Me too!

Normally the pups at the base of the plant will replace the flowering mother plant that dies... I have never tried propagating that plant from leaves, but if you do make an attempt, it's usually important to remove the entire leaf intact, with the base still attached, because that's where the roots and new rosette would sprout. You may actually benefit from taking a knife and carving into the flower stem around the base of each leaf to make sure it's whole. I would be curious to hear if you are successful.

Yes, I had read that a piece of the stem is important if you want a plant to root. I plan to use a single-edge razor blade for the cuts (my knives aren't all that sharp) and, of course, will let them callous well before planting. Might not have a great success with this experiment - but I'll learn something in the process.
I'm debating about using root hormone; don't usually mess with it. Or I could try it both ways, with and without. Thanks for your advice. I'll post updates.

Baja,

Thanks for the compliment on my A. dee-meteesia. It seems to be enjoying that spot in the yard which is mostly shade and a few hours of mid afternoon sun. Honestly, It wouldn't be fair though for me to take credit for its good health. I haven't done a think to it except leave it to its own devices and water when dry and pluck a few random weeds around it. Hmmmm......maybe THAT'S why it looks so good!

As for your Aloes, what magnificent eye popping colors. Nothing like that around here. What a visual treat and how fun it would be to see plants of that colorful dotting the natural landscape. Sorry the critters are eating up your barrels and other green things. The drought still persists here as well and has been tough on everyone and everything.

You can really see the difference between the plants growing out in the wild that are wholly dependent upon nature versus those in peoples' yards or in landscaped areas being tended to. Many, including our Saguaros, have shriveled or turned brown or are showing premature stress colors. A lot have broken or dropped arms. Some things are flowering when they shouldn't as it isn't the time and/or season for them. This climate change has been such a bummer. I still have faith in nature though and believe our cacti will continue to change, evolve and become ever more clever in their survival techniques.

Thijs..........anymore photos from BTA?

Yes, more arboretum pictures!

Okay, for you to compare and contrast, here is my agave after being left to its own devices through 8 months of drought. It'll come back if we get some more rain. There's an offset to the side.



And a nice bit of detail here on recently opened aloe flowers, apparently still waiting for the birds to stop by and drink up. In case you're wondering, yes, the nectar is delicious.

Baja_Costero said:

Okay, for you to compare and contrast, here is my agave after being left to its own devices through 8 months of drought. It'll come back if we get some more rain. There's an offset to the side.

I am curious if you notice more offsets when a plant struggles to survive?

Aloe nectar... sounds wonderful!

I would think there would be fewer offsets when you don't water an agave. Among various other differences, but of course I never do an actual experiment to compare.

I do make a point of never watering the americanas out there, so that they will offset less, grow slower, and reach a smaller final size. At least in theory. I'm trying to rein in the beast, as it were. The final size might be half as big as a plant in good soil that gets regular water. The other agaves which I give zero summer water (for the same reasons) are angustifolia, tequilana, and decipiens.

The de-meesteriana gets no water, not because I particularly like the straggler look, but because it's in the same zone as the americanas. And well, you don't know the limits until you start to test them.

My parents had planted Americanas in their Phoenix yard. They didn't do any supplemental watering and their growth was fairly slow. They finally got huge and bloomed, but it was maybe 20 years after they planted them. They were a huge pain to dig out when they died.

I wish I had had more interest in these plants when I lived in AZ in the early 70s. I saw facets of the desert that I loved but had no knowledge of cacti & succulents.

Baja ~ thank you for your response and your patience with so many of us. It is appreciated when you share your knowledge.

Thank you, Baja! It seems like I learn something new from you almost daily.

So guys and gals, if the flowering part/stem is cut, does it mean that the mother plant can survive? If it all the mother plant energy is reserved?

Faridat, Cutting the flowering stem will give more energy to the main plant but it's growing center is done and will cease. The flowering stem is developed inside the plant many months before you see it start up. This is only on some of the plants like Agave and some yuccas. Even many sanseveria will cease to continue but will live on for a long time. This is also the trigger for the main plant to send up offshoots or pups.

Thank you for the kind words, Kristi and Karen. The goal is connection.

Faridat said:So guys and gals, if the flowering part/stem is cut, does it mean that the mother plant can survive? If it all the mother plant energy is reserved?

Are you talking about Kalanchoes or agaves? I guess the answer would be the same. I actually did that experiment when my Kalanchoe luciae first flowered, a few years ago. As soon as I determined it was bolting (fairly early on), I took a knife and cut away the flower, to the base.

That made no difference as far as the death of the mother plant. There were offsets at the base afterwards so that space in the garden remains occupied.

In the case of agaves the decision to flower can be made many months in advance (like Stush says), and a bunch of metabolic changes have happened by the time the inflorescence is visible. So it's pretty irreversible at that point. Cows and other livestock like to eat the budding inflorescences of our native agave, and pretty frequently in areas where they overlap you'll see dying plants whose inflorescences never got taller than a foot or so before they were grazed away.

Maybe there is a point of early intervention, if your timing is just right, where surgery would prevent death and instead promote branching.

There is quite an art and a science to figuring out when agaves are about to flower. The agaves used to make fermented beverages are harvested toward the end of their life, and pulque is actually made from material (aguamiel) collected from the core of a mature agave as it converts starch to sugar.

OK as requested some more BTA aloe pictures. There was not much happening with any of the other plants. Last summer has been really tough on the Agave and Cactus collection planted out there and a lot of stuff is in recovery mode. However, they are working on a very nice Boojum Grove, with so far at least 15+ boojums of a variety of different sizes in the ground. Looking really good.

But here some more Aloes:


1. Aloe Ferox; 2. no tag, looks like Aloe elegans from a distance, but that one is supposed to be mostly solitary; 3. Aloe elegans.


4. No tag, one of the many spotted Aloes your guess is as good as mine; 5. Another Aloe ferox; 6. An Aloe scobinifolia hybrid.


7. Aloe rubroviolacea; 8. A good looking aloe without a tag; 9. Aloe suprafoliata.


10. Another good looking Aloe without a tag; 11. Aloe aculeata; 12. Aloe aculeata.


13. Aloe pretoriensis x vaombe a very spectacular plant; 14. Something spectacular in the distance; 15. Aloe ferox.


16. Another Aloe ferox - they are working on a ferox 'forest' in that area; 17. Aloe globuligemma - very nice; 18. Aloe globuligemma, close-up of the inflorescence.


19. Another nice looking plant without a tag; 20. Aloe x speciosa; 21. Aloe pretoriensis x vaombe.


22. Aloe wickensii; and 23. Another very impressive looking plant without a tag.

That is it for now. I went back last Monday, but have not gotten around to downloading the pictures from my camera. Things were still looking great. As you can notice they get quite a bit of shade where the are planted, which I am sure helps them get through the summers here.

Very nice, Thijs. It's been years since we've been there. The last time we stayed so late that the gates were closed when we wanted to leave. Fortunately an employee who lived on site noticed us and let us out.

One month into winter (wet z8) and I'm wondering if this O. Fraqilis is going to survive. The wrinkling I guess is normal and it doesn't feel mushy but I can't really get my fingers in there... I just poked at it a bit with a twig. The discoloration is a bit worrisome.


This one seems to be doing better. O. Fragilis [Whidbey Island]

Great pics. Thanks for sharing them Thijs. What wonderful aloes and that A. pretoriensis x. vaombe is really quite something.

Not much going on here. Just came in from outside. Cold and dry and the wind is very biting. It is supposed to literal freeze tonight with the temp down to 32. Brrrrrrrr! Tomorrow evening slightly better at 34. So I bundled up to go outside and bundle up the plants.

Any more I feel like everything I own lives under cover. If it isn't shade tent because it is frying to a crisp then it is blankets and towels because it is in danger of freezing to death. Ahhhhhhh.........life in the desert.

I'm being lazy today. Since it will be cloudy all day and the high won't hit 60 I'm leaving the plants covered. No point in uncovering them as tonight will be 34 degrees.

But, business as (un)usual in the desert tomorrow. Temps going back up, sun will be back out and the nights back in the 40s pretty much for the remainder of the month. Still dry as a bone. Will have to do some watering the beginning of next month and definitely need to get off my butt and do some weeding. Those seemed to have thrived all winter long.

Today it was cloudy and the sun only came out after midday and the sunshine lasted for two hours. I was running all over trying to catch up some rays, lol and I did the same with my discs with cacti and succulents. Next year I will have a separate room to overwinter my cacti, but for now they are with all the other plants, sharing the same space, but I have them the closest to my windows as possible. I hope tomorrow is a proper sunny day!

Well my laziness in leaving the plants covered all day yesterday paid off. I woke to 31 degrees this morning. Brrrr! The plants were safe and warm though and nothing got frost damage. Today will be cool but sunny and tonight promises to be much better than last night.

The Aloe vera are in full flower mode and still growing and surprisingly a lot of my agaves are in growth mode as well. Seems like the alternating weather of above average warmth and below average cold temps is stimulating the guys. The Mammillarias are doing their winter blooming thing. Seems the barrels and p.pears are resting. What's going on in everyone else's yard?



Faridat,
It shocks me when you say you had 2 whole hours of sunshine! I think of Greece and all I picture are the 'sunny isles of Greece'. The 'cloudy isles of Greece' is not the typical image that springs to mind. Just like us here in the desert, however, you have your not so pleasant days. I hope your effort at chasing the sun was rewarded yesterday and you caught some rays and warmth.