plumosa

[iann]

And pretty soon it should have flowers too. The plant that keeps on giving

P.S. Mine is now touching the sides of a 2.75" square pot and still no pups!

[Ali Baba]

Its a lovely plant Joy, I have a more or less identical one, which I raised from NCSS seed in 1974. It grew into a nice clump and filled a 6" pan, and then languished on my mums windowsill totally neglected for about 20 years, until I rescued it last year, and rooted an offset. It is now making pups and growing like the last 20 years didnt exist!

[Phil Hocking]

I have a small clump that I bought at a branch bring and buy (or auction - I forget which) for £1. Some, well most, of the heads looked dead and when I repotted it recently I did have to remove a several dead ones, but two are definitely growing, one I think has some green to it and the fourth is impossible to tell, so I've left it on for now. I heard once that they are winter growers and mine has just started to grow, so I guess that might be true. Or it might be the repotting. Anyway, a good investment of a pound.

Somerset Phil

[iann]

Not really winter growers, but that is when they like to flower. Depending on how you keep them over winter, you could get flowers in autumn, spring, or both. With indoor warmth and an occasional splash of water you could have flowers any time during winter.

If anything they are a bit of a pain in winter. They should be fairly hardy, certainly they can take a bit of frost, but people seem to treat them as if they were tropicals. I'm not sure if they got their reputation from losing their roots in an extended cold dry winter or rotted from being damp and cold. As with many cacti in our climate, they would probably be happy to grow in winter if you kept them warm enough and gave them water, but you probably wouldn't be happy with the shape they took on.

[Joy G]

so should I move the plumosa into the conservatory overwinter along with the H undatus? or leave it in the greenhouse with just bubblewrap for insulation?

[sandi]

Hi,
my plumosa is acting weird it started growing these curved and straight spikes.
[IMG]http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f354/ ... G_2731.jpg[/IMG]




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[Maria J]

Quick Sandi, sell it on ! You'll make a packet!

[Vic]

Ah I think this is Ferollaria Sandi;)

[Ali Baba]

Joy my plumosa has grown happily with all my other cacti, kept bone dry in winter and just frost free.
Ali

[iann]

Too much fertiliser. Way too much!