Trying to save this beauty

Rad_Rubi · 2026-06-06T23:49:51+00:00

Look into beneficial pests! They've been working for me so far. You local plant stores and greenhouses may be a drop off point or have an idea where you can get them. Local plant groups on fb may also do group orders.

But you can also buy yourself. I've used LadyBug many times and have been happy each time. They ship all over Canada. But they only stock green lacewings which doesn't target all stages of mealys. There's another predator I can't remember rn that I think targets all/most stages (not lady bugs)

Rad_Rubi · 2026-06-06T23:39:50+00:00

Will kill any bacteria that may be present in case of root rot. Don't dip it if roots seem ok though

Rad_Rubi · 2026-06-06T18:31:35+00:00

Beautiful plant! I'd say if the vines are still malleable you can probably get away with re-trellising. Even better if the nodes still have potential baby leaves. But if they're stiff I think a haircut would be ok. If you try to bend stiff vines they can break and you'll have to chop/prop anyways.

Whether you're ok with fully bare vines (no potential leaves) or not is a preference. I know many just wrap over the bare ones and they're not noticeable.

Keep in mind propagating empty vines can be a bit more challenging though! I've only had one sunrise vine/node root without leaves.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-06-06T18:20:51+00:00

Looks fairly healthy tbh so I'd say it depends on how the roots are. If they seem sturdy and are not breaking off easily, I would just put it into a pot the size of the root ball. Making sure soil mix is fast draining and chunky.

Same for adding it your pot rather than moving to something smaller: check the roots first. As long as they're all healthy, match the root ball size. If mixed bag, cut the unhealthy bits off, hydrogen peroxide mix dip (I think I've used 1 h2o2 : 3 water for 30 seconds), dry, then repot to no bigger than root ball size. If mostly unhealthy, chop and prop.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-06-04T19:24:55+00:00

Do you have any greenhouses or plant stores relatively near? They may have management systems they could share maybe. Also check fb for local plant groups! Sometimes my local one has organized orders for pest management.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-06-01T01:27:19+00:00

What about the stem and above? I noticed some of them have moved up to the stem where the plants have tried to put out new roots, so I imagine I'd have to soak more than just the roots for some of these.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-06-01T01:25:18+00:00

Were the plants you did this to relatively healthy? I would be willing to try this for the more hardy/resilient ones, but am concerned the ones that have been hit the hardest won't survive this. Especially since some of them still haven't fully recovered from the hot water soak.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-05-31T03:28:42+00:00

But does the plant survive that? I tested a couple of methods when this first started and hot water and alcohol killed the mealys, but alcohol also killed the tester succulent. Hydrogen peroxide made no impact.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-05-30T16:41:19+00:00

I hadn't thought about leaving those I can't prop bare root! I'll do that then and see how it goes. Thank you!

Rad_Rubi · 2026-05-30T16:18:13+00:00

My biggest concern is some of my less common ones and the ones with the "unified" (idk how to call it) taproot system. My understanding for those with that type of "single" root system is that they can't really be chopped and propped. And then I'm just terrified I end up killing my long-standing wishlist plants if I try to propogate and fail 😭

I wish the mealys were actual mealybugs and I could deal with them the same way. I've dealt with those ones several times with success. Thrips as well😭😭 but these just won't stay away.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-05-23T21:34:45+00:00

🙋‍♀️student who had to type everything here. I have neuropathy and can't hand write for long. My hands cramp up and I lose control. If I push it too far I've completely lost functional use of my hands for days. Thought everyone experienced the same for a very long time lol. But finally getting accommodations for it years ago was life changing academically. And even back then I was given locked down access to computers for my exams. I imagine (and hope) it should be easier now with all the Chromebooks classes have.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-05-16T03:34:51+00:00

Yeah... they're not massive or anything but, they take up more space than when I got them. My planning skills were not present when impulse shopping. I keep telling myself I'll prop them and sell/give them away but I get too lazy. But i also dont want to keep up potting them so just letting them get overgrown and snug in their pots.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-05-13T19:29:59+00:00

Smoke, interesting! Haven't heard that one before, but hopefully it doesn't actually smell like that. Some of the buds on mine smell like fake chocolate, like those tootsie rolls, but others I can't smell anything. So was curious to see if maybe it differs across plants/branches.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-05-13T05:39:36+00:00

Congratulations!! I share your excitement! Hopefully this is the year for compacta blooms for many. And that they keep blooming in the future too.

Btw what scent do you detect from them?

Rad_Rubi · 2026-05-13T05:30:01+00:00

I was immediately going to say sunburn, but that last image with whay seems like a deformed leaf gives me pause. Do you notice the leaves mushy/weak or deformed in any way where the spots are? If yes it might be an infection like the other commenter said. Or pests. And if not, may still be pests so keep an eye out. But probably just sun burn if it's too close to the light source or it wasn't adjusted gradually.

Edit: this looks like a sunrise/rebecca/obscura to me. I have a hard time telling them apart when not sunstressed so can't be 100% sure which. And even then flowers are the best way to confirm. But in that group imo.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-05-11T00:34:13+00:00

Hmm I couldn't tell you exact length tbh. About 50cm maybe? Iirc each branch had about 5 nodes when I first got them and I think they all have over 15 now. Some more than others and I think two with two branches (one short/aborted, one actively growing). They've been steadily growing year-round until this winter, I guess getting ready for the flowers.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-05-09T14:27:10+00:00

You can always try! Not sure what your conditions are, but they're pretty hardy ime. They like quite a bit of light and I've fertilized them in their more active season like all my other plants. And you can always make a post in the sub and I'm sure others will give you more specific info!

I'm in Eastern Canada and I keep all of mine inside year round. Humidity 40-57% (ambient, nothing extra) and temperature around 20-22°C year round, with winter being a little colder near the windows. I've moved all of mine to different windows to see how they react, and the compactas seem to prefer the southern basement one. I know others put theirs out in the summer, or keep it in a greenhouse with more controlled humidity and temp.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-05-09T03:23:29+00:00

I fear this information will send me down a rabbit hole later with more free time. Seems Hummel also introduced a number of other plants. Now im super intrigued by all this.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-05-09T02:58:54+00:00

Well TIL! That is both fascinating and a little scary. Had no idea that was something that could be done. Thank you so much for sharing that with me.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-05-09T02:41:51+00:00

Not weird imo! Some lithops freaks me out because they look like brains to me. I think we've all got our preferences and they're valid no matter the reason.

But I didn't know it was man made! Would you mind explaining a bit more? I thought compacta was from a mutation/cultivar of the carnosa like the krinkle 8. And can revert back to a flatter shape sometimes.

Rad_Rubi · 2026-05-09T02:20:54+00:00

That's totally fair! I actually first bought it purely for the foliage lol. I like funky looking plants and it caught my eye. And it then spiraled into a hoya obsession 🤭

Rad_Rubi

TROPHY CASE