im not sure if they are still alive, its very annoying. Im seeing small leaves coming out of two different plants but I still see white spots here and there. I cant tell if they are still here. If I do see an actual mealy walking around, I will rain with soapy water and isopropyl if necessary.

The rest of the plants have not grown under my light. Agaves have not grown, my parviflora's outer leaves have gone black. Im not sure whats causing that but I should google search it. The cactus shriveled up. I thought the low humidity was killing them but after googling, they are just hibernating. The rest of aloes and succs are dorment as well. They dont look any worse or better, just the same. So Ive been on my toes all winter hoping for spring to come. It seems no succulents or plants I keep indoors for the winter do well. Which is why initially I wanted to keep plants hardy to my zone.

On a side note my parents keep many tropical plants as well. For some reason one of the creeping plant just died. The other plants are getting yellow leaves. Im not sure if its from over watering or underwatering. Its only 1 or 2 species of plants doing this.

I hope everythings going well with you Patrick?


----------



## samee

UPDATE!!! My bro is awsome. He bought some really cool plants for me. Ones a senecio stapeliiformis kilimanjaro, the rest I have no idea. Can you guys ID them so I can search on how to take care? One is an air plant. Low humidity is bad? I can try to put it in a glass bowl and fill it with water or something.


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## Bserve

My succulent bowl. It's about a year old now.










I usually dump a glass of water once a week and just leave it. Sunny SoCal treats it well.


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## wastewater

samee said:


> Can you guys ID them so I can search on how to take care? One is an air plant. Low humidity is bad? I can try to put it in a glass bowl and fill it with water or something.



Tillandsia bulbosa... a fairly easy & hardy tilly. Should be okay with low humidty. A good soak (in a container of water for a couple hours, or more, once a week) will probably suffice. Should be okay resting on top of the soil (as shown in your picture)... no need to plant directly into soil. If kept outdoors, make sure it is well shaded with "no" full sun.


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## chocological

Wow, these are really nice! You've given me a few ideas for a gift!


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## samee

Bserve said:


> My succulent bowl. It's about a year old now.
> 
> 
> I usually dump a glass of water once a week and just leave it. Sunny SoCal treats it well.


You Cali people...Its succulent heaven.



wastewater said:


> Tillandsia bulbosa... a fairly easy & hardy tilly. Should be okay with low humidty. A good soak (in a container of water for a couple hours, or more, once a week) will probably suffice. Should be okay resting on top of the soil (as shown in your picture)... no need to plant directly into soil. If kept outdoors, make sure it is well shaded with "no" full sun.


Thanks, that helps alot. Would it be fine under t8 for the winter? Im not sure what Im going to do during summer. Id love to throw it in my balcony but the direct sun is a problem.


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## Bserve

samee said:


> You Cali people...Its succulent heaven.



>:O Mwahaha


----------



## samee

Bserve said:


> >:O Mwahaha



Evil!!!!

Also another very important question. I really really want to buy cacti hardy to zone 5 or below. Can anyone refer me to a person who has alot of cold hardy cacti that they are willing to sell clippings off? ebay is terrible, $5 for a puny piece + $5 for shipping. Not worth it. I checked whatever nurseries I could online and they are either stuck in the 90s or if they do accept paypal, they have bad selection. Why is this so hard to do? 

I just want to have plants I can throw outside year round and forget about them. Like my semps, I love them. My regular succulents Im trying to get rid of mealies and then bring them outside for spring. I dont have much space inside so I cant increase my normal succulent collection.


----------



## samee

Update! Got 2 new cacti (1 baby) and bought a ground cover seedum or whatever you call them, its hardy to zone 5 so Im happy. Ill take a pic of it some day.

For now, I have the pics of my new cacti. My agave didnt do well during winter. I watered it maybe 3 or 4 times the whole winter. It was under my T8 and close to the heater, maybe heat got to it?

Also you see the Flanders field of my succulent tray. I got proper mealy bug oil and am hoping they all died out before spring. Im thinking of just making pots out of all that soil. Im just worried if theres anything in the soil.


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## twentypoundtabby

I can recommend http://www.coldhardycactus.com/

I personally know the owner. He collects and breeds cold hardy cactus. I have a few in hypertufa pots in my yard that did well over several winters until the crow ate them. Now they are scarred, but still surviving.


----------



## samee

twentypoundtabby said:


> I can recommend http://www.coldhardycactus.com/
> 
> I personally know the owner. He collects and breeds cold hardy cactus. I have a few in hypertufa pots in my yard that did well over several winters until the crow ate them. Now they are scarred, but still surviving.



They look beautiful, also the crow part sucks but was funny. Pigeons are going nuts since its spring, they pecked out several of my seps (9th floow balcony). I put them back in since they didnt fly off with it and have a net atm.

About the site you mentioned, I like his collection but I dont support people who are stuck in the 90s. I refuse to mail checks, like all other sites I would use paypal. This is the issue with atleast 2 other online nurseris Ive visited. I finally found 1 guy from cali who has a few zone 5 cacti.


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## twentypoundtabby

Bummer, I didn't get to the payment part. Fortunately for me I can walk into Timberline nursery and pay with credit card.

I lost a few semps over the winter but a lot of others have come through very well and I have a LOT of them. Are you up to a small swap?


----------



## samee

twentypoundtabby said:


> Bummer, I didn't get to the payment part. Fortunately for me I can walk into Timberline nursery and pay with credit card.
> 
> I lost a few semps over the winter but a lot of others have come through very well and I have a LOT of them. Are you up to a small swap?


I would love a trade, but I hardly have anything. I think I mentioned on the previous page how I killed majority of them. There were two days during winter when the temps were above freezing, so I decided to water them. I missed a few semps, which survived. The rest have turned brown and are long dead. Lesson learned.

Id love to see pics of your semps. You have other zone 5 cacti?

I know it sounds crazy, but I was thinking if I could pay you thru paypal for the plants I want from that nursery + shipping and you could go there, purchase them and have them ship to my address. Just a thought. Currently Im waiting till mid april before I can purchase with the other person due to below freezing temps.

My fav cactus atm is Escobaria leei. Its different, beautiful, hardy to zone 5/4 and pups real quick (its on my future purchase list).


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## Crazy4discus

Nice plants!


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## dindin

So Samee, are you still doing hens & chicks? I am just now thinking about setting up a big pot of them by my pool.


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## twentypoundtabby

It's still too early to buy cactus yet - the nursery doesn't really have anything out because we could still get a lot of winter yet. Next time I see the owner, I'll talk to him.
OTOH if you want semps, I could send some for the price of postage. I have a lot of varieties.


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## samee

dindin said:


> So Samee, are you still doing hens & chicks? I am just now thinking about setting up a big pot of them by my pool.


Yes Im still doing semps, I think I have maybe 6 or 7 alive at the most. Are you thinking of buying them? Sorry I didnt understand your post. If you are, go for it. They are very very tuff. As long as you are not an idiot like me and water them during winter, they should be fine. Just make sure their soil is cacti and succulent and throw in small pebbles if you can.



Crazy4discus said:


> Nice plants!


Thanks, Im happy so many people have replied, shared interest and their plants. I actually feel like there are more people here than on cacti and succulent forums. The community is no where close to our aquatic plant community. Which sucks because I want to talk and learn about my new craze.



twentypoundtabby said:


> It's still too early to buy cactus yet - the nursery doesn't really have anything out because we could still get a lot of winter yet. Next time I see the owner, I'll talk to him.
> OTOH if you want semps, I could send some for the price of postage. I have a lot of varieties.


Yea I think all the nurseries are waiting atm for mid april at the earliest.

Sure, that would be great. Though I do not have alot of space it would be nice to replace the dead ones.

Also Id like to see more pics from you


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## jerrytheplater

Samee

One thing I need to consider when growing cacti outdoors is my wet climate. Many cacti can handle the cold when they are dry over winter. Being wet and cold is a whole 'nuther story. I was at the Connecticut Cactus and Succulent Society Show and Sale last Saturday and heard John Spain give a talk on growing cacti outdoors in the cold and wet climate of the Northeast. Very helpful. Here's an article on him with photo's of some of his gardens. He's living in Middlebury CT now. http://www.dig-itmag.com/features/grounds_story/384_0_4_0_M/

He wrote a booklet on growing cacti in cold and wet areas based on his over 30 years (maybe even 40) experiance. He is an expert. He is also a generous gentleman. The end of the article gives his address in order to order the book. You will need to send a check. (personally, I really think you should rethink your reluctance to send a check-you are cutting yourself off from some good sources.)

Here is another source of cold hardy cacti: Cactus Specialties in Livermore, CA http://www.cactusspecialties.com/ He does take Paypal. I have ordered from him and the one below. Both are very good on service. Both will talk to you on the phone if you catch them at the right time.

Here is another cactus source. Miles2Go. Miles Anderson. http://www.miles2go.com/ You will have to know which plants are cold hardy to buy from him. Many Echinocereus plants will handle the cold fine. Here's one he says handles neg 20F http://www.miles2go.com/images/5478.jpg


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## jerrytheplater

I just finished skimming your entire thread and was surprised to see I had posted last August. Sorry for the repeat links I just posted. I didn't realize I had already given them.

I see you are in Toronto. That is cold and wet. You need to be careful which cacti you buy. Cold and wet can be death to cacti/succulents, as you learned when you watered in the cold.

I highly recommend buying John Spains booklet. He gives a list of plants he's tried over the years. He names the ones that did good and those that didn't.

I have two hypertufa pots on my deck. Some of the cacti have survived for about three years now. Totally unprotected and totally exposed to snow and rain over the winter. My Sempervivums overwintered in my detached unheated garage this winter. They are doing fine now.

The little hypertufa pot was made and planted by John Spain and I bought it the spring of 2009. The two photos attached are of this pot. It really needs thinning out now and replanting. I don't have a current photo. The top one was taken Nov 18, 2009. You can see the sedums flowering. The second is Feb 2, 2010 with sleet all over the pot. The pot is small and only about 12" long by 6" wide. Been outdoors since 2009.


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## samee

Hi Jerry, thanks for the links and info. Ive checked out all the online nurseries from the US, I think. Ive finally found one that Im happy with. They take pp and their prices are decent. Their plant selection isnt that big but its a very well collection. So this year I will be buying from them.

I live in an apartment so water is not a problem. I always get people telling me about water so I always make sure to mention that the plants are in the balcony. During the entire winter, if there are many windy storms (like this year), my balcony might get an inch of total snow. I dont think that should be a problem. I can always use the cake plastic covers to shield my plants if thats the case.

atm I will be buying the following plant. They are stated to be hardy to zone 5 or below:

Escobaria leei
Echinocereus reichenbachii ssp. caespitosus
Echinocereus triglochidiatus ssp. inermis

I wanted to purchase more different kinds but they all look the same to me, so I will wait and see if I can find something that looks different. atm I want the leei the most, its just such a cool looking cactus.


----------



## jerrytheplater

Samee

Opuntia fragilis is perfect for cold and wet conditions. I just bought var. "Bronze Beauty" at the CT show. John Spain was the one that named the variety.

Beware of the microscopic spines at the base of the areoles on Opuntia's. They are called Glochids. You will get irritated like getting fiberglas insulation in your fingers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glochid 

I have two E. triglochidiatus inermis in my outdoor cactus dish. I've had them for years now. Totally unprotected over winter. Come back each year.

Escobaria can also be called Coryphantha depending on which botanist the seller goes by. Very cold hardy plants. Found into British Columbia. 

Here's a member of the CT cactus club that was selling at the show. I bought at least four winter hardy plants from him. http://dragocactoid.com/ 860-462-8899. Opuntia var "Smithwick" is another winter hardy plant. Another small plant.

Check this Danish grower of winter hardy cacti: http://winterhardycacti.blogspot.com/ Last updated 2009, but still has nice photo's.


----------



## samee

jerrytheplater said:


> Samee
> 
> Opuntia fragilis is perfect for cold and wet conditions. I just bought var. "Bronze Beauty" at the CT show. John Spain was the one that named the variety.
> 
> Beware of the microscopic spines at the base of the areoles on Opuntia's. They are called Glochids. You will get irritated like getting fiberglas insulation in your fingers. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glochid
> 
> I have two E. triglochidiatus inermis in my outdoor cactus dish. I've had them for years now. Totally unprotected over winter. Come back each year.
> 
> Escobaria can also be called Coryphantha depending on which botanist the seller goes by. Very cold hardy plants. Found into British Columbia.
> 
> Here's a member of the CT cactus club that was selling at the show. I bought at least four winter hardy plants from him. http://dragocactoid.com/ 860-462-8899. Opuntia var "Smithwick" is another winter hardy plant. Another small plant.
> 
> Check this Danish grower of winter hardy cacti: http://winterhardycacti.blogspot.com/ Last updated 2009, but still has nice photo's.



Could you please post pics of your inermis and your bronze? I bought the inermis vs other varients because it was spineless, it looks better because of it. The bronze beauty, is it thorny? Im seeing many different kinds when searching for pics on google. I think its the green balls with small brown dots? It looks cool.

I was thinking of getting the pads, as some are native to Ontario, but after a while they seem unappealing to me. I just wish there were more gathering/sales here like you went to. Theres suppose to be a sale here too soon, at our botanical garden, I hope I remember and have the time that day. Saving up on shipping and being able to look in person on what you are about to buy is a big thing.

Im thinking of throwing Ken an email.


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## Lab_Man

What a timely thread. I'm so glad that I found it. Spring is right around the corner and my Mom gave me a plastic strawberry planter with hens and chicks that have been neglected. I will rejuvinate it this weekend. I don't even know what variety it is, yet.....


----------



## samee

Lab_Man said:


> What a timely thread. I'm so glad that I found it. Spring is right around the corner and my Mom gave me a plastic strawberry planter with hens and chicks that have been neglected. I will rejuvinate it this weekend. I don't even know what variety it is, yet.....


 It was about time I bumped this thread, like everyone else Im eager to get started with plants this spring. Cant wait to put everything outside and see it flourish.


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## Lab_Man

This thread was the catalyst for an order for Hens and chicks and Sedums.

Now I have to explain to my wife why I needed them. If you can't tell, I have the green thumb in my family.


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## Lab_Man

I just ordered these from Young's Garden Center this morning. I will read the rest of this thread tonight when I have more time, but from what I have seen on this thread so far you guys, gals have some very beautiful hens and chicks. Now I have to go online and read up on how to grow them......

Coral Reef Sedum tetractinum
Fame Sempervivum
Icicle Sempervivum
Regal Sempervivum
Cape Blanco Sedum spathulifolium


----------



## samee

Lab_Man said:


> I just ordered these from Young's Garden Center this morning. I will read the rest of this thread tonight when I have more time, but from what I have seen on this thread so far you guys, gals have some very beautiful hens and chicks. Now I have to go online and read up on how to grow them......
> 
> Coral Reef Sedum tetractinum
> Fame Sempervivum
> Icicle Sempervivum
> Regal Sempervivum
> Cape Blanco Sedum spathulifolium



Nice, gl with them. When you do settle them take pics and post here. This is the entry phase to cacti and succulents :red_mouth

The semps will have no problem with the cold. Even under feet of snow they will be fine. The only thing, I think, is that you need good draining soil.

Slowly and surly Im seeing that balcony in the end might be a better place than a back yard for many plants. I dont have to worry about too much rain or snow nor worry about things eating my cacti.


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## jerrytheplater

I had a photo taken Nov 18, 2009 in my computer. I need to take an updated photo. I am embarrassed by the symmetry of the plants in this photo. Not all of these have survived. I'll get a photo taken of the present tomorrow hopefully. I think its supposed to be rainy.

The var inermis is the bright green plant with the white areoles. 

Opuntia fragilis does have sausage shaped growth. Don't know what to call them, not pads. It does have the brown spines. I'll take photo's of the plants I bought tomorrow too.

I have a few other photos, but they are too big. I"ll have to resize them later.


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## Lab_Man

samee said:


> Nice, gl with them. When you do settle them take pics and post here. This is the entry phase to cacti and succulents :red_mouth
> 
> The semps will have no problem with the cold. Even under feet of snow they will be fine. The only thing, I think, is that you need good draining soil.
> 
> Slowly and surly Im seeing that balcony in the end might be a better place than a back yard for many plants. I dont have to worry about too much rain or snow nor worry about things eating my cacti.


I was thinking of using sand with a layer of pebbles on top. Is this ok?

I am going to put them in two 18" dia saucers. I have a covered porch on two sides of my house. The East side gets sun until 1 or so and the North side is more shaded. Or I can put them (in the saucer) out in the planting bed to get full sun?

Jerry, I'd love to see some photos.


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## jerrytheplater

This is the dish garden I bought from John Spain about two months after I purchased it on June 18, 2009. I forgot how nice it looked back then. I have not done much to this pot since I bought it as far as fertilizing. Maybe once per year, which is really starving the plants.



Here it was on Oct 8, 2009:



This photo of the dish garden was taken Nov 18, 2009. About 5 weeks after the previous one:



The first photo's I posted show this pot as it emerged from winter in spring 2010, but here is another to keep the continuity. Taken March 14, 2010:



I was not able to take any photo's today. We were away most of the day. I'll try to get them soon.


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## jerrytheplater

I forgot I had another view of the Winter Hardy cactus dish garden soon after it was planted.

June 28, 2009 showing the inermis and where I bought them.


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## jerrytheplater

Samee, I'm posting these photo's because you wanted me too. I don't want to take over your thread with a lot of pictures. 

I took some photo's April 13 and finally got them off the camera onto my computer, labeled them, filed them, uploaded to Photobucket and here they are.

Two photo's of John Spain's Succulent Dish Garden April 13, 2014. You can see how small the Sempervivum's are. One fell out last year and rooted in my winter hardy cacti dish garden. I'll post a photo below of that too so you can see how big it got when not starved.





Here is an overhead view of the Hardy Cacti Dish Garden. You can see the brick red Sempervivum in the bottom of the photo. This dish is about 30" x 15" by my guess. I will have to measure it to get the exact size. It is too big and heavy for me to pick up by myself after planting.



Echinocereus triglochidiatus var inermis Apr 13, 2014, two views. You can see how much these plants have grown since I bought them in 2009. Many offsets are forming. When I was working on these photos tonight, I was reminded of Jabba the Hutt a little at the way these cacti have folds.:





Echinocereus coccineus Apr 13, 2014. Also bought 2009. I am not so sure these plants are alive. I'll have to wait for the warmer weather to be sure:



Coryphantha vivipara Apr 13, 2014. Another from 2009. I know this one is alive. I have a second that was heaved out of the potting mix over winter. I let the roots dry out and replanted just before we had the rain and even snow this morning. It is below freezing out right now. I'll see what happens.



Here are some shots of newly purchased Winter Hardy Cacti from the CT show,

Coryphantha missouriensis CCSS Apr 5, 2014



Opuntia fragilis "Bronze Beauty" CCSS Apr 5, 2014


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## jerrytheplater

Here's my Sempervivums purchased last summer at a garden center in Sussex County NJ

S. calcareum



S. pirenaicum



S. arachnoideum, unknown variety. But this was purchased at Waterford Gardens Upper Saddle River NJ in 2013. One bloomed last fall.



Here are some 1" plugs bought at the CT show, 3 for $10.00. L to R: S. ciliosum Ali Botusch, S. Appleblossom, S. villosum, S. arachnoideum cebenese


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## oldpunk78

You guys are making me want more cactus. (And so is the drought) 

Anyway, I figured someone here might enjoy this picture. We've had this for about 10 years now. First time it's flowered. It was originally taken off the side of the road from somewhere is the southwest roughly 60 years ago by my grandma. One day she sent us home with some.


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## Lab_Man

Thanks for the pictures. I love hens and chicks. They are easy to care for and very beautiful.

Pics coming soon.


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## jerrytheplater

OldPunk78

Your cactus looks like a Trichocereus hybrid, which is from the Andes in Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina. Is yours a night bloomer? Most of the white Trichoceri are nocturnal bloomers and some are really heavily fragrant. I have an Echinopsis which is a night bloomer and its fragrance does not start until about 10 PM. The flower wilts by 9 AM the next morning.


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## oldpunk78

jerrytheplater said:


> OldPunk78
> 
> Your cactus looks like a Trichocereus hybrid, which is from the Andes in Ecuador, Chile, and Argentina. Is yours a night bloomer? Most of the white Trichoceri are nocturnal bloomers and some are really heavily fragrant. I have an Echinopsis which is a night bloomer and its fragrance does not start until about 10 PM. The flower wilts by 9 AM the next morning.


It stared blooming as the sun set. It smelled like a strong easter lily. The flowers lasted about a day and a half. Thanks for the info


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## jerrytheplater

oldpunk78 said:


> It stared blooming as the sun set. It smelled like a strong easter lily. The flowers lasted about a day and a half. Thanks for the info


Sounds like you really do have a Trichocereus. Your grandmother may have been given one, or purchased it a while ago. Unless she's been to South America!


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## oldpunk78

I'll have to ask her again. She thinks it's 1950 so she might remember. They did travel a lot. Who knows.


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## samee

Very nice semps Jerry.

Wow, thats an old plant. Im assuming its the offspring of the offspring of the original plant?

I also bought another cactus, will get pics up some day.


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## samee

A very late easter basket

Mammillaria Garcilis Fragilis - the entire plant was in the basket with a flower glued on top. Which ever idiot thought that was a good idea....There were more than a 100 cacti at the walmart I went to which were in these small baskets with flowers glued on top. I bought this one and removed the flower right there. I ended up knocking a few pups and taking out a few spines. I repotted the plant and placed the pups in the original container they came in


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## jerrytheplater

The flowers are a real gimmick to get unknowledgeable people to buy the plant thinking it is a real flower. The hot melt glue often kills the plant.

I even saw plants glued into the pot. The gravel mulch was glued with something like Elmers glue. It took a lot of soaking to remove it.

I have the same Mammillaria, its M. gracilis, at least according to "Cacti-The Illustrated Dictionary" Cacti: The Illustrated Dictionary: Rod Preston-Mafham, Ken Preston-Mafham: 9780881924008: Amazon.com: Books Google says otherwise. Oh well, keeps the botanists busy. The offsets really are fragile and will easily break off. I found it likes a little water in the winter, when kept at mid 60's.


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## samee

Yea I saw a plant with its entire base glued. How the heck are you suppose to water it!!! Its really stupid and its not even like the plant looks 200% better.


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## samee

Thought to bump this thread. Ive copy pasted my post from another thread.

Hi guys, I just got these seedlings a month ago and am really happy. Ive IDed all I know. What I got is: 

Escobaria sneedii ssp. leii (zone 5) 
Echinocereus triglochidiatus "inermis" (grown in zone 3/4) 
Escobaria Vivipara (zone 4) 
Stenocactus crispatus (outdoor summer, indoor winter) 
Echinopsis bruchii (outdoor summer, indoor winter) 
Ferocactus cylindraceus (outdoor summer, indoor winter) 

So the zone 5 cacti are in one pot which I will be leaving out for this winter (zone 5). Do you think they will make it? Too young? There will not be any snow or water getting into them as they are in a balcony. I just hope they grow well for the summer so they can root and get established. 


2 Left - Echinopsis bruchii...1 right ??? 









Front Left - Leei...Back Left - Vivi...Front Right - Inermis (this pot will stay outside for the winter) 









Front - Cereus peruvianus...Back - Echinopsis pachanoi 









Two Stenocactus crispatus 









Ferocactus cylindraceus 









In first pic as well, no sure on ID


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## jerrytheplater

Samee

Hard to say if your plants will make it for sure. You can only try. The balcony will really help keep the plants alive over winter. Young plants survive in the wild all the time.

My Opuntia fragilis Bronze Beauty died already due to extreme wet conditions out doors. Would not have expected that. That's the breaks.

I don't know the ID of your last photo. It does look like it is a little stretched out. Try planting it a little deeper with gravel around the base above the roots. Let the roots be in the potting mix.


----------



## samee

jerrytheplater said:


> Samee
> 
> Hard to say if your plants will make it for sure. You can only try. The balcony will really help keep the plants alive over winter. Young plants survive in the wild all the time.
> 
> My Opuntia fragilis Bronze Beauty died already due to extreme wet conditions out doors. Would not have expected that. That's the breaks.
> 
> I don't know the ID of your last photo. It does look like it is a little stretched out. Try planting it a little deeper with gravel around the base above the roots. Let the roots be in the potting mix.



Thanks Jerry, I can always count on you to post in this thread  Im worried about the 3 making it thru this winter. Water is not a problem for me, I can just throw on a cake container when it snows. Even though I only get an inch of snow per winter in my balcony (windy storms). Im worried about moving them in for the winter. I can throw on a T8 fixture on top of them. But this past winter I know what happened to my aloes and other cacti and succulents. Alot of them dried out, some died completely. So Im very scared of having plants indoor.


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## jerrytheplater

At least one member of the Conn Cactus and Succulent Society will take his Rebutia and Sulcorebutia plants out of their pots and store them in a cold dark place (picture a box full of bare root plants). He repots in late winter and the plants do perfectly fine. 

I had root mealy bugs on my cacti during one winter. I unpotted my entire collection and soaked in a soap and Malathion solution. I sterilized the clay pots in the oven. Potting mix was thrown outdoors on the frozen compost pile. The wet plants were allowed to drain on paper towels and I waited the 8 weeks till late winter to repot. All survived if I recall correctly. Of course I used rubber gloves to protect against the Malathion.

Cacti and Succulents will grow if warm enough and have water. Stop watering soon after first frost for those that can tolerate the frost. Don't water again till new growth shows up in late winter. Exceptions: Brazilian and Uruguayan plants such as Frailea, Discocactus, Uebelmannia plus a lot of Notocacti. These plants want a warm moist winter. 

I had a plant of your #1 on the list and it did not survive for me. I have the next two and both are doing well even after maybe 6 years.


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## samee

Dang, leei is my fav. I guess I will take the risk and leave it out for the winter. Im just hoping to see some growth before winter so I know its established. I wont be watering them in the winter, I was stupid enough to do that to my semps and killed them (when temps were above freezing). All my other cacti and succs will go indoor under t8 lighting. I will be watering them every 2 weeks rather than once a month. I think that should do it. Ive never done the dark box method, I know for sago palms you store them in a dark cool spot, which I dont have.


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## samee

Hi once again, Im going to spam a few more pics. Copy pasted from another forum:

Well I bought a few semps from SMG. They came out to be great. But the real deal was when I went to a garden centre in a parking lot, it was a seasonal local centre because I did not see any big box stores there. I bought the life saver huernia succulent and many small fallen leaves of other succulents for $3.79 total (the leaves were free). There were many more beautiful succulents and I regret not buying them. But Im really happy with what I have. Im running out of room in my balcony now, I have no idea what will happen when I have to bring the non cold hardy in doors. 

Unfortunately the pics are crap because it was in my room beside my aquarium and it was a little cloudy, so not much detail in the pic. I will update with new pics in a few days once I move them outside. Its just too hot right now. In 1 or 2 days it will be cool enough to move them. I will have a net or a mesh to block the light. Acclimating is the worst thing ever. Itl be weeks before they start growing. 

I know the pics are weak, but if anyone can ID the pups or the succulents, that would be great.


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## jerrytheplater

I can't help you with the Sempervivum pups you have. Some look similar to ones I have, but I am not an expert and refer to books or online catalogs to check out the pictures and try to match. There are so many cultivars, its hard to be sure.

The fleshy leaves look very familiar, but I can't pin down what it is called. Looks like it is in the Portulaca family.


----------



## samee

jerrytheplater said:


> I can't help you with the Sempervivum pups you have. Some look similar to ones I have, but I am not an expert and refer to books or online catalogs to check out the pictures and try to match. There are so many cultivars, its hard to be sure.
> 
> The fleshy leaves look very familiar, but I can't pin down what it is called. Looks like it is in the Portulaca family.


No worries. A few cool thing happened recently. Im just waiting for the big bang before I report it all here. The pics should be good.

All of the leaves have seedlings growing. They are all stretching for light so I might move one outdoor, in the shade. Im taking a risk with one to see what happens. This summer has been really windy, so I dont really want to move it outside.

My main semp clump I got, some of them are turning brown. What I did is put a wood log in front of them with netting on top. So now rather than direct light they are getting broken up light and much less than before. I guess they were burning out? Only a few of the semps in the pot turned brown, I only water them once a week so its not over watering.


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## Kehy

Guess I can share there. Dunno what kind they are, but they've been thriving in shady near-bog conditions in zone 5 for 3-4 years now. Came from a rather invasive clump my mother gave me. The biggest ones are 4-5" across


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## samee

Very nice Kehy. I prefer if people share their cacti and succulents here. Those look like semp, they love sun, heat and cold. Water might be a problem but they are hardy. Winter + water is a problem but you seem to be growing them well.


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## samee

Time for an update
-----------------------
Hi guys, Ive had many seedums, tropical plants, bonsai, vegetables and aquatic plants flower, but Ive never had anything that had big flowers....until now!!! Im so happy, Ive been waiting for my echinopsis to flower. Now someone can finally ID it. I just love how big the flowers are. I also love the zebra flower as its the most interesting looking flower yet. The aloe is on its way as well. This aloe lost a few of its bottom leaves during this past winter. They just dried out, I dont know if I didnt water it enough or I shouldve misted it.


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## jerrytheplater

Samee, there are so many hybrids of Echinopsis that it is almost impossible to give a correct ID of which one you have. You may have a species, but I can't tell. No information from the person/place you got the plant?


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## samee

jerrytheplater said:


> Samee, there are so many hybrids of Echinopsis that it is almost impossible to give a correct ID of which one you have. You may have a species, but I can't tell. No information from the person/place you got the plant?


Hey, no the person I bought it from didnt know. He had like 30 pots of the same cactus, some where huge. He was telling me his grew a few inches every year, which is crazy. Im assuming he waters them every other day or something, because thats crazy fast growth. Mine which flowered has not grown much at all, and its in direct sunlight, gets slow release ferts and water once a week. The smaller pup I got from him has not grown much either, but its giving out 3 small pups.


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## samee

Thought to bump this, I want to see people's pics of their plants.

July 23rd vs Oct 4th


















Sep 27th


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## jerrytheplater

Samee

Do you rotate your pots so the plant gets even exposure from the sun. Don't want to see your plants lean. It looks like a few in your Sept 27 photo are leaning.

I do have a photo of my dish garden. I'll get it up soon. Plants did nicely, some stayed dwarf.


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## samee

Ive not been rotating them. Which ones are leaning? There are some that seem to be leaning, but very little.


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## jerrytheplater

Samee

The flowering Echinopsis seems to be leaning a little. The growth point seems to be leaning toward the sun. The Faucaria Tiger Jaws seem to be leaning. Could be an optical illusion, but it is something to watch for.

On another note, I just uploaded a photo taken April 22, 2014 of my newly planted Sempervivum and Sedum dish garden. I don't know if I've taken an update, but the growth has been amazing. The dish is plastic and 14" in diameter. 

Plant list: Newly planted with Sempervivum's I bought at the 2014 CT Cactus and Succulent Show. Clockwise from above the rock: 2 Sempervivum ciliosum Ali Botusch, 2 S. Apple Blossom, 2 Sedum cuttings, 9 S. arachnoidium from Waterford Gardens 2013", 1 Sedum cutting, Creeping Thyme?, 4 S. arachnoidium "cebenese", 3 long Sedum cuttings, lastly 7 S. villiosum alongside the left side of the rock.


----------



## samee

That looks like an old pic, but I love your semps. Cant wait for them to fill it in. I want to do something like that as well.

Yes the Echinopsis is leaning a bit. They will be going under high light for the winter soon, I will make sure to rotate them next summer. Although I might not be in an apartment by then. I dont have a tiger jaw, is it the aloe right beside Echinopsis? That guy is straight, I recently repotted him. The life saver plant looks like its towards the light, but it was covering the whole pot. They had red bugs on them, by the time I found out there was alot of damage. A good portion of the plant turned to mush and smell bad. I decided to throw away half of it because it was in bad shape and only way to really get rid of the bugs. I sprayed herb oil and its been doing fine since. Perhaps it should be rotated as well.

Question, the Senecio S. Kilimanjaro has grown so tall that its leaning over and eventually, snap or just fall over. So I wanted to cut the plant. I wanted to ask if you can actually propagate like that. When I got the plant some of them were already chopped off, so it seemed. So Im assuming you can do that, just wanted to make sure. Not sure if you know anything about it. I will google and ask on cacti and succulent forum if I dont.


----------



## jerrytheplater

Here's the dish garden as it was about 10 minutes ago. Brought it indoors and used a flash to take the photo. Same plant list as above and same orientation. Six months growth.


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## jerrytheplater

samee said:


> I dont have a tiger jaw


I was fooled. I thought the plant on the lower left corner was a Faucaria. Now by looking closer, I'm thinking its your Huernia Life Saver Plant.

Senecio question: They are best propagated in spring or early summer. Take a cutting at least 2" long. Remove enough leaves from bottom to form a stem. Dip in Rooting Hormone powder with a fungicide if possible. Cuttings should be allowed to dry for a few days to form a callous. Plant in a pot and don't water for at least a month or until you see new growth. Or you can lay the cutting on the surface of the potting soil until you see roots forming and then plant. Wait a few days to water.


----------



## samee

jerrytheplater said:


> I was fooled. I thought the plant on the lower left corner was a Faucaria. Now by looking closer, I'm thinking its your Huernia Life Saver Plant.
> 
> Senecio question: They are best propagated in spring or early summer. Take a cutting at least 2" long. Remove enough leaves from bottom to form a stem. Dip in Rooting Hormone powder with a fungicide if possible. Cuttings should be allowed to dry for a few days to form a callous. Plant in a pot and don't water for at least a month or until you see new growth. Or you can lay the cutting on the surface of the potting soil until you see roots forming and then plant. Wait a few days to water.


Thanks Jerry, when you say remove as many leaves, what do you mean? The senecio does not have any leaves. Its just...cylinders. I just wanted to know if you could chop them off and actually have them root (as in, lets say chopping off an aloe leaf will not make it root). Besides that I got the rest covered, I have propagated before  So far Ive never had the need for root hormones, Im assuming that stuff would be for tougher to root/propagate plants. Sure it speeds things up but I just dont propagate enough to actually go out, research and buy a hormone.


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## jerrytheplater

The cylinders/leaves are what I mean for you to break off. You should then be left with a stem.

I know what you mean about hormones, but I keep a container of it at all times. You never know when you'll need it. The fungicide can help.


----------



## samee

jerrytheplater said:


> The cylinders/leaves are what I mean for you to break off. You should then be left with a stem.
> 
> I know what you mean about hormones, but I keep a container of it at all times. You never know when you'll need it. The fungicide can help.


Ok cool, thanks for that. I should wait till spring to do this, but they are already too long. Plus I will have T8 and a t5ho as lighting for the winter, so Im not worried about low lighting. Ill have to thing about it.


----------



## AquaAurora

Sorry for dredging this thread up. I've been mauling over trying these plants but as an indoor only plant year round. I've not found a large amount of info online about indoor only care for Sempervivum species (hen and chick plants). The one brief mention I found says they won't be as colorful but still will grow. I've been trying to find photos of indoor only semp.s to see how much duller they'd be. House temp is 65-75F, humidity around 50, would be by a sw window on a inner wall with supplemented 6500k lights (t5,t8, or cfl.. haven't decided yet). I'm curious if anyone who's posted here -or see this and owns hen and chick plants- has tried keeping any indoors year round and how successful and colorful they've been?


----------



## Kehy

AquaAurora said:


> Sorry for dredging this thread up. I've been mauling over trying these plants but as an indoor only plant year round. I've not found a large amount of info online about indoor only care for Sempervivum species (hen and chick plants). The one brief mention I found says they won't be as colorful but still will grow. I've been trying to find photos of indoor only semp.s to see how much duller they'd be. House temp is 65-75F, humidity around 50, would be by a sw window on a inner wall with supplemented 6500k lights (t5,t8, or cfl.. haven't decided yet). I'm curious if anyone who's posted here -or see this and owns hen and chick plants- has tried keeping any indoors year round and how successful and colorful they've been?


I've tried keeping one in a terrarium, and it did alright with it ambient room everything. Watered it maybe 1-2 times a week. The only thing I had an issue with was the light. Maybe indirect but very bright sunlight would work, but the artificial lighting I had was only enough to keep it alive and make it get veeeery leggy.


----------



## AquaAurora

Kehy said:


> I've tried keeping one in a terrarium, and it did alright with it ambient room everything. Watered it maybe 1-2 times a week. The only thing I had an issue with was the light. Maybe indirect but very bright sunlight would work, but the artificial lighting I had was only enough to keep it alive and make it get veeeery leggy.


Thank you for the response! Can you tell me what type of like you used? kelvin? How long it was on and how close it was to the plant?



I found a little more on the plants and seems they _really _need their cold/dormant period... I may end up not getting them because of this. I want a year round indoor setup, but can't jack house temp low enough for proper winter dormancy without risking pipes bursting and fish getting very grumpy (tank heaters aren't high enough wattage to deal with air temp at 50-60F and keep tanks 76-80F), and moving them outside or into the garage with a light for 1/3-1/4 the year would defeat the purpose of the setup. I may instead try air plants (Tillandsia), or some other easy 'small' (stay 1' or under) house plants.


----------



## Kehy

AquaAurora said:


> Thank you for the response! Can you tell me what type of like you used? kelvin? How long it was on and how close it was to the plant?


My bad, I totally forgot I only had the Chick in the terrarium for the time before I put a desklamp over it and blasted as much light in that thing as it could take. I had the Chick planted in crappy clay soil and had to take off for a month without watering it. It died, no surprise.

I used a floor lamp with a 6700k bulb, but that was over 20" away and definitely too little light. The desklight thing would have probably worked. Here's some pics of what I had.


----------



## jerrytheplater

AquaAurora said:


> Thank you for the response! Can you tell me what type of like you used? kelvin? How long it was on and how close it was to the plant?
> 
> 
> 
> I found a little more on the plants and seems they _really _need their cold/dormant period... I may end up not getting them because of this. I want a year round indoor setup, but can't jack house temp low enough for proper winter dormancy without risking pipes bursting and fish getting very grumpy (tank heaters aren't high enough wattage to deal with air temp at 50-60F and keep tanks 76-80F), and moving them outside or into the garage with a light for 1/3-1/4 the year would defeat the purpose of the setup. I may instead try air plants (Tillandsia), or some other easy 'small' (stay 1' or under) house plants.


I flipped through my book on succulents and here are some plants that have a look similar to Sempervivum and may do well without a cold dormancy.

Abromeitiella- Argentina, Bolivia
Aeonium- Canary Islands, Morocco
Agave- Mexico
Dudleya- Mexico
Dyckia- Brazil
Echeveria- Mexico
Graptopetalum- Mexico

The following are from South Africa and this is a good site for cultural info on SA plants. Take care, as the info is for SA climate and outdoor growth. Remember the seasons are opposite for us. http://www.plantzafrica.com/index.html

Adromischus
Aloe
Crassula
Haworthia

Some of these are huge genera and you will have to search for availability, suitability, and how it looks. 

Hope this helps.


----------



## AquaAurora

jerrytheplater said:


> I flipped through my book on succulents and here are some plants that have a look similar to Sempervivum and may do well without a cold dormancy.
> 
> Abromeitiella- Argentina, Bolivia
> Aeonium- Canary Islands, Morocco
> Agave- Mexico
> Dudleya- Mexico
> Dyckia- Brazil
> Echeveria- Mexico
> Graptopetalum- Mexico
> 
> The following are from South Africa and this is a good site for cultural info on SA plants. Take care, as the info is for SA climate and outdoor growth. Remember the seasons are opposite for us. http://www.plantzafrica.com/index.html
> 
> Adromischus
> Aloe
> Crassula
> Haworthia
> 
> Some of these are huge genera and you will have to search for availability, suitability, and how it looks.
> 
> Hope this helps.


Thank you for the info! I'll look into those.


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## Ulmina

I love Hen and Chicks! Used to see them a lot in Massachusetts and more recently in Wisconsin. A carpet of them is so stunning, IMO. Nice selection you got. I think you'll do well. I love plants too and am heading off to Google to search pics of Lobelia Deckenii.


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## samee

Good stuff everyone!

Oww I like those air plants. I had 2 but gave up on them. Didnt have the time to tend to all the plants.



Ulmina said:


> I love Hen and Chicks! Used to see them a lot in Massachusetts and more recently in Wisconsin. A carpet of them is so stunning, IMO. Nice selection you got. I think you'll do well. I love plants too and am heading off to Google to search pics of Lobelia Deckenii.


They are the easiest plants to keep, buy them, throw them in gravel or a well drain soil and throw them outside and forget about them. Thats it, they will take care of themselves. Hot weather, full sun, cold weather, feet of snow is not a problem for them. Freezing rain however could be a problem. Overall, I would say they are the best plants to start with. Very hardy. I hope to get an update from you 

Jerry, any new pics from you? Hows everything with you?


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## jerrytheplater

No new pictures Samee. Mine are currently under a foot of snow solidly frozen.

Off topic for this thread, but not the forum: I was at The Super Pet Expo today with North Jersey Aquarium Society, Jersey Shore Aquarium Society, and my club New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club. http://www.superpetexpo.com/edison.html 99.5% of the displays were dogs and cats. Didn't even walk through the entire place. Our three clubs, one fish store, and Aqua-Pharm.com selling fish food and medicines. The organizer of the show wants to grow the fish-plant presence. I spent most of today talking up our hobby. Sold donated plants. I brought over some emersed grown Crypts for sale. Sold two C. wendtii to a woman that wanted to grow them in a hermit crab enclosure. Her description of her set up made me think my plants would be perfect for her setup. 80F and 80% RH. She gets some full sun in part of the tank. Told her not to plant the Crypts there. She uses worm castings and I told her to enrich the area where she was going to plant her Crypts. 

Gave out lots of our club cards. The place was very crowded. Huge exposure. Hopefully we get some members from it. Met a Discus breeder that bought some plants to grow in pots in his tank where he obtains his pairs. Not the breeding tanks. Has a huge 180 gallon tank in his office in the construction company he owns that is empty now. He might join and host an NJAGC meeting so we can set him up planted. We'll see.


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## samee

jerrytheplater said:


> No new pictures Samee. Mine are currently under a foot of snow solidly frozen.
> 
> Off topic for this thread, but not the forum: I was at The Super Pet Expo today with North Jersey Aquarium Society, Jersey Shore Aquarium Society, and my club New Jersey Aquatic Gardeners Club. http://www.superpetexpo.com/edison.html 99.5% of the displays were dogs and cats. Didn't even walk through the entire place. Our three clubs, one fish store, and Aqua-Pharm.com selling fish food and medicines. The organizer of the show wants to grow the fish-plant presence. I spent most of today talking up our hobby. Sold donated plants. I brought over some emersed grown Crypts for sale. Sold two C. wendtii to a woman that wanted to grow them in a hermit crab enclosure. Her description of her set up made me think my plants would be perfect for her setup. 80F and 80% RH. She gets some full sun in part of the tank. Told her not to plant the Crypts there. She uses worm castings and I told her to enrich the area where she was going to plant her Crypts.
> 
> Gave out lots of our club cards. The place was very crowded. Huge exposure. Hopefully we get some members from it. Met a Discus breeder that bought some plants to grow in pots in his tank where he obtains his pairs. Not the breeding tanks. Has a huge 180 gallon tank in his office in the construction company he owns that is empty now. He might join and host an NJAGC meeting so we can set him up planted. We'll see.


Very nice and an eventful day it seems.

I see your semps are under snow, how are your indoor plants doing? I guess I will get a pics of my plants up soon. My aloes are growing and giving out pups.


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## jerrytheplater

I have some winter hardy cacti in the unheated garage, those that can't take the wet. 

I have some cacti in the window at work that don't like below 50F. One Mammillaria blooms from time to time. Will have to take a photo to post up. Don't really think of photo's.

My Euphorbia's from Madagascar are growing fine. They get watered but not ferts in winter. 

The Notocactus get water every 3 weeks or so. The Frailea get water every two weeks. 

I have an Amazon Sword I grew emersed outside last summer indoors in the west window in a pot in a container of water. It has a flower spike full of plantlets, but no roots. Don't need more of them, but the gardener in me wants to propagate them anyway. Any ideas on how to get them to root?

Lobelia cardinalis converted to emersed trails out over the water container.


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## samee

jerrytheplater said:


> I have some winter hardy cacti in the unheated garage, those that can't take the wet.
> ...



Sorry for the late reply. What cacti are they?

Im moving from my apartment of 16 years to a house, Ive never lived in a house before, so this will be new. I am worried though because there wont be the luxury of having huge windows in every room, since atm I have ALOT of plants getting direct sunlight and all my cac and succulents under led and t5 lights (no hydro or monthly fee). So Im selling my tropical plants now since I just wont have space or the light. The plus side is that now I have a back yard where I can put my plants outside during summer to get the most amount of sun. I guess for winter I can leave my semps outside and before a snow storm, put a plastic container on top.

For now, heres my beautiful aloe. The pup has grown alot during the winter.


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## jerrytheplater

Samee

Here's some photo's of some of my warmth loving cacti and succulents from work taken Feb 12, 2015.

Frailea with rust-not good:









Mammillaria ? I don't know the species yet. There are a few that are similar.









Euphorbia decaryi from Madagascar









Euphorbia cylindrifolia from Madagascar









Euphorbia from Madagascar









Same plant as above from the side









Trichodiadema bulbosum









Trichodiadema bulbosum roots close up, you can see mouse damage from last spring at work. I hope we don't get any more mice. They did a lot of damage.









Esterhuysenia alpina









More Euphorbia from Madagascar









Mammillaria sp. unknown to me so far. Flowers all winter long. Really starting to bloom more now.









Overall view of the window the plants are in at work


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## jerrytheplater

I looked at my cacti in the unheated garage today and they look alright. I'll get the current photo's soon. 

Coryphantha missouriensis
Pediocactus simpsoni
Echinocereus sp

There are others, but I don't remember them now.


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## samee

jerrytheplater said:


> I looked at my cacti in the unheated garage today and they look alright. I'll get the current photo's soon.
> 
> Coryphantha missouriensis
> Pediocactus simpsoni
> Echinocereus sp
> 
> There are others, but I don't remember them now.



Wow Jerry, looking at your pics thats serious stuff! I love the rock scape theme you have going there. The cactus is Mammillaria Garcilis Fragilis. I have the exact same one which I bought from Walmart and it had that name. I will upload more pics as well, want to show off my cacti as well 

EDIT: Here they are:

Escobaria sneedii ssp. leii


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## samee

Going to update this thread. Spring has been here for a while, how is everyone doing? What new plants have you got? Im dying to get tri coloured semps but my going to US has now become tuff. 

Ive also moved from an apartment to a house


























Got a HUGE aloe for free:










Cut it up into these:


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