Shade you conophytums Solved

[Terry S.]

We have had an appalling spring from the point of view of temperatures and light levels. Consequently the epidermis of Conophytum plants is likely to be quite tender - no early sun to toughen them up. There is now a promising weather forecast for next week: Wednesday will be sunny and up to 24C in London. These are just the conditions under which you are likely to get the conos sunburnt; the strength of the sun will be similar to late August. So job for weekend (after the society AGM of course) is move your conos into a shadier spot or paint Cool Glass on your greenhouse around where your conos are situated.

[Diane]

A timely warning, Terry, I was thinking the same. I am wondering if a couple of layers of net curtain over the plants would work, it's a bit of a faff moving them under the bench. Other plants could also be affected - Copiapoas often suffer from scorch in the first strong sunshine of the spring, too.

[iann]

They keep pushing the hot sunny forecast further away for us - now maybe the end of next week. My Copiapoas always get a little shade at this time of year, maybe even shuffled back and forth for duller days. I go for lots of ventilation with Conophytums and Lithops, including a fan. Have to see just how sudden a transition we get this spring, very hard to imagine in the gloom today.

[rodsmith]

I placed my conos in a shady part of the conservatory last weekend, in anticipation of sunnier weather to come - but it still hasn't come and aside from last Sunday and Monday morning it's been the dullest and cloudiest week of the winter. Still, the job is done and the conos are nestling against the house wall at the furthest point from the sun, next to my gasterias and copiapoas.