Bursting to get out

[MikeDom]

Cyphostemma quinatum, 8 years from seed, telling me it's now outgrown it's current pot. Has been growing in pure pumice for a few years, suffered a bout of rot on one side (no idea why, it was above the soil) which cleared up on it's own and flaked off, you can see it in the 3rd photo. Now raised to show off it's roots and replanted in a highly draining mix containing coarse aggregates and pine bark, approximately ph 6.5. A few years and it might end up on the show bench, a couple more inches to be raised yet to better show off the roots. Remains of last years vine still showing; this will drop off and new buds will burst from the stem. The vine generally grows 10 - 12 feet and has been flowering for the past 5 years.

[Tina]

Thats nice Mike, from your own seed ?.
Do you water your cypho over winter ?, I was looking at my 'fat bastard' today and the die back is quite a lot I know it will grow again but its lost a good 15cm of stem

[MikeDom]

Thats nice Mike, from your own seed ?.
Do you water your cypho over winter ?, I was looking at my 'fat bastard' today and the die back is quite a lot I know it will grow again but its lost a good 15cm of stem

Yes, own seed, as they say, if you sow 100 seeds expect to get 100 plants. I last watered in November Tina, and then started watering non-cacti a couple of weeks ago. Small amounts only, they are in the same highly draining mix or in pure lapillo, I wouldn't be soaking a pot for half an hour this early. My daytime greenhouse temperatures rise to 15 - 20 Deg C most days in the sun, and drop down as low as 2 Deg C at night, typically 4 - 5. You won't find books advocating what I'm doing, but it works well for me in my circumstances.

[ralphrmartin]

I have found the hard way that many Cyphostemmas dont like cold, and that causes them to die back. Mine are at 15C, and don't get winter water, and so far haven't died back.

I wonder if you can propagate Cyphostemma quinatum from root cuttings?

[Deltron]

Nice Mike. What's the scale/size of that specimen?

My one from you put on some serious size over last summer, had a dribble of water the other day, and is now threatening to leaf again

[Tina]

I wonder if you can propagate Cyphostemma quinatum from root cuttings

I tried cutting one of the tubers on FB and it still hasn't sprouted but a piece of stem did root down and is growing Ok but FB has a lot more growth/stems to volunteer.
It will be interesting to see if it gets the characteristic fat tuberous roots

[MikeDom]

Nice Mike. What's the scale/size of that specimen?

My one from you put on some serious size over last summer, had a dribble of water the other day, and is now threatening to leaf again

It’s got a good pedigree Mark . It was deliberately stunted before you took it, there were just too many plants and not enough space.

The pot it’s in now is 6” diameter. I fully expect it to split out of that pot this year. This plant got watered and fed (high nitrogen, of course) once a month and the pumice doesn’t hold water for long, so I think a natural reaction of the plant is to increase water storage, hence the potato tubers.

Yes, you can root the ‘potatoes’ in the same as you root the tubers produced by the Othonna filicaulis I sent you Ralph.