looks nice Adam. Going to be huge

My Aloe pillansii has made a pup at it's base do they usually do that?

adamgreen said:My Aloe pillansii has made a pup at it's base do they usually do that?

I don't know if they do, but it's a pretty rare plant, and you must be making it very happy. Congratulations! I remember I was thrilled when my Old Man cactus had a pup. The pup seems to be growing faster than the parent plant.

No, Aloe pillansii should not be doing that. Your plant must have some hybrid character. Maybe consult with wherever you bought it to get to the bottom of this... I'm guessing that whoever produced the seed did not protect the pollinated flowers from outside pollinators (usually you have to block access) and something got through.

It's important to bear in mind that this is an extremely rare aloe, which means that true seed is going to hard to find (since it requires two mature plants). That's why prices are so high for these plants.

There's no reason why your plant can't end up totally fabulous even if it suckers at the base. That would make it a little different and perhaps give it some interesting character. Almost all the aloes I grow from seed are of hybrid origin and the little surprises that show up along the way can be quite fun.

It's cool that's it's a hybrid it will be interesting to see how that plays into me training it into bonsai over time.

Here are pics of my two newest babies.
Aloinopsis schooneesii



Tylecodon paniculatus

Very nice pics, Adam. You have some really neat plants!

Here are some pics of my Aloe pillansii.




close up of the offset.

I decided to start developing my vision for my bigger Dorstenia gigas. I want it shorter, fat, and in a bonsai pot eventually. To start training it I made a cut above where the top most branch was developing.
To root the cutting do you let it callus over, apply rooting hormone, and I'm not sure after that point.




Other side



After the cut


The cutting I going to try to root.

I don't grow Dorstenia, but I always let succulent cuttings callus over before planting again. But I wait to do it in Spring, unless I know the plant actively grows in cooler conditions.

Bold move. The plant looks like it's really thriving, so it should work out for you. Weird timing season-wise but the plant is in full leaf so why not.

One thing that's good to know is that Dorstenias which were started from cuttings will not develop the same kind of fat caudex as plants from seed. In other words, you are unlikely to convert a rooted cutting into a fat plant. Not saying it's impossible, just stating the general rule. That said, cutting the top off is definitely the best way to keep it from getting leggy. Another thing.... D. gigas really demands a lot of light for good form, that probably above all else will make the biggest difference.

I think the stem should thicken up some. Because the stem has gained girth since I got it.

The seeds I've order for this year are
Aloe peglerae, Aloe melanacantha, and Aloe longistyla.

As one last item I ordered an aloe variety mix.

adamgreen said:I just counted my plants and I have exactly 100.

I'm up to 190, myself. I keep telling myself, "you can't buy any more plants," but I never listen, lol.

I was naughty and ordered an aloe. It is
Aloe aculeata Thick Blue Form Black Tip Spine Succulent Plant 31
And here is what they look like.

You're having fun ordering new babies, Keith. Where do you buy them? I don't think I've ever seen that black tipped one.

I ordered it from ebay it was only 7.95 and with free shipping. The sellers name is
cactusbylin_dot_com.

Thanks, Adam. That type of ID is outlawed now. They must be longtime sellers.

I was super naughty and ordered one last aloe that was super cute Aloe vryheldensis.