sinningia leucotricha flowers

yeh, i know its not a cactus, but there are some quite strange caudiciforms about. caudex is 9cm across

What ever it is, I likey!

Are they hard to come accross?

~Kandahar

Hi Diddi, I bought one in Febuary and the leaves are getting old. They say to cut it back in spring, but it is so hot here I am not sure when I should?Most succulants grow better in our winter, any Idea?

@jk
sinningia are predated upon by herbivores like goats that eat anything green. so once the animal has had a bit of a nibble, the important part of the plant storing all the nutrients and water is just a brown uninteresting lump. they are actually better off when the green shoots are completely removed, rather than hanging on waiting for them to die off like a bulb. this more closely resembles their natural lifecycle.

if you look really carefully at the pic, you can just see little fluffy shoots in the centre of the caudex. once the current stalks are 'eaten off' some of the new shoots will rapidly come up and flower. i cut them all off in about mid winter (but i keep mine inside away from frost). be careful not to damage the new shoots, btw. if you dont cut them off then the current leaves slowly increase in size but the stalks do not flower again.

@kandahar
not sure these days. i got mine from the wholesale markets in melbourne several years ago. they arent that quick to grow, so it could be 5 years? cant say i have seen any around for a while.

Thanks diddi.

Here we go again, ANOTHER type of plant I want in the garden. This just gets more and more hectic in the back yard

I will be on the hunt for a couple of these, but my neck of he woods dosen't have alot in anything really desirable. Almost all of my collection are from generous members, online vendors, cuttings/seeds given to me by neighbours and mates and the good ol' door knock on someones house with a polite ask.

~Kandahar

Kandahar, you can buy at Cactus Corner in Melbourn that is where I got mine.

Sorry "Collectors Corner"

now that you mention them, i suspect that mine came from 'paradisia' which is the wholesale arm of "collectors corner". i used to live just near collectors corner and worked at one of the other shops in the complex selling swimming pools and chemicals. heres a pic of the retail area from 10 years ago. its prolly much bigger now!



and there is a huge display area...

@K

they are frost tender. i keep mine inside on south facing window sill. they are remarkable in that the whole leaf structure can reorientate itself in about 2 days to face the sun. i turn it around to see the front and it starts correcting within a few hours.

Thanks for the pics i have never been to collectors corner. We don't have anything like it in Adelaide and i have always wondered about CC and if it would be worth a trip just to see.

Has anyone been to the Lighting Ridge cacti place? I hear great things but no pics ect...

How about the cactus display at Strathmerton, northern Victoria? I might dash up and take some pics if anyone is intrested.

Now that is another place i would love to visit i just love cacti grown in the ground. I have a friend who is letting me plant out all off my large cacti in the ground on their block. I have a fenced area that i will put all my large plants. Since i have so many it will be a long process and we will start planting out in Feb i will take photo's as we do it.

That would be good diddi and c/cook, can't get anough photos of cacti!