So back from the usual winter off-line, a bit later than usual this year. There are good reasons not least an amazing long holiday in Cuba. An actual holiday, not work, or a short break between busy times. That is for another post, as a belated report on winter damage is required.
The London winter was long, wet and with several longer cold spells. The main succulent bed was relatively unscaved and is already looking good again.
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The main damage was not here but in the new mixed bed where I was testing an agave x-nigra and an aloe polyphylla. I choose a great year to test them and stupidly didn't cover them at all. The nigra is gone, the centre aloe polyphylla rotted.
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The photo above was taken in April, I have been pulling out any loose leaves, and removing any sign of rot. As you can see bellow, it does not look pretty.
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So as the this post title suggests there is a general rule that you never throw a succulent away. I have tried before a propagation method called coring: you cut the growth point out and this forces offsets from the centre. It tends to be used to propagate rare or variegated plants. Looking at the aloe, the similarities were obvious.
The aloe was not the only plant damaged like this. The large bowl of variegated agave filifera
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The core of the medium sized plant also rotted, so as with the aloe, it was a case of removing rot, damaged leaves and taking the centre back to a clean state.
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So a month later and there are already signs of several new plants growing from the core.
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As these develop the other leaves will slowly be removed to provide more space. This agave tends to clump, so it will be left to get on with it.
But I know you don't really care about he agave, what about the aloe polyphylla?
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There are definitely signs of new growth which is really interesting. I was kicking myself for not protecting the plant in the forcast bad weather, so a clump of aloe polyphyllas would be a far better result than I deserve.
So yet again, that basic rule proves to be true. Never throw a sucuelnt away!
The London winter was long, wet and with several longer cold spells. The main succulent bed was relatively unscaved and is already looking good again.
The main damage was not here but in the new mixed bed where I was testing an agave x-nigra and an aloe polyphylla. I choose a great year to test them and stupidly didn't cover them at all. The nigra is gone, the centre aloe polyphylla rotted.
The photo above was taken in April, I have been pulling out any loose leaves, and removing any sign of rot. As you can see bellow, it does not look pretty.
So as the this post title suggests there is a general rule that you never throw a succulent away. I have tried before a propagation method called coring: you cut the growth point out and this forces offsets from the centre. It tends to be used to propagate rare or variegated plants. Looking at the aloe, the similarities were obvious.
The aloe was not the only plant damaged like this. The large bowl of variegated agave filifera
The core of the medium sized plant also rotted, so as with the aloe, it was a case of removing rot, damaged leaves and taking the centre back to a clean state.
So a month later and there are already signs of several new plants growing from the core.
As these develop the other leaves will slowly be removed to provide more space. This agave tends to clump, so it will be left to get on with it.
But I know you don't really care about he agave, what about the aloe polyphylla?
There are definitely signs of new growth which is really interesting. I was kicking myself for not protecting the plant in the forcast bad weather, so a clump of aloe polyphyllas would be a far better result than I deserve.
So yet again, that basic rule proves to be true. Never throw a sucuelnt away!