Spring and fresh Dyckia photos
- Spination
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Spring and fresh Dyckia photos
With the freezing nights of winter this year unusually stretching all the way into March - a bit later than usual, the Dyckia are responding with growth and recovery, and just really starting to look good. Also, a few smaller plants acquired in the 1 to 2 year ago time frame, are showing their potential.
- Jkwinston
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Re: Spring and fresh Dyckia photos
Looking good Tom. Good photos. I am hoping my lot will soon be like yours. I now have a few young plants, but I am wondering whether to repot them all since they are in very small pots at the moment. They also have some damage from posting. Jkw
- Spination
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Re: Spring and fresh Dyckia photos
Yours are looking good too Winston.
As far as shipping trauma,they'll come around. If I read that label right, it looks like your 2nd one is the same combo X as my 2nd one shown, so I think you can probably expect yours to look like mine as it recovers and grows. You might be comparing the 2 and thinking...I don't know about that. Really, the change can be that dramatic. Here's mine when it arrived all stressed out red about 2 years ago... and you can see how much it improved since. It's got great color which is really in wonderful contrast to the teeth. I think the diameter of your pots are fine. I try to choose a diamter smaller than the lower leaves, because the leaves tend to curve down and if the pot is too wide, then those leaves dig into the dirt, absorb moisture, and deteriorate. In my opinion, it's better to have those leaves spill over the sides. Not sure about the depth of those pots though, they look rather shallow. I'm not sure if it matters, but I usually pot them as deep as the size of the rosette itself.
Although they're "xeric", I find mine appreciate frequent watering from spring through fall. I keep them on the dry side through the winter, and so far so good... haven't rotted one yet.
As far as shipping trauma,they'll come around. If I read that label right, it looks like your 2nd one is the same combo X as my 2nd one shown, so I think you can probably expect yours to look like mine as it recovers and grows. You might be comparing the 2 and thinking...I don't know about that. Really, the change can be that dramatic. Here's mine when it arrived all stressed out red about 2 years ago... and you can see how much it improved since. It's got great color which is really in wonderful contrast to the teeth. I think the diameter of your pots are fine. I try to choose a diamter smaller than the lower leaves, because the leaves tend to curve down and if the pot is too wide, then those leaves dig into the dirt, absorb moisture, and deteriorate. In my opinion, it's better to have those leaves spill over the sides. Not sure about the depth of those pots though, they look rather shallow. I'm not sure if it matters, but I usually pot them as deep as the size of the rosette itself.
Although they're "xeric", I find mine appreciate frequent watering from spring through fall. I keep them on the dry side through the winter, and so far so good... haven't rotted one yet.
- Jkwinston
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Re: Spring and fresh Dyckia photos
Thanks Tom. So far I have them indoors upstairs since it is quite warm, but as the weather warms up outdoors I plan to put them in my greenhouse at a lower level. Jkw
- Azuleja
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Re: Spring and fresh Dyckia photos
Beautiful dyckias, you two. I'm kind of waiting to see how mine do here before acquiring more, though it's tempting.
- Spination
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Re: Spring and fresh Dyckia photos
They should be fine and do well for you. I know I'm further north, but you're closer to the hills, so I think that's a wash. Weather should be comparable. All of mine were in unheated shelter for the part of the winter that mattered most, no problems, and it must have got down to freezing (at least) a few times in there. They were somewhat dry though, I don't water any of them when it's cold. I water mine well when it's warm, and doing all this now for several years, it appears they like that routine.
- Jkwinston
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Re: Spring and fresh Dyckia photos
Tom, I have just repotted my Dyckia marnier as you suggested. Although it was growing quite well, I have noticed that the leaves were curling back into the pot, and leaving discolouration. A smaller pot will help, and already the leaves are way outside it. Jkw
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Re: Spring and fresh Dyckia photos
That looks great! You'll see the plant's appearance in terms of clean leaves improve in time. Interesting thing about the trichomes - when I water, I'm careful trying not to get the leaves wet, but when I do get water even on the very end of the leaf, I see the water travel upwards on the leaf. It's almost like those trichomes are some kind of conveyor belt, defying gravity. At least with the leaves no longer digging into the soil, there's no more dirty water moving up the leaf to discolor it.
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Re: Spring and fresh Dyckia photos
The Dyckia marnieri-lapostolli always wants to curve back into the soil. Most growers put them in tall narrow pots to just let the tips go down over the sides.
I left mine out in the rains this winter and they look very different, more reddish/purple actually, as if to protect themselves from sunlight in a way that the trichomes are no longer doing.
I left mine out in the rains this winter and they look very different, more reddish/purple actually, as if to protect themselves from sunlight in a way that the trichomes are no longer doing.
- Spination
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Re: Spring and fresh Dyckia photos
A new arrival today. Have this, but I really liked the look of this specimen. I picked out a smaller pot than those lower outer leaves, manipulated them over the edge, filled with mix, topped with gravel. Good to go now for a year or two.
This one actually matches it's name, of what I would expect. You know... like red, and some ferocious looking teeth!
This one actually matches it's name, of what I would expect. You know... like red, and some ferocious looking teeth!
- Azuleja
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Re: Spring and fresh Dyckia photos
Spiny, I wanted to let you know that the two dyckia I split in half are still doing well. Initially, I thought they were both dividing again. It seems I was wrong and they're forming bloom stalks instead!
- Spination
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Re: Spring and fresh Dyckia photos
Good job, and congrats on blooms. I think you did well dividing when you did. I think this might be a bit on the late side for me to try dividing any of mine right now, so I think I'll wait until next spring to give it a try.