T-rex Plants Blog
Published weekly. Ish. You can also follow along on Instagram at @trexplants
Care Diary: Gymnocalycium pflanzii and its varieties
I unabashedly love gymnocalyciums. One of my top five favorite genera, fo. sho. In large part, it's because once these reach a certain size, they're extremely hardy and easy to care for. They thrive in the conditions I have here, notable the high heat and my penchant...
Care Diary: Agave warrelliana
Agave warrelliana is an extremely uncommon, if not quite rare, species of agave that is very challenging to find information about. I picked up mine from a friend who had his original plant from Rancho Soledad nursery - very likely from a decade or more ago, if not...
Growing Aloes, Cacti, and Euphorbia from Seeds
Growing cacti and succulents from seed is an exciting idea. For many growers, growing from seed may be the most inexpensive way to get a highly coveted species. In some cases, it can be an ideal way to get extremely rare or hard to grow species (very common for mesemb...
How to Grow and Care for Star Aloe Hybrids
Aloe hybrids are a little harder to find information for in regards to care, particularly when you compare them to a specific species (which usually has locale data associated). When you find an ambiguously labeled "star aloe hybrid", what should you do to encourage...
Care Diary: Notocactus uebelmannianus, AKA Parodia werneri
Today, let's talk about a cactus that is a dainty little favorite of mine: Notocactus uebelmannianus (try to say that 5 times fast), or Parodia werneri (much easier to pronounce). It's a small, unassuming little species that is hardy, easy, and very forgiving of...
What’s Blooming This Spring: The Cacti
We are well into spring here in San Diego, and it's beautiful! Usually, there's more rainfall and cooler weather, but this year has been warm and dry. It makes for easy growing for many cacti and succulents, as they strongly prefer having dry roots when the weather is...
Care Diary: Pilosocereus azureus – or is it pachycladus?
This probably should have been my first blog post, as Felicia the Cactus was really what kicked off the level of collecting that has become my norm. I've had this cactus since October 2015, making it one of the cacti I've owned the longest (next to the Echinopsis "LA"...
Care Diary: Ferocactus macrodiscus, the mini barrel cactus
This little cactus is unassuming, easy, and a charming little addition to any cactus collection. Ferocactus macrodiscus is a small-growing cactus, typically growing to about 12" in diameter but exceptional plants may reach up to 24". They have a nice, bright green...
The Humble Split Rock: Pleiospilos nelii
Originally printed in Volume 56, Number 04 of Espinas Y Flores - the San Diego Cactus and Succulent Society Newsletter for April 2021. For many of us, the experience of first spotting a split rock is the same: walking through the nursery or garden center, and you see...
Care Diary: Aloe Hybrid Collection Update
With spring in full swing in San Diego, many plants are starting to wake up. I'll do a quick tour of my aloe hybrids in this post, which are beginning to really expand their growth or produce regular bloom stalks. I've been doing some intentional pollination of...