How to Grow and Care for Conophytum
The growth and dormancy of Conophytum are the easiest to judge among the "living stones"; a dormant Conophytum will undoubtedly turn grayish-white and begin to shrivel. The dormancy period generally runs from late May to late August, about 3 months as the standard, with some differences depending on the location and variety. Now let's take a look at the growing and care methods for Conophytum together with the editors of Boqii.
Conophytum
I. Growth
Conophytum begins growing in the summer. With 1~2 waterings in this season, the new body will break through the grayish-white old skin and start vigorous growth. The splitting of the bodies at this time becomes the greatest pleasure. It is a reflection of good management in the previous year; poorly grown plants or old specimens are harder to split. The rate of increase in bodies depends on the variety and cultivation skill. Rather than using the ordinary doubling method for calculation, the increase in bodies follows the so-called "mouse formula": 1 body, after 5 years more than 30 bodies, after 7 years 100 bodies, after 10 years more than 1000 bodies. With just the increase in the number of heads, its value increases accordingly. Conophytum looks beautiful at this time; with its richly colored flowers, its peculiar growth process, and the clustered beauty after the bodies multiply, especially the pleasure of "mouse formula" multiplication, it becomes a gem-grade plant. The growth and dormancy periods of Conophytum also differ. For those with only a few weeks of growth period, one must take into account their dormancy period of nearly 40 weeks; the cultivation method used for these varieties is to water occasionally to keep them in a semi-dormant state. Their production cycle, besides the relationship of cold and heat, mainly consists of the relationship of dryness and moisture, and such a cycle may be 200 days or 150 days. Do not consider it only by human cycles; take the native plant's own cycle as the standard.
II. Watering
In summer, when temperatures are high, the plant is in a dormant state; it can be placed in a ventilated, cool spot for care. Water only a small amount when the soil is excessively dry, or even cut off water completely to prevent rot. When the weather cools in autumn, the plant begins to grow and blooms beautiful flowers; it can be moved to a bright spot and watered appropriately. Well-growing plants can be given a thin, decomposed liquid fertilizer once a month, and when flowering, pay attention to the timing for hand pollination.
In winter, plenty of sunlight is required. If the nighttime temperature can be kept above 12°C and the daytime temperature above 20°C, normal watering can be done, and some thin fertilizer can be applied on sunny mornings as appropriate. If the temperature is lower, watering must be controlled and fertilization stopped to let it go dormant.
In spring, as the plant grows, the fruit gradually matures and should be harvested. By late spring and early summer, the old leaves of most varieties gradually thin, and 2 pairs of new leaves gradually form inside the old leaves. After the autumn cool, the new leaves grow further, burst through the old leaves, and emerge.
How to Grow and Care for Conophytum
Conophytum is a general term for succulents in the Aizoaceae family. It has many varieties and somewhat varied forms, but the common features are a small plant body with a pair of very fleshy opposite leaves growing directly above the root; the leaf shape may be spherical or obconical, united at the lower part into a single whole, with a fissure of varying depth at the top. The colors include dark green, emerald green, yellow-green, and so on, and some varieties also have patterns or spots on the leaves.
The growth and dormancy of Conophytum are also the easiest to judge among the "living stones"; a dormant Conophytum will undoubtedly turn grayish-white and begin to shrivel. The dormancy period generally runs from late May to late August, about 3 months as the standard, with some differences depending on the location and variety.
II.Growth
Conophytum begins growing in the summer. With 1~2 waterings in this season, the new body will break through the grayish-white old skin and start vigorous growth. The splitting of the bodies at this time becomes the greatest pleasure. It is a reflection of good management in the previous year; poorly grown plants or old specimens are harder to split. The rate of increase in bodies depends on the variety and cultivation skill. Rather than using the ordinary doubling method for calculation, the increase in bodies follows the so-called "mouse formula": 1 body, after 5 years more than 30 bodies, after 7 years 100 bodies, after 10 years more than 1000 bodies. With just the increase in the number of heads, its value increases accordingly. Conophytum looks beautiful at this time; with its richly colored flowers, its peculiar growth process, and the clustered beauty after the bodies multiply, especially the pleasure of "mouse formula" multiplication, it becomes a gem-grade plant. The growth and dormancy periods of Conophytum also differ. For those with only a few weeks of growth period, one must take into account their dormancy period of nearly 40 weeks; the cultivation method used for these varieties is to water occasionally to keep them in a semi-dormant state. Their production cycle, besides the relationship of cold and heat, mainly consists of the relationship of dryness and moisture, and such a cycle may be 200 days or 150 days. Do not consider it only by human cycles; take the native plant's own cycle as the standard.
II. Watering
In summer, when temperatures are high, the plant is in a dormant state; it can be placed in a ventilated, cool spot for care. Water only a small amount when the soil is excessively dry, or even cut off water completely to prevent rot. When the weather cools in autumn, the plant begins to grow and blooms beautiful flowers; it can be moved to a bright spot and watered appropriately. Well-growing plants can be given a thin, decomposed liquid fertilizer once a month, and when flowering, pay attention to the timing for hand pollination.
In winter, plenty of sunlight is required. If the nighttime temperature can be kept above 12°C and the daytime temperature above 20°C, normal watering can be done, and some thin fertilizer can be applied on sunny mornings as appropriate. If the temperature is lower, watering must be controlled and fertilization stopped to let it go dormant.
In spring, as the plant grows, the fruit gradually matures and should be harvested. By late spring and early summer, the old leaves of most varieties gradually thin, and 2 pairs of new leaves gradually form inside the old leaves. After the autumn cool, the new leaves grow further, burst through the old leaves, and emerge.
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During cultivation, rain exposure and waterlogging must be avoided at all times. During the growth period, it should receive plenty of sunlight, otherwise the plant will become leggy and fail to bloom. Repot once every 1 to 2 years. The potting soil can use leaf mold plus about 1/2 coarse sand or vermiculite; the particles should be coarse, not too fine.
During dormancy, the old skin completely wraps the body and very ingeniously prevents water evaporation from the new body. Being rained on during the plum rain season or excessively high humidity in the greenhouse may trigger early skin shedding. If water is still cut off as usual for such plants, the new body, unable to replenish the evaporated water, will soften and shrivel; for this special situation it is necessary to water frequently.
As for the watering method, for mature bodies it is ideal to keep them moist (for plants in the skin-shedding period with more old skin, note that after watering they do not dry easily). Due to constraints of time and labor, watering from above should be chosen on sunny days, with ventilation if conditions permit; note that this method should not be used for single-headed plants or plants with too many heads. If the light level is 10, then that given to Conophytum is 8. Considering the diversity of Conophytum's forms and sizes, the issue of light should also be treated separately. It is common knowledge that large types are generally tougher and small types are weaker.
III. Light
Considering the color of the body, or going further to consider the relationship between sunlight and flower color: yellow and white reflect the most light. Varieties with such flower colors in their native habitat must grow under quite strong light. Next are brown-flowered, peach-flowered, red-flowered species, and so on, followed by the purple-flowered group. According to their respective habits, appropriate shading should be used. Lithops are commonly white-flowered or yellow-flowered; among Conophytum, the large types with yellow flowers can be arranged according to the light requirements of Lithops. Varieties whose flower colors reflect light poorly should be shaded appropriately.
Insufficient sunlight during the growth period will cause the plant's varietal characteristics to degenerate, changing its shape and color. It is also a cause of weakening and rot.
Article source: http://www.yuhuagu.com
How to Cut Off Water During Conophytum Skin Shedding: The Skin-Shedding Process of Conophytum
Conophytum is a succulent, and in autumn it grows lovely small flowers from the fissure at the top. A Conophytum plant generally opens only one flower, which closes at night. Conophytum sheds its skin by itself. Let's take a look below at how to cut off water during Conophytum skin shedding.
How to Cut Off Water During Conophytum Skin SheddingI. How to Cut Off Water for Conophytum
Conophytum is a flower that can be grown indoors; it is suitable for cultivation at room temperature in all four seasons. At the same time, it is not suitable for growing in open-air environments and cannot be planted in the ground. Conophytum can be grown in dedicated pots, placed on high shelves or high on a balcony. Do not let rain fall on Conophytum, as the plant is prone to rot.
II. The Skin-Shedding Process of Conophytum
Conophytum begins shedding its skin each spring, during the period from February to April. At this time, fertilization should be stopped and the amount of watering reduced, until the original outer skin dries up. During the skin-shedding process of Conophytum, many growers try to peel off the outer skin by hand to help it complete shedding quickly, but inexperienced growers can easily injure the tender plant inside while failing to remove the outer skin. Therefore, the step of hand-peeling should still be treated with greater caution.
III. How to Repot Conophytum
It is best to repot Conophytum in autumn. At this time, take the plant out of the soil, shake off all the soil from the roots, trim any dried or rotted roots, and then plant it into a new pot.