Faucaria tigrina help.

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bluerose8099
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Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by bluerose8099 »

Last year I got my first Faucaria tigrina, and it became my favorite plant. Unfortunately a re-potting into a container with no drainage holes ended it's life quickly. This spring I was given a new one that has much more growth on it than my previous plant. I have tried to take care not to over-water and drainage holes were a must. Tonight I noticed a few parts of this plant seem to be rotting, most likely because of my lack of knowledge on the exact watering habits. My question is, should I remove these rotted parts, or leave them to dry up?
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iann
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Re: Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by iann »

Old leaves going mushy? First hint that it doesn't want all that water. Back off now or the whole plant will follow. If whole stems are rotting off then try to take cuttings from good stems.

Still growing in peat and bark? Not good for mesembs.

The plant generally looks like it is getting too little light. New leaves look stretched and pale, they will be prone to rot and need even less water because the sun isn't drying them out. Is that a bud near the top of the picture? A little early, might indicate the plant has been pampered.

Faucarias are generally quite happy with summer water, but like nearly all mesembs they will shut down when nights get too hot. And like most mesembs, they need less water than you think.
--ian
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bluerose8099
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Re: Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by bluerose8099 »

I will back off the water for now. Would a sandier mix help, and if so, can it be a mix from sand I can get right outside my own home? Maybe a check with a nearby nursery would help me find a soil mix I can use. It is indoors, but maybe I should switch windows. Our temps are soon to be triple digits, so it will be too hot outdoors. (Right now it's storm season so outside growing would certainly rot it quicker than I have.) I believe that is a bud you see, and I think it's got one or two more. This plant looks a lot like it did when I got it a couple of months ago. It was bought at a Walmart, and I know they're sometimes bad about keeping the succulents indoors away from any sun.
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Saxicola
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Re: Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by Saxicola »

You should read up on the threads about cactus and succulent mixes. Sand is bad and shouldn't be used. I grow in pure pumice, but if you want to mix it with potting soil be sure to keep the percentage of pumice very high. Something like 70% pumice or higher.
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bluerose8099
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Re: Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by bluerose8099 »

I'm not sure where I got the idea about sand. I'll check out those threads and see if I can get my hands on some pumice. Thanks!
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bluerose8099
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Re: Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by bluerose8099 »

What about perlite? I'm working on a small budget and can't afford the outrageous shipping costs if I can't find anything locally.
iann
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Re: Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by iann »

No sand. Perlite works fine, but it is quite unpleasant stuff so I use cat litter (hard-fired expanded clay granules).

The first thing is to make sure you have sufficient drainage to stop the soil becoming too saturated and soggy. That probably means 50%-75% perlite, or whatever alternative you find, but it does depend on what you're mixing it with.

Then, for mesembs at least, try to find a soil that is not made from something that was alive in the last few hundred years. Mesembs just don't like peat. Some people will tell you that you can grow them in anything, and to some extent they're right. *They* can perhaps grow them in anything, but as you already know *you* can't ;) Make it easier for yourself and avoid the bagged potting soils if you can, certainly avoid the really fluffy ones. Simple topsoil out of your yard may be better than anything you can buy in a store, although not if it is high in clay. Really poor desert soils may only need to be 50:50 with perlite, possibly even less perlite than that, but heavier soils will need more perlite.
--ian
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bluerose8099
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Re: Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by bluerose8099 »

Yes, I think it's obvious at this point that I can't grow them in just anything! :) I stopped by a nursery this weekend to see if they carried something more appropriate, and they didn't. The first person I talked to pointed me to someone else there who was supposed to be more helpful. The second lady was unfamiliar with the plant I was talking about but instructed me to use sand. I could probably find something in my own yard. I will have to ask my husband about the clay content of our soil. I've never heard of the use of cat litter instead of perlite. I do have cats, but I don't know that the kind I use is what you're talking about. Mine is made up of little round balls, not the rock looking granules that is in your typical clay litter. I'll see if I can get together something better for my plant before I have any more issues. Thanks!
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bluerose8099
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Re: Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by bluerose8099 »

I talked to my husband and he said our topsoil has little to no clay content. After some of it dries out (we had a good rain this morning), I'll mix some up with perlite. I am assuming 50%-75% like you said on the perlite, and the remainder topsoil. I hope this gives me better success!
iann
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Re: Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by iann »

If a fistful of your soil crumbles even when wet then it should be fine as a starting point. If it resists crumbling when wet, but falls apart when dry, then you can probably use it with extra perlite. If it just sets into a brick when it dries out then only for advanced users :lol: You have to use enough coarse material that water can drain through and it doesn't become completely saturated.

It would be good to know about limestone also. Limestone based soils (mine is) are not suitable for all plants.
--ian
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bluerose8099
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Re: Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by bluerose8099 »

I'll have to check on the limestone too. I'm pretty sure ours fits your first description of of crumbling when wet, but definitely not drying up as hard as a brick. With as many armadillo holes as we've received in the yard recently, that will be no problem to find some easy to test soil! I do know ours has been quite successful for growing vegetables. We grow asparagus, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and okra yearly. This year i have added lettuce and onions and both seem to be doing well. I guess that tells me things aren't totally poor. (We could grow more than that if it weren't for various wildlife that likes to interfere with other things we've tried to grow in the past.) Once again it rained this morning so I may have to wait longer, or gather some soil and bring it indoors to dry out.
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bluerose8099
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Re: Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by bluerose8099 »

After posting this morning I did a search to see what type of soil we have in our area. The map I found said my portion of our county is cobbly loam. I have never heard the term "cobbly", so I asked my husband. He described it as loam with small rocks in it. He thought there could be tiny amounts of limestone, but not much. As I weeded my tomatoes and onions today I took note of the soil. It crumbled some, but not completely.

This evening I noticed the Faucaria tigrina had some more leaves beginning to get mushy and rot. I decided it was time to remove the plant from it's pot. I found more rotted leaves after removing it. I am putting up this picture after pulling it from it's pot and out of the organic soil. All the little roots on it were there when I got it. It was in a tiny pot and was full of roots. The black dried up parts were on the plant when I got it. The section of the plant you see above the main one broke off from a rotted section. I assume it doesn't produce roots like other succulents?

All in all, does it sound like my soil is suitable to make maybe a 75% perlite, 25% soil mix?
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iann
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Re: Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by iann »

You can root stem cuttings quite easily (dry first, then warm), but not just leaves. The top piece would probably root if it isn't rotting, but if that is rot at the base then it is gone.
--ian
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bluerose8099
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Re: Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by bluerose8099 »

I'll just have to watch it and see what it does.
mg2007
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Re: Faucaria tigrina help.

Post by mg2007 »

Bluerose, I am a retired geologist who lived a long time in Oklahoma. If you are willing to share the town or county you are in, I may be able to make a good guess about the type of soil you have there and its mineral content.

By the way, I am successfully growing Faucaria in Alabama with a soil that is about 2/3 crushed granite, sold as poultry grit, and 1/3 good quality potting soil. I give them very little water in winter and am careful with water in summer. They really need very little.
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