Sedum multiceps advice please

[Pattock]

They are all lovely. Though the one on the right in the lower photograph seems to have decided on going for the bonsai theme more than the ones in the bonsai pot.

As for the photography, as someone whose blog is called "Some Bad Photos of Plants", I am not going to criticise your choice of lighting, it looks nice. I might advise more sources of light from the front and a more diffuse light. Perhaps reflectors (foil, white cloth/plastic, mirrors, whatever you have to hand). Perhaps extra lights. I would like to see into the detail of the surface texture of those trunks.

I would not crop quite so close to the top of the plants. Give them a bit of space to inhabit.

[wildedges]

Thanks. I need to get that right hand plant into a nicer pot for next year, they do look good trailing over the edge like that.
Good idea about the reflector. I like the backlighting with these as it shows off the halo caused by the papillae but I had to use my LED work lamp to try and get some light on the front and it's just not up to the job. These are merged from five photos with different exposures to try and even things out but I'd prefer to do it with just one. The cropping was mostly because my bit of black cloth wasn't large enough and I had to cut out the top edge.

[grinel]

Hi guys, I'd just like to say thanks for the info shared in this thread. I have bought a little rooted arm last spring and this was among the 2-3 acurate and documented descriptions of this plant that I could find at the time.
Following advice shared here I've resisted watering abundently during last summer, even though the plant seemed very shrivelled and dry, and only gave it a splash every 6 weeks or so. It seemed to like this and flowered quite abundently in June-July, although I suspect this is more to do with the correct growing environment that was provided before I bought it.
Autumn came and I started normal watering and it absolutely exploded, to the point where I had to change the pot at some point in January, from a 6cm diameter to the one you see in the picture. And I suspect I will have to start pruning in September to keep it from taking over the room .
I am keeping it in a cool east facing kitchen, temperatures fluctuare from 9 at night time to 12-13 during the day in winter, although they can climb to 15 when cooking takes place and also can get quite steamy at times, for the same reason; it definitely seems to like it.
I've also tried other winter growers for the first time last autumn, some Tylecodons and Othonnas, and I have to say, coming from a cactus growing background it's a bit unnerving watering them when the temperatures are so low and sun mostly absent, but you just have to take a leap of faith and hope they won't mind

It definitely is a very cool plant, hanging around, pretending it's a miniature tree and all. Some heads are starting to close up again as the days are getting warmer and brighter and it started flowering again, hope it can keep it going for months.

Sorry for highjacking your thread, but I'm sure my picture will not take the spotlight from your handsome display

[Pattock]

Cute plant.

Welcome to the Forum.

[grinel]

Gracias!

[wildedges]

The more the merrier, and it's great to have other people confirm the same growing patterns. Yours looks great and I'm definitely thinking that wide, shallow pots are the way forward with these.

[grinel]

One thing I can't really get my head around is rooting them. And I'm not only talking about S multiceps, but any winter grower. When is the best time to do it, spring/summer or autumn/winter? I mean.. warmer temperatures would be more conducive to forming roots, I guess, but still, their growth cycle starts in autumn and they're active during the cold season.

You said you rooted yours in spring, and I've read other accounts of people doing similar stuff with their winter growers, but it seems a little counter intuitive to me.

My limited experience: I have also purchased a Tylecodon paniculatus last April, and a little 4 cm branch, thinner than a pencil, snapped during transportation and I had to chose between tossing it away or giving it a chance to live. Out of curiosity, I stuck it in a tiny pot full of grit and watered it every 3 weeks or so, not dissimilar to the S multiceps. I didn't really have any hopes, especially considering how small it was, but it didn't rot as I was half expecting it to, and last autumn it surprised me by sprouting 2 leaves, bigger and stronger than the stem itself. I took it out of it's pot, and I saw it had one nice healthy root, somewhat proportional to it's size. I moved it into the pot the mother plant is in, it didn't grow further but stayed nice and plump during winter and now the leaves are starting to go soft and wilty. So the little branch started growing roots all through summer when it was supposed to be dormant (?), woke up in autumn, active during winter and it doesn't seem confused about what season it is, so it just doesn't really make total sense to me.

Does anyone have any experience with this, or have a better understanding of how these succulents work?

In my particular case, the choice was made for me and it may have been nothing but luck that it has worked out in the end, so going forward, what would be the best course of action, trying to strike roots in the warm season or waiting for the active cool season?

[esp]

It can makes sense to regard many "winter" growers as primarily spring and autumn growers in the UK.

In addition to water availability, their triggers for dormancy may be some combination of temperature and day (or night) length.
During summer, they may not grow even if watered, because their response to temperature or light duration triggers a strong tendency to dormancy.
Conversely, if it's too cold and dark, they won't/can't grow anyway, even if it's the "correct" time of year for them.

Some "winter" growers are fairly flexible in the UK - such as many Aloes from winter rainfall areas. They will often grow during the summer if watered, even if they are nominally winter growers, although they may still flower during winter if that is their habit in location. As a variation on this, other plants respond well or at least tolerate water during most of summer, but will be unresponsive, and perhaps prone to rotting, if watered during heatwaves.

Other plants may be more rigidly dormant during summer and may be unresponsive or even highly prone to rotting with summer water, even without temperature extremes. Similarly, in more extreme climates than the UK, with a very hot summer, summer dormancy may be more pronounced.

[esp]

One thing I can't really get my head around is rooting them... ... any winter grower. When is the best time to do it, spring/summer or autumn/winter? I mean.. warmer temperatures would be more conducive to forming roots, I guess, but still, their growth cycle starts in autumn and they're active during the cold season.

Further to my post above, in UK cold or cold greenhouse conditions, many "winter" growers won't be very active in winter - it will be too cold, compounded by our lack of winter sun. In general for "winter" growers, I'd think about rooting cuttings from late summer or mid spring, so there are several weeks of good growing conditions before winter cold prevents growth or summer heat and/or day length triggers dormancy.

[grinel]

That makes sense, thanks for the general and specific information. It's never black and white, is it?
I guess Christmas is the only good thing winter brings