How to care for肉锥 (Fleshy Cone)
This article introduces the basics of caring for the fleshy plant 肉锥, including how to cultivate it. Below, the editor provides detailed answers.
There is a lot of knowledge about the care of PP on various forums, but there is little information on how to care for 肉锥, which many people love. This has led to many people blindly following the care methods for stones, resulting in issues such as difficulty in rooting, slow growth, and prone to drying.
Combining personal care experience and extensively collecting scattered experiences from forums, I have summarized some points. If there are any mistakes, everyone is welcome to discuss, and I will update in a timely manner if there are new suggestions. There are no absolutes in everything; please combine the relevant experience with your own habits and methods. I suggest that everyone with good cultivation experience should actively share their experiences with coordinates.
I. Soil Mixing Issue
Soil mixing is a frequently discussed topic, depending on the type of pot and local environment. Generally speaking, 肉锥 prefers soft soil. Since 肉锥 has a weaker root system and is not known for strong and robust roots, it is also a species that is difficult to root. Therefore, more peat should be added to the soil mix, usually recommended at a ratio of 3-5 parts. In practice, I have consulted many people who are good at growing 肉锥, and the peat content ranges from 3 to 7 parts. So, if you have a reasonable soil mix, please share the proportion with your coordinates.
The author's coordinates are Haikou, actually mostly random, generally a mix of 50% with various 1-3 particle soil.
Many people say they are afraid of death and use all red jade, but still die. Using all particle soil, it is normal for no roots to grow for half a year or a year, so please understand the plant's habits and care according to the plant's requirements.
II. Root Pruning Issue
肉锥 does not have a main root, most have fine roots or fibrous roots. While it is not impossible to cut all the roots when pruning, and roots can still grow, I personally feel that it is not particularly easy for 肉锥 to root. If the soil has been removed recently, you can trim a little bit of the dried roots, let them dry in the sun, and then pot them. For summer, it is not recommended to repot, and if encountered, follow the care methods during the shedding period, wait for the autumn temperature to drop, and if the temperature is low in autumn and winter, pot with dry soil and water heavily after a few days to promote root growth.
Ps. If the temperature is low in autumn and winter, and the plant's root wounds have healed, I like to pot with wet soil on the bottom and dry soil on top. This method is to first put in about one-third to one-quarter of the soil, water thoroughly, then use dry soil on top, allowing moisture to rise and provide water.
III. Watering Issue
Overall, 肉锥 requires slightly more water than stones. During the spring, summer, and shedding periods, water moderately. In the autumn growing season, I am accustomed to watering heavily.
IV. Sunlight Issue
In late spring and early autumn, shade the west sun from noon to afternoon, as it can be very harsh. In summer, 肉锥 is not tolerant to high temperatures and direct sunlight, so please shade and ventilate. In autumn and winter, due to the large temperature difference, 肉锥 is more likely to show its state. In winter, be cautious as 肉锥 is not tolerant to low temperatures, and temperatures below five degrees Celsius require warming.
V. Shedding Period Care
There is no fixed time for shedding, usually starting from late spring to early summer. The best way to judge is that if 肉锥 wrinkles and does not recover much after watering, then please stop watering decisively.
Unlike stones, 肉锥 can be watered slightly during the shedding period. Generally, when the temperature exceeds thirty degrees, it starts to stop watering and prepare for dormancy. During the shedding period, it is necessary to judge whether to water based on the condition of the plant. If the skin is really dry, you can use the following methods:
① As collected from the forum: Spray water on the epidermis and place it in a fully shaded and ventilated area.
② Method I often use: Directly immerse the pot for a few seconds, the time depending on the soil mix. The purpose is to keep the bottom layer slightly moist, allowing moisture to rise and supplement the roots. After watering, make sure to ventilate.
③ Method I occasionally use: Sometimes when I am really lazy, I don't want to pick up the pot to immerse it. If the pot is large enough and the soil is exposed, I will directly water a little along the inner wall. However, this method requires high control of water volume and flow speed, so method two is easier to control. After watering, make sure to ventilate.
Many flower friends say that the shedding plant becomes more and more wrinkled, showing no signs of recovery, and finally dries up. In fact, many reasons are due to the lack of water during the shedding period. 肉锥 is very drought-tolerant, but if it is too dry, the roots will not get enough water (a little in summer), causing the roots to dry out. Without roots, do you still want it to smile?
During the shedding period, some 肉锥 have a very thin, dry surface tightly wrapping the new leaves. Please do not remove the dry leaves, as this is the plant's natural protection. When the weather is cool, watering will allow the new leaves to naturally break through.
These are my very shallow experiences in cultivation over the past year, as well as methods collected from many forum posts. Everyone's environment is different, with different sunlight, climate, temperature, and humidity. It is most important to explore methods that suit your own cultivation habits and environment.
Caring for plants is not just about watering, fertilizing, and sunbathing. More importantly, it is about understanding the plant's temperament and following the needs of nature. Going against the plant's nature will result in many individual cases, but I am just a beginner. Plants are life, treat them kindly. If you have done everything and they still die or leave, then please think about whether the local environment is really not suitable, let them go, and also release yourself. Sometimes plants will die for no reason, just like 肉锥, a group of plants with nothing wrong, but one small head dries up and rots by itself. Then please take it easy, as long as the green mountains are there, there is nothing to fear!
The above provides a specific introduction to how to care for 肉锥 (flower friend's experience) for reference by netizens.