u/notmyidealusername

After yesterdays post I thought I'd share some pictures of the other gracilius from the same batch of seed as the fat round one. I've kept the best 18 from the small batch of seed I sowed, particularly ones that had no offsets and were either nice and round or growing tall and fast, and these are representative of the variety within that group. All these plants are the same age and from the same two parents (last pic, aged 8 and 15 years), the differences are down to genetics and pot size/material.

It used to be a runt, but a few years in the small terracotta pot sorted that out.

I bought some seed from Koehres a couple of years ago, and I've got two quite distinct "looks" from the seedlings; a fatter form with no basal branches, and a more narrow looking type that offsets at the base. I know which type I prefer, and yes they're both definitely horombense as the flowers are unmistakable. Has anyone else found this, and what are the chances that the different forms would breed true?

Thought I'd better take some pics while they're leafless, there's a couple showing signs of life already despite it still being the middle of winter!

I have four adult delhezi and three pollii plus a mid-sized senegal in my 180g, it's just ticked over to winter here and though I haven't changed the temperature of the tank I've noticed a considerable reduction in my bichirs appetite over the last few weeks. Has anyone else experienced this? I usually fast them every third day, wondering if I shouldn't reduce that even further.

Pretty sure I've talked about this before, but I'll share some pictures anyway seems how it's that time for my D. paniculata.

Trellises and climbing frames look pretty but untangling vines from them is a massive PITA, especially as your plants get bigger. I grow my Dioscoreas on hemp twine and/or bamboo stakes so that when they do decide to go dormant the whole lot can be removed as one and thrown in the compost. Some people prefer to leave the vines have dried up completely, and perhaps I am robbing the plant of a small amount of nutrients but I always remove them before the leaves drop and make a huge mess in my greenhouse. I'm also hoping that doing this will help the plants growing seasons get back in sync as the female came in a lot later this year and I was unable to pollenate it. Fingers crossed for next year!

My favourite species, but one I've really struggled with growing from seed. I suspect I've over-watered them, and only recently figured out that the young seedlings actually do much better in a cooler part of my greenhouse over the summer months. I've never really had trouble with the larger plants I've bought locally, but what you see here is the result of 200 seeds (with about 90% germination).

We're coming into winter now, and from what I've read I'm thinking I should increase the amount of water they get (from nearly none to a little!) now. Any other suggestions or advice would be welcome!

I'm amazed at how fast these are growing, I've had to repot them every spring for the past three seasons. Can't wait until they get to flowering size, though I'm going to have to extend my greenhouse as I'm running out of room!