Tag: Succulent plant blogs

Gasteria, Gasteria variegated, Gasteria pups, Gasteria offsets, Gasteria babies,

How to Care for and Grow Gasteria Succulent Plants

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What are Gasteria Plants ? 

Gasteria is a genus of succulent plants that is native to South Africa and are related to the Aloe, Haworthia and Sansevieria family of plants.

Gasteria includes around 80 different species and they are known for their beautiful very striking tongue like leaves that can vary in size from small and compact leaves to long and and tongue like.

I have made a detailed How To care for Gasteria video for my cacti and succulent You Tube Channel called Desert Plants of Avalon and also a video on repotting Gasteria and I have shared the links to these videos at the bottom of this Blog.

Gasteria, Gasteria variegated, Gasteria pups, Gasteria offsets, Gasteria babies,
My Variegated Gasteria with offsets ‘babies’ forming all around the base, these can be detached with a sharp clean knife and potted up as little individual plants.

HOW TO CARE FOR GASTERIA

Light Levels

Gasteria like to be grown in a position that receives plenty of bright natural light but these plants prefer to be away from strong direct sunshine and a position that receives part sun or indirect sunshine is best for growing these plants. Too much sunshine can make the leaves on these plants turn yellow or red.

If you are growing Gasteria as a houseplant its advisable they are placed in a bright position away from strong sunshine, and a window that receives some part sun for example morning sun that is not too strong is best, avoid afternoon sun in a south facing position in a window or if only a south facing position is available then you can cover the window with a shade cloth or net so the plant receives dappled sunshine.

Watering

Gasteria can take plenty of water during the warm Summer months but its very important to always allow the soil to totally dry before watering again. Like most Succulents these plants like to have a winter rest period where watering should be reduced to a bare minimum. I stop watering my Gasterias almost completely from October until mid March but I do still give a small amount of water to them once every 6 weeks but I grow mine outside in a heated polytunnel that is kept cool at around 7 Celsius / 45 Fahrenheit, but if you grow yours inside a house that is kept at a normal room temperature its best to give a small amount of water once a month to prevent the plants shrivelling, however its best to only water very lightly as watering these plants during Winter can encourage them to grow lanky and stretched out and at the worst case rot at the roots.

Clean Rainwater is always preferable to tap water if possible, but these plants are pretty hardy to tap water.

Temperature

Gasteria like most succulents can take high Summer temperatures but if you are growing these plants indoors or in a greenhouse or polytunnel its important that plenty of ventilation can be given otherwise these plants can ‘cook’ in temperatures above 100F without fresh air.

In Winter its best to keep these plants at a minimum Winter Temperature of 7 Celsius / 45 Fahrenheit but they can take slightly lower than this for brief periods but never any lower than 5 Celsius / 41 Fahrenheit as these plants can not take any frost at all, but ideally these plants are happier kept above 7 C / 41 F in Winter. Ideally 10 C / 50 F is a safer temperature in Winter if it can be provided and a cool unheated but bright room to overwinter them without heating would be best as keeping these plants on the cool side in Winter encourages blooming in the Spring and Summer. 

Re potting & Soil media

Gasteria like to be planted in a well drained soil mix and a cacti and succulent soil is ideal for these plants.

I usually make my own soil mix up of 1 part loam and 1 part grit and 1 part horticultural sand but any good quality well draining cactus and succulent mix will work well for these plants.

Gasteria have thick and very fleshy white roots that often die back every few years and new ones form, because of this its important that all the dead dried roots are removed every time you repot them. When I re pot my Gasteria’s I will cut off the dried dead roots and leave the plants out of their pots overnight before I pot them into their new pot and soil media, I do this to allow any roots that may have got damaged from trimming the dead ones to callus over, this prevents the slight possibility of root rot, this is not a necessity but its something I prefer to do and would personally recommend.

Here is  a video below I have made for my cactus and succulent You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How I repot my Gasteria and Haworthia and Aloe plants with their fleshy big white roots, and in the video I show my Haworthia as an example but this also applies to Gasteria.

Here is a video below I have made for my Cacti and Succulent You Tube Channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to make your own cactus and Succulent Soil in 3 easy steps:

Fertilising 

Gasteria can be fertilised with any good quality cacti and Succulent fertiliser from spring until late Summer, and I usually fertilise my Gasteria with every 3rd watering that I give them from April until early September.

Flowering

Gasteria’s are called Gasteria because of the shape of their flowers resembling the shape of a Stomach as ‘Gaster’ means Stomach.

The flowers usually form in Spring and Summer but I have also had my Gasteria’s flower in Winter and Fall /Autumn but then again I do have odd plants that often like to do their own thing haha 😀 

Here is a video below I have made for my Cactus and Succulent You tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon when my Gasteria’s were flowering at the right time of year 😀 

Propagation

Gasteria propagate by sending out little offsets or ‘babies’ that form in little clusters around the Mother plant. These offsets can be left to cluster all around the Mother plant or they can be detached by using a sharp and clean knife and potted up into their own individual pots.

Occasionally a little offset will form along a flower stem where a previous flower has been although this is not common and much more rarer, but I did have it happen to one of mine a few years ago and I had this happen also with a Haworthia.

Gasteria can also been grown from seed although this is a lot more time consuming but definitely very rewarding and fun to do especially if its from seeds from your own plants.

Here is a video I have made for my Cactus and Succulent You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to Harvest Seeds from Gasteria and you can watch this video below.

Here is  a detailed video I have made for my cactus and Succulent You tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to Care for Gasteria and you can watch this video below: 

Wishing you all lots of happy growing and PLANT POWER from across the Emerald Isle

Lyn XXXXX <3 

Euphorbia platyclada

How to Care for Euphorbia platyclada – The dead Succulent Plant

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Hi Guys 😀 

In this Blog I am going to be talking about a very weird and very wacky Succulent plant called Euphorbia platyclada and I have also made a special care video on this plant for my Cacti and Succulent You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon and I have the video at the bottom of this Blog page.

Euphorbia platyclada belongs to the Euphorbiaceae group of Succulent plants.

Euphorbia platyclada is a real oddity and because of its ‘weird and dead like’ appearance it is more commonly known as ‘The dead Plant’ ‘Dead Stick Plant’ ‘Dead Wood  Plant’.

Euphorbia platyclada
Euphorbia platyclada is a weird and wacky and unusual wonderful little Succulent plant that always looks dead.

This weird and wacky plant is a pinky brown colour and the pink colour becomes brighter in bright sunshine and during the Summer months, in the Wintertime this plant loses its colour more and goes a lighter pink almost grey appearance. The stems are flattened and mottled and hard to the touch resembling ‘dead scabby sticks’ and they emerge from a heavy rootstock, the plant itself is small and totally leafless, the flowers are extremely small and are a orange yellow colour.

The plant itself is not very pretty haha but personally I love its uniqueness and wackiness and I love anything that is different from the norm haha.

Euphorbia platyclada is from Madagascar in Africa where it grows in its natural habitat on the floor of forests.

HOW TO GROW EUPHORBIA PLATYCLADA

Euphorbia platyclada loves a hot and sunny position such as a south facing window or in a sunny greenhouse or conservatory.

These plants can be placed outside during the Spring and Summer months as long as they can be protected from excess rain and winds. They can take a very high temperature as long as plenty of fresh air can be given, In Winter its best to keep these plants above 10c / 50F but they can take lower than this for brief periods especially when kept dry but never overwinter them any lower than 5c / 41F as they can be prone to rot and fungal diseases at temperatures lower than this, ideally try to keep above 10c / 50F at all times.

These plants like plenty of water during the active growing season from Spring to early Fall / Autumn but always allow the soil in their pots to fully dry out before watering them again because Euphorbia platyclada just like all Euphorbia Succulents do not like their roots to be sitting in wet soil as this can cause root rot. From mid Fall / Autumn to late Winter reduce watering  to the bare minimum and only water enough just to stop the plant from shrivelling too much.  In the Winter I only water my Euphorbia platyclada once every 2 months and I overwinter it on a sunny south facing window in my Kitchen. Rainwater is always preferable to tap water if it is available.

Euphorbia platyclada like to be grown in small pots due to their small but heavy rootstock, it is always safer to under rather than over pot, and grow them in a well drained soil especially for  Succulent plants, I like to make my own soil mix up for my Succulents and cacti and use a loam based soil with added perlite or grit and added horticultural sand, but you can use any well draining soil mix to your preference, the most important thing is that the soil is free draining. Re potting is always best done during the Spring and Summer months.

If you want to know How to make your own Cactus and Succulent soil here is a video below that I have made for my You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to make your own Cacti and Succulent soil in 3 easy steps : 

These plants can easily be pruned to keep in shape and cuttings can be taken to be propagated by allowing the cutting to ‘callus’ over for a few days before planting in a well drained soil mix. Its important to be careful when taking cuttings of all Euphorbia plants because of their milky sap than can be irritating to the skin and extra caution should be taken when taking cuttings of all Euphorbia Succulents.

Here is a special care video below that I have made for my You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to care for Euphorbia platyclada and you can watch this video HERE:

Wishing you ALL an abundance of love and happiness and HAPPY GROWING 😀 

 

 

pollinating christmas cactus flowers, pollinating Christmas cactus

How to pollinate Christmas Cactus flowers to get Fruit for Seed

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Hi Guys 😀 

Its always so much fun to grow seeds from your very own plants, and at this time of year during the Winter months your Schlumbergera cacti that are more commonly known as the Holiday Cacti, Christmas or Thanksgiving Cactus may be all blooming lovely.

When your Schlumbergera cacti are all blooming lovely this is the perfect time to have fun pollinating the flowers to see if you can get seeds. Pollinating the flowers is very easy to do and in this Blog I include a few videos that I have made for my Cacti & Succulent You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon where I show you on video exactly how you can pollinate the flowers for seed.

pollinating christmas cactus flowers, pollinating Christmas cactus
Its so much fun to play the Bee and pollinate your Christmas cactus flowers to see if you can get fruit and seed.

All you need is a Schlumbergera cactus that is in flower, preferably with at least two flowers on as from my own experience I have always find it more successful to cross pollinate the flowers on either the same plant or if you have two different flowering Schlumbergera at the same time, for example a red flowering one and a pink flowering one you can cross the flowers between both of them. 

Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera truncata, red flowering Christmas cactus, Christmas cactus red flowers, Xmas cactus,

I have had great success pollinating Schlumbergera flowers and have had seed on most occasions when I have pollinated the flowers, however I have found that a lot of my more recent Schlumbergera purchases have failed to produce fruit and seeds for me. I have heard that some of the newer hybrids on the markets today are harder to pollinate for seed but I don’t have enough evidence for that just yet. Let me know if you guys have had success with pollinating the flowers on the newer Schlumbergera hybrids available today 😀 

So How do pollinate the flowers for seed ? 

All you need to do is use a clean tiny brush for example a tiny paint brush, lip brush or a q tip cotton bud, and load the pollen from the flower and then dab the pollen from the flower onto the stigma of the flower, this is best if you only have the one flower but if you have more than one flower its best to take the pollen from the the one flower and dab it very gently onto the stigma of the other flower or flowers. 

The Stigma is the part of the flower that hangs out almost like a tongue haha, and here is a photo of one of my Schlumbergera’s my Schlumbergera ‘Golden Charm’ in flower with the stigma that is bright pink sticking out. this should hopefully show you what the stigma looks like 😀 

Christmas cactus, Xmas cactus, Schlumbergera truncata, yellow Schlumbergera truncata, golden Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera flowers,

Here is a step by step video that I have made for my Cacti & Succulent You Tube Channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to pollinate Schlumbergera Christmas and Thanksgiving Cactus flowers :

If you want to cross pollinate two different flowering Schlumbergera cacti for example a white one crossed with a red or pink or orange then you simply dab the pollen from the one flower/s from the one Cactus onto the other stigma on the other Cactus flower.

Here is a video below that I have made for my You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to Cross pollinate Schlumbergera cactus flowers :  

How do you know when your pollination has been a success ? 

Within a few days the flowers will naturally start to wilt if they have not been pollinated and the flowers will dry up and fall off, but if its been a success then the very base of where the flower emerges from the end of the leaf segment will start to swell up and turn a darker green colour ( see photo below ) 

It can take many weeks, months and even as long as a year for the fruit to be fully ready for harvesting, and you will know when the fruits are ready to harvest for seeds because the fruit pod will go very soft and often a dark red colour just like a juicy small berry. 

Here is a video that I have made for my Cacti & Succulent You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to tell when your Schlumbergera flowers have been pollinated :

Here is a video that I have made for my Cacti & Succulent You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to Harvest the fruit from Schlumbergera to get seeds:

Once you have harvest the seeds then its time to sow them, this is the fun part and although very time consuming to grow these plants from seeds compared to cuttings its so much fun and very rewarding to do 😀 

There are many different methods on growing cacti from seed, but personally I like to grow my seeds in pots that are then placed into ‘baggies’ this keeps the seeds and young seedlings moist at all times without having to worry about the soil drying up. After about 3-6 months depending on their size I then remove them from the clear bags and treat them as young seedlings always making sure the soil is moist but not soggy.

Spring is always the best time to sow seeds including all cacti seeds, but if you have grow lights and additional warmth then you can get sowing them at any time of the year.

Here is a video that I have made for my Cacti & Succulent You Tube Channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to Grow Cacti from Seed and this includes all types of cactus plants including Schlumbergera : 

Good luck with pollinating your Schlumbergera cactus flowers and let me know in the comments below if you have had success with pollinating the flowers and growing these beautiful cacti from seed. 

Here is a video below that I have made for my Cacti & Succulent You Tube Channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on the update on my Schlumbergera Christmas Cactus seedlings that I have grown from seed in June 2018.

Sending you all lots of love and plant power from across the Emerald Isle and Happy Sowing and Growing Guys 😀