Pleiospilos bolusii

[ianstrutt]

Hi all, I’ve recently procured this old pleiospilos bolusii from a seller on eBay. Not a genus I’ve ever grown before so I was hoping to get a bit of advice. I’m happy with growing conos and assume this will require similar watering but just wanted to check I’m not doing anything egregiously wrong.

The advice available online is extremely confusing because people base their advice on where they are in the world.

It’s my understanding they’ll take more water in spring and autumn, they’re largely dormant over summer and they’ll absorb old leaves and hopefully flower over winter?

Cheers
Ian

[Aiko]

It’s my understanding they’ll take more water in spring and autumn, they’re largely dormant over summer and they’ll absorb old leaves and hopefully flower over winter?

They flower in autumn mostly. They are more spring and autumn growers. I keep on watering them occasionally in summer anyway. Keep them dry in winter at around the times it might start to freeze until it does not freeze anymore. So almost now until late March for me. So for the UK this is about the same.

[ianstrutt]

Thanks Aiko. I've given a very, very light watering but will now keep dry from now on.

[Aiko]

Thanks Aiko. I've given a very, very light watering but will now keep dry from now on.

You can still splash every now and then when the soil is dry and the weather nice (enough). Maybe even well through December, if they are in a greenhouse and there is hardly any frost and still some sunshine on a nice day. They don't mind a very little bit of frost, nothing to worry up to -3C. But when frosts get a bit more serious, I bring my plants inside in an unheated room and then keep them dryl

[iann]

Treat them more like Lithops than Conophytums, but don't be too strict about withholding water until the old leaves are gone. Pleiospilos are somewhat opportunistic growers, with P. nelii the most inclined to grow in cooler weather but they'll all grow in summer (in the UK) provided it isn't too hot. Try to stop them stacking up too many leaves but they're generally happy with an old pair and a new pair going at the same time. Water to keep the new pair happy and hopefully let the old pair gradually go away. They get very untidy with age, but can be restarted from cuttings if you're brave enough. Flowers typically in autumn, but P. nelii in particular may pick spring depending on how you treat it.

[Darren S]

I do the same as Ian and treat as Lithops except nelii. Two of my nelii have advanced buds now, perhaps because I continued watering quite late. Usually they would not show buds until new year. I will give a little water in mild weather now - I read that the buds might abort if too dry but not sure how true that is.

[ianstrutt]

Thanks Aiko. I've given a very, very light watering but will now keep dry from now on.

You can still splash every now and then when the soil is dry and the weather nice (enough). Maybe even well through December, if they are in a greenhouse and there is hardly any frost and still some sunshine on a nice day. They don't mind a very little bit of frost, nothing to worry up to -3C. But when frosts get a bit more serious, I bring my plants inside in an unheated room and then keep them dryl

Thanks, Aiko. The heater in the greenhouse should keep things above freezing year round.

Treat them more like Lithops than Conophytums, but don't be too strict about withholding water until the old leaves are gone. Pleiospilos are somewhat opportunistic growers, with P. nelii the most inclined to grow in cooler weather but they'll all grow in summer (in the UK) provided it isn't too hot. Try to stop them stacking up too many leaves but they're generally happy with an old pair and a new pair going at the same time. Water to keep the new pair happy and hopefully let the old pair gradually go away. They get very untidy with age, but can be restarted from cuttings if you're brave enough. Flowers typically in autumn, but P. nelii in particular may pick spring depending on how you treat it.

I do the same as Ian and treat as Lithops except nelii. Two of my nelii have advanced buds now, perhaps because I continued watering quite late. Usually they would not show buds until new year. I will give a little water in mild weather now - I read that the buds might abort if too dry but not sure how true that is.

I'll keep an eye on them. I think the stacked up dead leaves are quite attractive - it's one of the reasons I bought the plant in the first place honestly. They've never taken my fancy before this. I'll be a bit careful with watering but it seems like they're relatively forgiving.

Cheers

[BrianMc]

My bolusii flowered at the end of August and as with your plant, my bolusii are producing new leaves right now. There has been mention of treating like Lithops, but just bear in mind that bolusii doesn’t sheath like Lithops and although water from the old leaves is recycled, trying to keep bolusii to one pair of leaves would be detrimental and a little mean.
With regard to the stacking of old leaves…. I see it hat you mean about finding this attractive, but one thing to bear in mind is that as Mesemb stems age and lengthen, their ability to function properly is reduced. This stem ageing appears most noticeable in thinner stems, so fortunately your Pleiospilos, with its thicker stems, has been able to function adequately, but there will come a point when the roots and stems will give up and the bodies will begin to suffer. The heads will need to be chopped with a short stem and these can root extremely easily and rapidly if taken at the right time- August/September. Freshly rooted Pleiospilos will grow beautifully and you will ponder why you waited so long to reroot them!
I would just make one comment which I hope doesn’t upset you. In my opinion your plants appearance is a little bland for bolusii, which when growing in good light will look as if chiselled from rock. This may be down to the he old age of the stems and the way they are gerowing or could possibly point towards hybrid origin.

These are two of my plants both grown from field collected seed from different populations over 30 years ago but both have been rerooted.