Hello! I am an avid grower of various crassula and kalachoe with a handful of echis also in my collection. I have been growing under lights (new englander) year round for almost six years. My plants are under lights and against my tiny south-east window.

Last September I picked up a ~5" tall Pachypodium Lamerai. (please note my lights run for 11 hours a day so there no winterizing here lol) At first I placed it on the "lower" shelf with my Kalanchoes and bright-light crassula... New leaves were visibly smaller over the three month so I moved him up by the echis to the brightest spot on my upper/brighter shelf. So far in just two weeks, new leaves are already bigger than the last set.
I was watering every 10-14 days with my larger jades. Since the lighting boost, the plant has consumed several lower/eldest leaves, they slowly yellow/crisp off. the pot is bone dry after ~7 days so I started watering when dry instead of waiting til seeing visible need for water (lower trunk would start to shrivel).
Now after three weeks of weekly water and increased light, there are thick fresh white roots coming out of the bottom of the pot! This pachy was in a 3"x2" plastic nursery pot when I got it, been in this 5" terracotta one since I brought it home.

What is advice for watering this patchy? When dry or after significant period of drought?
Should I consider repotting?

That is a very nice looking plant, the branches at the bottom are a real bonus.

Provide as much light as possible. That spot right in front of a sunny window looks good. The more natural light, the better indoors. Even with the artificial light, I think it's probably helpful.

After the first couple of years the plant tends to fall into a seasonal growth pattern, which more or less dictates the watering. During the spring and summer it will tend to be leafy and actively growing (producing new stem), during late fall and winter it will rest and may drop all its leaves. A leafy plant will enjoy regular water, more often than the average succulent usually, when the soil is close to dry at depth (ideally not leaving it bone dry for any length of time). A leafless plant (or nearly so) will consume less and want less water. The foliage gives you clues about how often to water. A good starting point in my opinion would be to reduce the watering frequency 2 fold when the plant is leafless. If you are already reducing the watering frequency for your Echeverias or whatever somewhere in that range during the winter, you are probably all set for next winter, when your plant runs a pretty high chance of going deciduous or nearly so.

It is possible that your setup with lights leaves your plant feeling like it's summer all year round, or will greatly mute the annual cycle. Just try to observe over time and see what its behavior looks like, and respond accordingly.

Crassulover said:What is advice for watering this patchy? When dry or after significant period of drought?
Should I consider repotting?

I would water when dry or nearly dry, not allowing the soil to sit there dry for any extended period while the plant is leafy. You can repot in a couple of months. Do it when you think the soil is almost dry, and then use the exercise as an opportunity to see if you were right. Make sure the new pot is not a whole lot bigger than the current one, ideally wider than deep, with holes at the bottom. The soil should be fast draining (like 50% organic/50% fine gravel). I like a mix with 50% pumice, perlite should be great too. Disturb the roots as little as possible in the process, and wait a few days to a week afterward to water, depending on how much you handled them. Be aware this is a tree with time, so there will be a few more rounds of repotting to do down the road.

I have heard stories of Madagascar Palms being donated because they outgrew their previous homes/ceilings. :hurray:

Seems I mightve been a bit too sparse with my previous water. Your advice about checking the soil during repotting based on "when you think it's nearly dry" is a great tip.
Once spring rolls in I'll repot it for sure.
I've been using a half succulents/fas draining mix and half perlite blend with great success for variety of succulents. From past experience of many sad brown leaf burns, now I stay away from any brand that include plant food in the soil.

I sincerely appreciate advice.

Hey @Crassulover!!

Baja gave you some great advice!!

Pachypodium have always been kinda my thing. I'm sitting here in my living room right next two two seed grown P. lamerei of mine



Watering with pachyies can be a little bit tricky, and is going to largely depend on your soil. Now these two are currently dormant and so I'll very sparsely water them in quantity of water. In dormancy not only do you not want to water as often you don't want to water and give as much water as you would during growing season.

Now I have super fast draining soil mix only between 10-25% organica that is close to being pure stone aggregate. And during the growing season I water about every few days now here in Texas, and water completely through. This has always been my preferred style with pachyies. Mine have been grown like this since seedlings so they tolerate a little more drying out then ones you may buy. I have near 100% success this way but it's more regular tending.

It looks a little yellow like Chlorosis,(maybe it's just the lighting) which with pachyies some times is an over watering issue, it's really hard to say without being there, But you also have a terra cotta pot which I do not recommend for pachyies, I've tried it and they just do not do as well in them, it's a little too hard to regulate moisture.

Here's examples of good healthy leaf color for P. lamerei