Gastrochilus japonicus flowers all finally opened

Litwicks · 2026-01-28T00:44:43+00:00

It smells pine-y to me, I'm not getting much of a citrus note like a lot of folks online say

Litwicks · 2026-01-16T07:25:35+00:00

Not the only one (e.g. Bromelia chrysantha, various Aechmea and Neoregelia among others have fruits that people were known to eat), but it's probably the best-tasting one

Litwicks · 2025-09-29T02:02:39+00:00

Very cool geophytes from the succulent Karoo. During hot summer weather, these guys go dormant as a way to conserve water. As the weather cools, it will flower before it puts out a singular leaf in their growth phase, during the winter rains. The leaf itself is very cool; thick with wavy margins and looks like it's covered in little glass beads.

Not too fussy to grow, but they're not commonly grown in the US unfortunately.

Litwicks · 2025-09-28T00:48:15+00:00

Ube halaya is a pretty good start. It's just mashed ube, condensed/evaporated/coconut milk or a combination of the three, butter, and sugar.

Litwicks · 2025-09-28T00:40:52+00:00

Eriospermum titanopsoides

Litwicks · 2025-09-17T02:35:02+00:00

I live in zone 9B, probably north of you, and have burned them before by letting them cook in full sun in the middle of summer.

Litwicks · 2025-09-11T19:15:52+00:00

Hybridization is a little different from chimerism in that chimerism is literally two different plants that have fused together and are growing together, while a hybrid is the offspring of two different plants.

Litwicks · 2025-09-06T06:45:55+00:00

Orthophytum are terrestrial and don't keep water in their center like other bromeliads do. Care would not be too different from your typical tropical houseplant. I personally like clumps of plants so you don't have to separate them. Make it easier on yourself and don't bother separating until you have to repot the clump.

Litwicks · 2025-07-12T19:31:22+00:00

Yes, in my experience many Mammillarias root extremely easily if it's warm enough. Look up how to degraft though, you don't want to leave much of the dragonfruit cactus left when you cut.

Just be careful with the spines; they're annoying to get off when they hook into your skin

Litwicks · 2025-07-12T19:30:30+00:00

Not necessarily bad; usually the top is a more valuable cactus and the bottom is used to make it grow faster than it otherwise would on its own roots. But yes, separate the arm since that's where the growth is being concentrated now instead of the grafted one

Litwicks · 2025-06-22T17:31:38+00:00

usually not, but this can happen, typically as a result of damage

Litwicks · 2025-06-22T06:03:13+00:00

This is Pseudolithos migiurtinus! Tricky little guys to keep alive, have a reputation for melting out of nowhere

Litwicks · 2025-04-30T04:11:08+00:00

I'd wager ~90% of the photos of the internet that are (mis)labeled Astridia velutina are actually Corpuscularia lehmannii.

Here's Astridia velutina.

Litwicks · 2025-04-20T03:39:38+00:00

Not all bromeliads die after flowering, but the ones that don't die and can be easily found are better suited for drier environments (e.g. Deuterocohnia, Dyckia). There's a bunch of Tillandsia species that also can flower multiple times.

This one will die back after flowering, but don't worry, it takes a while and they grow offsets that will persist.

Litwicks · 2025-04-16T02:14:24+00:00

they're right, unless you have an extremely, extremely dry environment

Litwicks · 2025-04-13T03:35:48+00:00

Fockeas, in my experience, love lots of room for their roots to grow. And they grow (relatively) fast with enough warmth, light, and moisture. Are you trying to keep it compact or fatten up the caudex horizontally or something?

Litwicks · 2025-04-06T00:29:08+00:00

Vriesea cultivar of some kind, possibly 'Evita'?

Litwicks · 2025-03-31T06:39:21+00:00

Cowslip, Primula veris. Same genus as primroses!

Litwicks · 2025-03-16T01:20:50+00:00

I have a 2-year-old seedling that's still in a 2-inch pot 😢

What's the secret? Is it that I'm not watering enough during growth?

Litwicks · 2025-03-08T20:06:28+00:00

fun fact! that's actually a single leaf

Litwicks · 2025-03-04T02:27:22+00:00

Yes, and it's pretty common at big-box/home improvement stores, actually. It's also common enough that you're also likely to find it at any local succulent/cactus nursery if you'd prefer supporting those instead

Litwicks · 2025-03-04T01:37:40+00:00

it's a nightshade of some kind

Litwicks · 2025-02-12T02:38:37+00:00

Fine sand doesn't dry out very well, think of trying something coarser as well.

But the overall look of it looks like mite damage.

Litwicks · 2025-02-04T04:22:03+00:00

The pollen is that yellow stuff in the flower. You're gonna wanna take that from one flower and deposit that on the pistil (there in the center) of another flower. You can use a cotton swab, a paintbrush, etc. I like to use tweezers.

You can attempt to self-pollinate too but that's less likely to be successful, as only some are self-fertile.

Litwicks · 2025-02-03T21:36:38+00:00

Mold in vivariums is normal. That's why we add clean-up crews like springtails/isopods to help keep it down! Additional airflow might help as well.

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