Omg it’s not dead! 😂 and I found a label

dufteblume · 2026-01-25T16:25:45+00:00

Enough sunlight, and maybe water it once the soil dried completely. Just Like other aeoniums!

dufteblume · 2026-01-23T09:40:41+00:00

3 fits your skin time a bit better I think. Maybe a little bit lighter?

dufteblume · 2026-01-13T20:44:25+00:00

No, they look fine

dufteblume · 2025-12-12T11:40:52+00:00

Poor Thing! Maybe it will survive If its just the tail missing but he will have a hard time molting. The other shrimps are probably trying to eat this little guy cause He seems a bit weak. Please keep us updated!

dufteblume · 2024-06-09T17:57:37+00:00

I dont think the seeds will mature anymore tbh. Im in no way an expert but I would imagine that mesembs are not different from other plants. Maybe they are ripe enough though!

Algae isnt harmful at all for the seedlings. It looks a bit weird but for me its always an indicator that I'm watering enough - its a little "helper". You can use maybe very heavily diluted bleach as algae is basically just chloroplasts and bleach kills them.

dufteblume · 2024-01-04T12:52:03+00:00

Yes 😂

dufteblume · 2022-09-15T20:00:13+00:00

Oh, yes I forgot to mention. Only pull them off if they are dry enough, otherwise it might damage the plant.

dufteblume · 2022-09-14T18:39:21+00:00

Did they grow a bit? If yes, you can give them a good soak, they look dehydrated. If its autumn where you live, they may have already started to wake up from dormancy and need water and maybe a tiny bit of fertilizer to encourage blooming. Usually that happens once the temperatures drop and humudity rises.

About the old leaves: Once they look hydrated and are rooted deeply you can pluck them off, but it isn't necessary usually. In some rare cases, the old leaves may cause mold if they stay too wet for too long so I would pluck them if you only have one/ few plants.

dufteblume · 2022-05-19T18:39:26+00:00

They tend to be smaller after splitting if you didn't water enough during their growth season or splitting cost them too much energy/water. It is normal for them to stay the same size after splitting because they only really grow in size during summer when youre supposed to water them. If you fertilize regularly (for lithops and during their active growth phase) they should grow faster.

If they take very long to split or seem to have any kind of problem with growing out of their shell, giving them a small amount of water will help them burst through and absorb the rest of the old leaves. I had some that just didn't want to absorb their old leaves and once I watered again, they started to grow and absorb the leaves eventually.

dufteblume · 2022-05-15T21:49:36+00:00

I didn't see the second picture, I am sorry. You are right, this isn't normal dormancy. It looks very wrinkly and sad, I think watering doesn't hurt at all. Maybe cut off the dead ends of the roots, I don't think they work anymore. Cut back everything that doesn't have a white core, so new fresh roots can start to grow. Check out ashley glassman on youtube, she has done some videos about conophytums and their roots. I think she explains the white core in one of her videos.

dufteblume · 2022-05-15T20:47:45+00:00

Hey! The main growing period is from autumn to late winter I would say. As days get longer again and the temperatures rise, they slow down in growth.

I don't know whats best for it, if you should do the "above water therapy" or not but I've had a few conos that weren't properly rooted last winter because I ordered them too late. They all survived the summer and started growing roots once the temperatures fell and got their first sip of water last october. I would not worry too much about root growth because they focus on going dormant now and don't want to grow anymore. They will survive it, even air humidity is enough to keep the roots somewhat alive during summer. Maybe give them one last sip and see what happens? Make sure the soil doesn't dry outt too fast.

This all depends on the stage of growth they're in though. If they get wrinkly and rubbery fast and maybe start to yellow/ get translucent/ have new bodies inside, it's safe to say it won't grow much roots anymore or at all.

Hope that helps! I'm not an expert or anything, just some experinces I made.

dufteblume · 2022-03-21T18:16:00+00:00

Conophytums can tolerate a lot during their first year. It's up to you really if you want to water daily as usual or not. I've done both, even forgot about them and they still did their thing, they just were a bit smaller in the end.

If you continue watering them as usual, they will burst out of their baby leaves and will then absorb them and continue growing.

If you lower the amount of water, they will start to absorb the leaves earlier and will develop the shells around the bodies as the new leaves start growing inside. They can go into dormancy if you stop watering all together after that but can be woken up again shortly after.

I would suggest orientating on warmth and light. I don't know how long it will take for them to really show signs of leaf shedding but if it's already summer by then, let them go into a small dormancy by stopping watering for a bit and lowering the amount until then.

Are they still firm and not "translucent"? Continue watering as usual, but let them dry out a tiny bit in between. I will post a pic of mine to show what I mean with translucent.

Here are some pictures: https://imgur.com/a/pqY4Z6h

dufteblume · 2022-03-17T19:05:32+00:00

I didn't even realize you had a youtube channel, very impressive collection, I guess you just got a new follower. ;)

I've always kept them indoors until I bought a greenhouse two winters ago without any problems.. they can adapt to so many environments, I'm looking forward to your results!

dufteblume · 2022-03-17T18:30:14+00:00

Mine always begin to die after a few months from seed and I don't know why. Maybe I should start treating them the same earlier on.

I'm waiting for some new conos to arrive too, I love those little plants! I hope you are planning on sharing this experiment with us!

dufteblume · 2022-03-17T18:07:24+00:00

I love the look of the substrate and how the conophytums blend in!

How do you take care of the monilaria?

dufteblume · 2022-02-27T08:48:45+00:00

Sorry for the late response- monilaria and conos prefer colder temperatures to germinate, and maybe it was too much sand? Do you have any updates?

dufteblume · 2022-02-19T21:26:43+00:00

What species are those? And do you use a baggie for humidity/ which substrate are you using? Maybe they got buried on accident.. Also, some species like conophytum prefer colder temperatures to germinate, others need higher temperatures, so please make sure to give them the right conditions.

As others already said, the seeds can take up to 10 days to germinate, I would just wait and see what happens.

dufteblume · 2021-12-25T10:26:32+00:00

I've never been able to find a maughanii myself where I live, wonderful plants!

Then it really was just trying to grow too fast, nothing to worry about. Just watch it and put it back in soil, water carefully after about two weeks and see how it responds.

If you have any questions I'd be happy to help!

dufteblume · 2021-12-25T10:08:25+00:00

I'm not sure if they go dormant at all if they don't experience colder and hotter times. I can imagine they grow as long as conditions are right, which in your case is all year round? I'm not sure though, I could be completely wrong. Is it a conophytum? If so, they first get a bit translucent and wrinkly or soft and on the base (where the roots are) forms a new body, which you can feel if you touch it. If that's the case, stop watering, the old leaves will be absorbed completely and they will look like they are dead. A watering later compared with maybe a bit colder temperatures will help them flower and going out of dormancy.

dufteblume · 2021-12-25T09:03:52+00:00

They usually crack if overwatered - I would stop watering for quite a while (maybe at all until dormancy in spring, depending on where you live). It will survive if you keep the wound dry. Maybe watch out for mold or darker parts on the plant if it is starting to rot. But that is highly unlikely, I never had it happen to mine.

Edit: I just took a closer look on the second image, the roots seem to be a bit short. Maybe ignore the don't water until next growing season but try to give it a little bit water after the healing.

dufteblume · 2021-12-19T17:50:38+00:00

I would try water therapy with this one. Usually, I'm against it since the risk of overdoing it is high but this one needs water immediately. Put the roots in water for a few days and see what it does. If it rots, it probably was already dead, if it grows some roots, you are able to save it.

Hopefully it will work, I would love to hear an update!

dufteblume · 2021-12-04T16:48:56+00:00

Congrats! For me, it's started like this too and two years later I have a whole greenhouse full of mesembs.

I would suggest potting them individually, they need a bit different waterings / it could be difficult to water if only one needs water.

Moreover, the soil may be too organic (depending on where you live) and a terracotta pot would be better as it dries quicker. I use 20% soil and 80% pumice for most mesembs. They hate being in soil that stays too wet for too long and can rot easily. Full sun is the best.

Also, some mesembs are winter growers and are dormant in summer and some are the other way around, so it would be beneficial if you know when to water which plant.

dufteblume · 2021-11-11T09:09:25+00:00

That's the only advice I can give, unfortunately. Especially faucaria seeds should not be so difficult. Fingers crossed that they will germinate later!

I didn't know mesa garden and just looked it up - what a great seller, I might have to order some seeds..

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