Dormancy may not occur for the first couple of years given mild conditions. It will follow the seasons, not the calendar. These plants thrive with temps in the mid-80s to low-90s during the growing season. When the leaves drop, you need to start watering less. Then when there are new leaf buds again, start increasing the watering frequency. There is a very informative section on this plant in Philippe de Vosjoli's Pachyforms book, which is well worth seeking out. He says these plants can reach 3 feet tall after a year and 6 feet tall after 2 years, given good care. They apparently need full sun when they are just 4 months old.
