Caudiciforms: Pachys leafing out, 2 by Baja_Costero

Baja_Costero wrote:
Some pictures of the Pachypodiums that are leafing out right now, way earlier than last year. This has been a warm winter, but I also started acidifying the water, and I think that may have been the deciding factor. They receive full sun for most of the day this time of year (S exposure).

Growing these plants is a little like surfing. When they go leafless, you have to float for a while and wait for the next swell, giving the minimum irrigation. But then when they decide to go green, they get way more thirsty, and you have to start pouring on the water to keep the plant going. At some point when they're making new leaves, I imagine the roots down there underground also budding and sprouting and expanding.

In the past I have had plants start leafing out on me and then stall out completely because I was watering them like cacti, letting the soil go too dry for too long each time. Very frustrating. Now I'm much more free with the drink when the plants indicate they are ready for it. They still dry out most of the way, but not all the way, and that seems to make a big difference.