Winter growers

[Eric Williams]

Is it prudent to give some little water to Winter growers in a hot period. I do no want to lose any roots on these plants. Cheers

[rodsmith]

See Terry Smales' recent post on this subject regarding conophytums viewtopic.php?f=1&t=167433

Following his advice I've just watered mine.

[Terry S.]

When the weather is particularly hot with night temperatures in the greenhouse above about 18C, all succulent plants, including cacti, that use CAM metabolism will stop growing. It is counter-intuitive but when it is particularly hot, cut back on all watering.

With respect to winter-growing plants, I do treat various genera in different ways. If they retain green leaves (e.g. crassulas or cheiridopsis), I do tend to give a bit of water during the summer rest, just enough to prevent excessive shrivelling. I do give an occasional drink to tylecodons and haworthias, but the likes of tuberous pelargoniums, bulbines and mitrophyllums will not really need any water until the end of August - they will not react to water until then.

[Eric Williams]

Thanks Rod for the link, very interesting too. Thanks Terry S, it was Tylycodons ans Hawothias I was specifically wondering about. Cheers

[Terry S.]

My haworthias are in clay pots, which makes it safe to water them most of the year even though the main growing periods are spring and autumn. Many of the species grow wild in the overlap area between summer and winter rain such that they can get a bit almost any time, with maxima in spring and autumn fitting with their growth pattern

The tylecodons would probably be happy without any water but I sort of feel sorry for them because they are in full flower now and that must result in extra desiccation. They would not be getting rain in the wild in mid summer where most species grow. Do you marvel at the giant orange tubular flowers of T. grandiflorus which are adapted to sunbird pollination unlike all the others which are insect pollinated?

[Eric Williams]

I do Terry, I also marvel at these S African plants trying to do their best in UK conditions so far from home, and being successful at it too. Cheers

[MikeDom]

As Terry says in the referenced article, it all depends on the microclimate in your greenhouse. I have a greenhouse which is shaded from late morning till late afternoon. In this microclimate, the Tylecodon have retained leaves to date. I have rooted many T. fergusoniae cuttings which you would normally start in Autumn. T. grandiflorus hasn't stopped growing at all. T. wallichii refuses to drop it's leaves despite not being watered, on the other hand T. suffultus has been dormant now for months. Othonna are in full leaf and flowering. Pelargonium crithmifolium and P. mirabile have only just shed their leaves having not been watered for 4 months. Conos have mostly flowered and popped through their sheafs over the fast fortnight, the watering having started in mid-June. Many other mesembs are growing away as well as winter growing Aloes.

All of these plant move into a greenhouse that is in full sun all day from October. Under lights during Nov - Jan and then back to their original greenhouse in April. A lot of fuss? Maybe, but it works for me. Mind you, I still can't grow mesembs as well as Terry does.

[iann]

'The term "Winter growers" covers a whole lot of ground. Or not if they're very small! I struggle with the ones that stay green in summer, because I tend to water them and it can have bad results. Things like Titanopsis hugo-schlechteri look small and vulnerable, but really don't want water when its hot. Same for some of the warty Aloinopsis. Haworthias are all over the place, and many of them (the easier ones to grow) are not winter growers at all. I find obligate winter growers easier, especially the ones that are, or look, completely dead in summer. I'm never tempted to water an Othonna or geophytic Crassula in July. I can be patient with Conophytums until they show me they're ready, but only a few (considered the more difficult) are really touchy about summer water. The main danger is bringing delicate ones into growth too soon and then burning them. Just for reference, I haven't watered any Conophytum yet, but probably soon depending on the weather forecast.