Hi, i have a few easy to grow cacti and want to take a step up. I like the uniqueness of many succulents and that i only have to water them onece every 2 or 3 weeks. Are there any easy to grow succulents that are common at stores? I like many of the standard hardware store succulents, but the strange ones really interest me. Donkeys Tail and Mother Of Thousands look cool. Are any other easy succulents unique, strange, and really cool looking? greenthumb95
jade plants are fairly common and very easy to care for. i've not had luck with donkey's tail (seems to need a bit more frequent watering and i've either done too much or not enough - could never find the happy medium for that one). the kalanchoe 'mother of thousands' IS a cool-looking plant...can become invasive, though - even when indoors as a houseplant. has really pretty flowers when it blooms though, so, kind of worth the hassle of dealing with all those babies. there are a LOT of varieties of kalanchoe, though, and most are pretty easy to get a hold of. sanseveria (mother-in-law tongue) comes in different varieties and color patterns. some get very tall and there are a few that are dwarf and only get up to about 6 inches tall. pepperomia's are also nice plants - some are succulent and some aren't. as for cacti - mammilaria seems to be the most common one to be found in the stores...there are thousands of varieties though and lots of different flower colors - white, yellow, pink, purple, red. you could also look into euphorbia - again, LOTS of different types and extremely easy to care for. they all need lots of sun, so, you'll need a good sunny spot for them.
Hi, is String Of Buttons easy to grow? It looks interesting and like it could brighten up my kitchen windowsill. I agree with all of your suggestions for plants and I am growing Snake Plant(Mother In Law Tounge). Somehow, my mom managed to get it to thrive hydroponicly. I thought it would rot. Is Aloe Vera easy? I could use it because i keep buring myself when i cook. Thanks for your suggestions. greenthumb95
Sorry im not good with the latin names of plants. Im trying to learn them so i dont't have to use the confusing common names. greenthumb95
Never did well with a cutting of String of Buttons 'Crassula perforata' But you could have better luck. You might like the Haworthia species.
Don't rule out the mail-order nurseries on the internet. You may find your local nursery only to have mass-produced, commonly cultivated specimens. However, if you are looking for something different that nobody else has, then mail-order is the way to go. Succulents generally travel well, unlike many other plants. Many of the mail-order nurseries that specialize in succulents have some of the less common, but absolutely beautiful specimens that are reasonably priced. eBay is another source. I too, have had the succulent "bug" for many years. I generally do not have to worry about them, at all. I do not have to have someone come over and water the plants when I go on vacation. In addition, during the winter months indoors, many are dormant or semi-dormant and require minimal watering, not to mention, tolerance of dry, forced-air heating. Less water may also mean less soil-borne fungi in the home, so are also excellent for those with allergies or those that want to maintain a cleaner environment within the home.
yes, string of buttons is very easy to grow!! i've got mine in the kitchen window over the sink and it's doing very, very well! all the aloe's are easy...a. vera is easy to find (the home depot by me has a bunch right now). there are a large variety of aloe...all very interesting looking and all just as easy to care for.
Hi, thanks for all the suggestions on succulents. I really like them. I wil go to home depot, a nursery, and i'll get some of those mail order catalogs. Thanks again greenthumb95
This is plant that I keep in bright shade.. i love it and it is VERY different. I believe its a Sedum praeltum criste. check it out!! it fun to look at.
I love the senecio bunch, easy to grow, often great blue color. Try string of bananas, senecio radicans (I just started 2 big pots just from snipping off the long strings and sticking them in soil, it's that easy). S. kleiniiformis has interesting, triangular-tipped leaves & blue color; if it gets too big just clip and stick in damp soil. S. cylindricus or Silver Coral is aptly named, a real attention getter. You might also try Adromischus cristatus, the crinkle leaf plant, or A. maculates, Calico hearts, or Faucaria felina aka Tiger's Jaws for neat little plants with a lot of interest. If you want a jade tree, might try the 'Gollum' form, with it's interesting "scoop" leaves. I got many of my first plants at local big box stores; check out the local places and you might be surprised. Remember, with succulents, you can't stop at just one!
Sorry. I was not specific when I mentioned obtaining mail-order plants. Many specialty nurseries do not offer catalogs. You will have to browse and order via the websites. I have a few of the nursery websites listed in the Caudiciform and Pachycaul Tree forum. Look at the top of the page under "Resources". Mark
You could also try String of Pearls (Senecio rowleyana) which, like Donkey's tails (Sedum burrito) requires a bit more water than other succulents. I am also totally in love with Aeoniums, but mine look like stumpy little trees. Joc - you might have let your Donkey Tails get too hot and dry - I've had great success with both them and String of Pearls when I put them on orchid bark, in my orchidarium and treated them like the orchids (rain once a day). I even had String of Pearls bloom for me.
Hi, I got a lot of interesting succulents to start my collection. I got a Jade Plant, a Mother Of Thousands, a String Of Buttons,a Aloe Vera, and a Donkey Tail. This is a nice selection and they all look great on the window sill. When my Mother Of Thousands gets a baby plant, should i use the cacti soil? Also, what are the latin names of the plants? Thanks for helping me start in the succulent world. greenthumb95
Jade Plant - Crassula ovata Mother of Thousands - Kalanchoe spp - without seeing yours it is impossible to say which one. Typically, "Mother of Thousands" is K. pinatum, K. daigremontania, K. delagoensis, or K. tubiflora. String of Buttons - Crassula perforata Aloe vera is the scientific name of this plant Donkey tails - Sedum burrito, S. morganianum or Euphorbia myrsinites. Most probably one of the Sedums. When your Kalanchoe starts throwing babies, you can gently separate them from the leaves of the mother plant and put them in cactus soil. It won't start with just one, though - be aware that it will most probably throw several hundred at once. Hence the common name.
You might also want to give lithops or other living stones a go. Once you get their cycles down they're pretty straight forward. I always liked the hen and chickens... Euphorbias are really easy and look amazing! I've never had any luck with string of pearls myself. You could always branch out into some of the jungle cacti (easter cactus, thanksgiving cactus etc) but that doesn't sound like what you're after. There are a million jade varieties that're very easy to care for. You should be able to find different coloured ones, varegated ones, "shrek ear" ones etc etc. A friend once told that you water jade when the bottom-most leaves lose their rigidity and it has always worked well for me :). Other people might disagree though, not sure. Cheers and good luck, Ryan
Thanks so much! I think i will learn latin just so that i can pronounce the scientific names of plants. They all seem more "alive" then when they were at the store. They probably wern't getting enough light. My crassula perforata is getting tall and it looks like it could tip over. Should i cut the top sets of leaves off? Thanks again. greenthumb95
If you take those top leaves off, you can re-root them; just make sure the break-point is dry before you plant them in the new soil. My C. perforata droop and dangle after a while. I like it, so I just hang the pot up. If you don't, you can trim them and propagate from the cuttings. Sounds like you're probably doing fine - some pics would let us know if there are any issues.
I've never had any experience growing them but Conophytums and Frithia pulchras are some really kool looking succulents.
ha i unfortunately killed 2 lithops and a living stone each little pot had 3 in them 2 lithops ended up with i think its called neck rot, and the living stone up and turned to slime overnight......sad really cuz they are really weird looking but facinating
