Tuesday, March 21, 2017

Quick Guide to Succulent Care (Tag-lish version)

I feel like we can never get enough of the reading and watching of blogs with regards to succulent care. Kahit ako, I don't think would ever be an expert to this. 

There are a lot of factors that affect these babies, since we are taking care of them outside their natural habitat. As we know, ang natural habitat nila ay sa desert. 

So below are just some bullet points that we may follow:

Propagation and Repotting

1. Soil
  • tanggalin ang excess soil from the plant na nabili mo. Itabi mo lang because you can still use it later. 
  • make your own potting mix (I use RAMGO, yung brown ang packaging, bought from ACE Hardware)

Source: https://scontent-nrt1-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/11203578_889684984407954_2406611255795831645_o.jpg?oh=5b6339655ab257fa61d45187c1a9c54e&oe=5924D503
  • Ihalo ang tinanggal na soil (your succulent will need this para maka-adjust sa bagong soil mix)
  • haluan ng equal amount of pumice stones (fine sized). 
  • In short, 50% (Soil-less medium + original soil) and 50% pumice stones (pwede ding mix ng pumice stones + red lava rock)
  • If available, some people use perlite instead of pumice.
2. Repotting
  • pumili ng pot na may butas sa ilalim (drainage holes). pwede din namang magbutas na lang. 
Source: https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT6cxyCJrdOYkc7rPnpqP8WIdo-1WIoaiuq6Fq_q3nh5MUa5MEqiA
  • I prefer terracotta pots because they can absorb and release excess water.  
  • Ibaon ang roots. Magiwan ng kaunting space sa pot para hindi tumapon at magkalat kapag nagdidilig. 
3. Propagation
  • pumili ng mababaw na lalagyan (microwaveable container, takip ng ice cream, etc)
  • maaring ipatong ang mga nahulog na leaves or mga pinitas na leaves sa container directly. 
  • maari din namang maglagay na ng mababaw soil-mix so that no need to transfer later
  • wag muna basain ang soil or ang mga leaves, hayaang matuyo ng mabuti (this is to prevent contamination)
4. Watering

For rooted ones (mother plant) - water thoroughly. Siguraduhing nabasa ang roots nito. (What I do is I water till overflowing, let it absorb and then water again)

For leaves and cuttings - pag completely dry na, pwedeng basain ang lupa muna.
 Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/e1/49/79/e1497962125776d58bba4852832f8f71.jpg
  • after one week (maaring may mga lumabas na kaunting roots) - spritz or spray thoroughly with water everyday during summer
Souce: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/JwSirY30bnY/0.jpg
  • do this every 3 days or if soil is completely dry during the rainy season. 
When roots and rosettes appear - spritz or spray- thoroughly everyday. 

source: http://lh5.ggpht.com/-cBE-PzgQyPM/Tys9w1q-YAI/AAAAAAAAM4g/dEB7MdEEuQ4/120202_Echeveria-Azure-Blue5_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800

When rosettes disconnect from the mother leaf - pwede na i-repot and follow steps for rooted plants. 


5. Troubleshooting

Overwatering
  • leaves turn yellowish and fall-off
  • leaves curl-up 
  • leaves swell (namamaga or nagiging transparent)
Underwatering
  • leaves are wrinkled and soft
  • plant is shrinking (parang lumiliit)
Lack-of-sun
  • extended stems or etiolated (naghihiwa-hiwalay ang mga dahon)
Too much sun
  • sunburned (may maiitim or brown na spots)

I hope this blog somehow helps you. If you have any comment, question, suggestion and violent reaction (wag naman 😅😄), please post them below. 

Thank you!

Friday, March 10, 2017

How to save a Cactus

It could be frustrating when your cactus has been doing okay then one day, it shows sign of wilting as if chances are, it's gonna say goodbye any moment soon.

There may still be a chance of saving your cactus if there is any sign of life to it. 

What could be done is remove he dead, soggy part completely. If you need to, use a knife to cut the cactus up to the healthy part. Let the healthy part dry and callous over, usually takes 1-3 days, then place it on top of a moist soil, and wait till it roots up. Your cactus is on its way to becoming healthy again. This time, try to remember what could have gone wrong and avoid doing it again.

Here's a video that can give you an idea if what was mentioned above.




Thursday, March 9, 2017

Starting a Succulent Collection or Obsession

 

Alright! This can be tricky. Especially if your obsession has gotten over you. I say, relax. Take it easy. Because this obsession can take a toll on your beloved succulents. 


Caring for succulents isn't difficult nor easy at the same time. You have to back out a little. You cannot be too caring. #killthemwithkindness


I would suggest, to watch a lot of videos and read blogs. Below are the videos which I learned a lot from  when I started. These summarizes most of the processes.

Succulent 101 of course!
credits to Garden Answer youtube channel
My key take-aways?
  • select a container that has a hole in the bottom - anything with a drainage hole
  • pick a healthy succulent - I even pick those that already produce pups, that way, I have a chance of not killing all of them. 
  • replanting or repotting - using the right soil mix, it will work well with the left-overs from the roots that it has been used to growing and will adjust well with its new home. 
  • troubleshooting 
    • puckering or also known as wrinkling - it needs watering.
    • translucence or soggy - overwatering
  • bugs - remove them with a q-tip dipped in isophropyl alcohol.
  • grooming - keeps them happy!
Just to add on the troubleshooting, you will know that your plant isn't getting enough like if it's etiolated or leaves are spreading out and starts to get leggy. You need to start the pruning and propagation process when this happens. Please see reference videos below:
credits to: Jordan Rosendale youtube channel

credits to: Laura Eubanks youtube channel
source: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN4MtrOyGGAJceu_oVhh0Jg


Watering 
- it really helped seeing how they do it! 
My key take-aways?
  • mimic the weather in the desert - dry most of the time, heavy rains during rest. 

Propagation
- below are series of videos where you will find step by step process of taking care of the plants being propagated. It is a series, you guys! You have to know how to treat each process. 
  • from freshly cut leaves or cuttings. 
  • when they start to root
  • when new rosettes appear
  • when they detach from the mother plant or leaf



credits to Jordan Rosendale

credits to Jordan Rosendale

If you wish to watch more video about each part of the process, you can also watch below:
source: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Z1J83CwJDc0AMMgtmOaYQ

After watching all above, you should be ready to start collecting! 

I hope you let me know of your progress, I'd be happy to see pictures. 

Let me know if you have any comment, suggestions, questions or violent reactions. Kindly leave them in the comment section below.

Good luck guys!