r/Caudex

Bought a welwitschia a month ago and have been itching to get it into my pot made from a terracotta chimney flue and a terracotta saucer which I mortared together. Had to wait a while so I could leach all the lime from the mortar by constantly soaking it in water and then testing the ph. Never been so nervous repotting a plant before. I ended up using a Dremel to carefully cut the pot from around the roots. Not sure how old the plant is but the tap root was almost a foot long and incredibly thin/delicate. There was no root ball because the soil it was in was so loose and gritty that it just fell apart.

My soil mix is around 70% pumice, 15% sifted decomposed granite, 10% coco coir, and 5% work castings.

Fingers crossed I didn't damage it and it can live happy in this pot for a long while. I have 50 seeds to plant next if I ever get the nerve to try and plant them.

I’ve had this plant for at least 6 or so months, at first it was vining fine, but the leaves never really grew larger. The original stem has kind of died away but the one that started when I received it grew pretty long with itty bitty leaves. Is that normal?

And now it seems to have stopped growing at all ( or atleast very little). I know they have opposing dormancy periods. so it’s not that I’m not expecting it to go dormant but the vine is still green and I’m looking for advice on what I should do!

Should I keep watering?

Should I act as if it’s growing until the smaller vine starts to brown?

Did I do something wrong for it to have such small leaves?

For context: I water about once weekly, if not every other week. It’s in bonsai Jack cactus and succulent mix (cheap and easy)

I’d also like to put it outside with my other desert dwellers but I’m worried about shock.

My (what we think is) Cyphostemma juttae x currorii is starting to leaf out. This time of the year brings so much excitement

Sharing Euphorbia cylindrifolia in the sunlight. Usually, you can only see its lush branches, but when the caudex grows big enough, it is truly super stunning.

Boswellia rivae and B. neglecta at ~3 weeks old are showing their different adaptive strategies: rivae are quickly developing a caudex at and just below ground level and are strongly anchored on their root structure, while neglecta are devoting resources toward above-ground caudex formation.

With its miniscule blooms.

Found some white-skinned Pachypodium densiflorum. The shape is a bit like Pachypodium rosulatum var. gracilius, and I love them so much!

The caudex is round and plump—those pineapple-like textures and intricate scales are simply mesmerizing! 🍍 🍍

I import so many plants with great success... but somehow, African countries (specifically Kenya) has been a real pain!!! This particular nursery is sending some really poor quality stuff. Twice, my orders have been sent back due to disease/pests. The importer has been delaying any replacements for them too!

Thank goodness I quarantine all my imports.

Fair warning - Avoid nurseries in Kenya at least!

What have you done to successfully propagate your Adenia Perreri? This quickly outgrew my 5 foot stake and I’d like to propagate it to make it bushier and trellis it.

I have some other passiflora (collinvauxii) that I’ve learned does best in perlite and water with high humidity, otherwise I have only a 10% success rate. Given the value of this plant I’d like to have more successful cuttings with this one.

Curious if anyone has found similar tricks or tips for propagating this!

Plant was purchased in California with maybe 10 leaves in December. Grown indoors under grow lights in the original mix from the grower, I haven’t looked much under the hood at its substrate now. I water when the leaves go limp, which is getting much more frequent now that spring is here.

Spotted yesterday near Ashton, a small town situated in the Western Cape province of South Africa.