Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Argyroderma Blooms!
Not much has been happening in the World of the Mesembs lately, but today is watering day, and look what I found!
Argyrodermas, or "silver skins", are lovely, utterly unique mesembs that I've been growing for several years. Some have gone through leaf regeneration, but this is the first one to bloom. Argy flowers can also be yellow or white. They mostly live in dry quartz fields of coastal Namaqualand in an area known as the Knersvlakte. They need 2-4 inches of winter rain per year, and fog. I will try growing some in crushed quartz someday perhaps. They proliferate well in their native habitat but are notoriously fussy here in the tropics and most people I know who grow them seem to have given up on them. If you grow Argies, what's your opinion?
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I started growing one only this July. At first it was not taking watering well at all, the skin would be wrinkled all the time and when I do water it lightly it bursts and leave those white marks everywhere. But after 2 months or so it started to do better, after light watering it would plump up the next day and wrinkles-free, until the next time to water. My growing condition isn't optimal, not much direct light at my windowsill, but so far it has been doing okay. Not much growth this year though, it's already winter but no flower/regeneration yet, perhaps it is a younger plant. I grow them in my own version of "grittier" mix of Turface, gravel, perlite, pinch of vermiculite, and soil.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you're doing a wonderful job with your Argy, David! They are very hard to grow outside of their native environment, and it can take them a few months to get used to conditions in a new garden, but they can adapt. Your special mix sounds great! Do you use it with other mesembs or cacti?
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