T-rex Plants Blog
Published weekly. Ish. You can also follow along on Instagram at @trexplants
Conophytum pagae – Growing Guide for Fellow Novices
Conophytums are one of those mesembs that can really grab your attention, your interest, and your obsession - but then also be enormously challenging to grow and keep alive. In fact, I'd argue that they're up there as one of *the* most challenging mesembs to grow if...
Thaumatophyllum stenolobum (Philodendron stenolobum)
I picked up this plant as a young, established specimen during sort of peak COVID plant craze - around September 2020. A friend who was into the rare tropical plants had reposted the starts to his own story on Instagram, mentioning that they were a good price, well...
Edithcolea grandis: How to Make Your Persian Carpet Flower Bloom
You, like me, may have seen the flowers for these stapeliads online somewhere and thought to yourself "I'm good at growing plants. I could totally grow these. I would love to see the flowers!" I too had those thoughts. I too thought it would be simple to just grow the...
Growing Lithops gracilidelineata – a Textured Mesemb Gem
When it comes to growing Lithops, the color, pattern, texture, and number of heads that the species tend to develop are all potential factors into the choice of which species to grow. Do you like a lot of deep, bright colors? Do you want your specimens to produce many...
Ariocarpus kotschoubeyanus – Slow Growing, But Rewarding
Popular with collectors lately are the Ariocarpus with the big, lumpy, bumpy leaves - Godzillas and Cauliflowers of the larger species. The variations and cultivars are unique, distinctive, and highly appealing to some. Among all the big and funky looking Ariocarpus,...
What’s Blooming: Springtime Greenhouse Update
It's the most wonderful time of the year: no...not Christmas, but cactus blooming season! At least, the start of it. This is a super busy time of year for anyone who tries to produce their own seed, grows things from seed, or just has a substantial collection. If...
How to Correct Lithops Growing Problems
When you're growing a plant that is a seasonal grower - one that only produces new growth once a year - it can be extremely hard to figure out how to correct weird growth that is less than "perfect". In Lithops, this is most often etiolation, but can include sun...
Is It Supposed to Look Like That or Is It Dying? How to Tell If Your Cactus Needs Water
Something I've been asked about often, via email, Instagram, and in person, is about when to water a cactus. How can you tell when your cactus is thirsty and needs water? They don't seem to do anything, so how do you know when it's the right time? If you've been...
Anthurium Ace of Spades – Highly Coveted and Gorgeous
In the COVID plant boom days, this particular Anthurium hybrid was one of the most highly coveted of all - and for good reason! It's a super dramatic plant, with rich, dark leaves and an almost iridescent shimmer to them. If you're building a dark-leaved plant...
The Lazy Guide to Growing Exotic Houseplants
In a post-COVID world, where the houseplant craze has died down and the bubble of insane prices has popped, it's super accessible to grab some fun houseplants to try. Or you're like me, and snagged a bunch as you came across them, and now you're trying to figure out...