Hydroton and Caucidiforms

Hi, I use the Primeagra from Firstrays. I don't have any experience with the hydrotron. I know others do use it.

I just placed my order and am so excited. I hope it works on my plants, it will solve my overwatering problems!

Sally, just found your demonstration thread, thanks for that!

Have you tried this with baby's toes? I also need to reread what you wrote about lithops as I just ordered 3 types to try. I remember you said no water for part of the year.
C

I don't have baby toes and I don't remember if I tried them or not? I have had them but I can't remember if they were in the s/h or not. Too many plants! I do leave the lithops dry in the winter.

I wondered about baby toes too Cheryl. I rotted my last try at them. I'd love to try them in s-h but already have other plants I have to change over first. Maybe I will try them if I see a pot for sale ... I can't resist.

I have decided not to move any of the plants that are currently doing welll but want to add some new species and those will be put into the SH system.
C

oh this is so funny..I've read this remark or something like it, "I want to try, love my current plants, got some new ones to try s/h or some other experiment".

I have done the same..."got some new ones to experiment with"...hehehe

It is tough to harm your own children! LOL

That sounds like a good way to work it. It's a little overwhelming to think of changing a whole lot of plants that are already happy!

I just want justification for buying some new species!
C

me too...the ones I got...I do not have.

Talking about fenestraria..here is my one. I nearly killed it (love to death), replanted and decided to ignore it.

after ignoring it for a while..LOL!

Looks like it is coming back well LT! I think the secret is to ignore them. I always love them to death. I just can't believe those little plants don't need me to water them when the temperature here is over 100° ... but they don't!
Look how pretty mine was in January and was gone this summer ... boo hoo!

Stunning! One of my problems is that I always seem to walk around with my plants...then they get mixed and I water some that do not need it.

Very nice flowers. Can they take full sun or are they outside in part shade?
C

Littlethings, your decision to ignore your plant paid off. It looks amazing now! Beautiful flowers!

the flower pic is nancy, but thanks zone. With the humdity up at 70% most of the time here I have to force myself NOT to water. They do not even shrivel up...sometimes I just cannot help myself. The term " grow them hard" does apply especially to succulents from Northern Cape, Namibia. (Lithops and similar) The more moisture in the air the less watering you need. Currently they are all placed for Morning full sun from 5:30am to midday. I will see if the hotter summer months will cause a slight shift...

All of those plants look awesome.

Ooops! Sorry for the mistake. Nice flowers Nancy!

Littlethings, how hot does it get during your summers? Succulents with more fleshy leaves tend to do much better here in part sun to bright light.

It gets to about 30C from time to time, average 23-26C. We sit right in the seperation between summer and winter rainfall regions. We usually have wind from the sea, which keeps the temps moderate, but if the wind comes from inland it pushes temps up to 30-35C, which does not happen that often thank goodness. This part of the world is pretty much Haworthia, Gasteria, Aloe and crassula areas and some mesembs. (East Coast) The hotter dryer West Coast with the arid inland is more Mesembs like lithops, cono's and other.

Sounds like you have wonderful weather...for plants AND people! Although we're in the same general zone, it seems that the lack of frost is the only commonality.

Sounds really nice there Little things.

Pretty plants, littlethings and Nancy! Ignoring them seems to work, ha ha! My s/h arrives tomorrow and I know I already have too many things I'd like to try in it and will need more! lol

I must say, today was sticky...93% humidity, 26C, which felt like more. It is however a great place to live, but it is a tester for plants, salty spray!

as for S/H, so far so good...I've put a few plants in this and I am watching......I have started with some seeds again, including acacia's for bonsai, and this will be a good opportunity to try some of these as well. With time I will decide on with to go in what medium. Right now I am learning.

A bunch of my African plants are just waking up now. Amazing how they have internal clocks.

Sally yes, this is also why I find succulents so amazing. Some of them flower from midday-dusk others are nocturnal, some are sweet scented, others smell like rotten meat, others open and never closes again. Each looking for a specific pollinator!

I love dripping water on the seed capsules, because they open to show their innner compartments, and close again, until they get wet again. They are all super efficient little plants!

LT, the humidity here is about 15% right now and sometimes lower; that's the desert for you! I do not have any humidity of mist from the sea because there is no sea anywhere around here! Maybe the mesembs aren't for me. It is difficult to simulate the type of climate you have here in the desert. Although I must say, I have had luck with the Aloinopsis shooneesii that is the pot to the left of the Fenestraria in my picture. It has not rotted and is growing now after just sitting all summer here. I bought both plants at the same time and hope I can keep the one going. I am spraying it in the evenings to try to give it water like it gets where you are and am not watering the soil.

Nancy!! Stop the bus! Do not let the succulents slip your grasp! LOL

All that I am describing is my current situation, and it is not great for succulents....they occur in the Namakwaland, Karoo and Freestate, Namibia and that is very low humidity (10 - 25%max) Remember that the Karoo and Namibia consists of arid & desert country. I just moved from those regions to the coast....I had 50% more succulents there...lost many, many plants with the move, stupidity and not being able to attend them as I should, also, I unpacked and placed them mixed with crassula and other plants that can handle more water...it took me 5-6 months just to get the time to reorganize the lot, and place them better, now, things are working better.

You actually have pretty good situation, with lithops and similar...love them hard! Not much water and or feeding...if in doubt, do not water! LOL

Okay! I can do it! I will keep trying to grow the mesembs! If in doubt, do not water; if in doubt do not water; if in doubt, do not water!!!

That is my problem Nancy! I love to over mother my plants and I can't hold back the water! Thank goodness for the s/h for most of the plants anyway. I don't have many mesembs. except the lithops and those I keep dry in the winter. Is pseudolithos a mesembs? I can water them all the time in the s/h and they are fine.

Sally, when you do your first soak of the hydroton, do you add the chemicals Ray suggests? Calcium something and Magnesium something?

My first plant, an orchid but it was an experiment.
Odd how light the medium is.
I am not certain I soaked it long enough.

The whole planter.

No I don't soak the Primagra in the chemicals, usually I don't even soak the pellets at all. I just put the plants in and water. The medium really is light and it is amazing how it holds the plant.
It doesn't seem strong enough but it holds the plants well. I am not saying my way is right. I am saying, however, my way is the lazy way.

Lazy is good ! lol

Newtonsthirdlaw ~ will you be watering that container from the bottom?

No, why? I watered from the top and the excess came out the 2 holes near the bottom. There is about an inch of water at the bottom but to me the pellets seem very dry at the top right now.
C

The top will always seem dry. It however is not dry at the roots. The water leaches up from the bottom. As long as there is water in the well at the bottom, you are fine.
Podster, there should not be any holes on the bottom. The holes are about one inch on the side from the bottom

Yes, I had understood the holes were on the sides but thought the water was in a tray at the bottom of the pots and would draw from the tray? That means you still have to water each pot on an individual basis and there is a chance of splashing water on the plants?

edited to add ~ that's what I get for thinking ~lol

This message was edited Nov 7, 2010 10:06 AM

I always water on an ind. basis and I don't have a problem with the water splashing. In the summer, I just hose them all down! Type of plants that I have don't have an issue with splashing.

thanks Sally. I have my first two plants going. Believe me, I'm all about the LAZY!!! LOL

I have been trying to find out about the holes on the side, as 2 hydro folks here say they serve no purpose if you water from above, letting it drain right out should be just fine according to them. Thoughts?