T-rex Plants Blog
Published weekly. Ish. You can also follow along on Instagram at @trexplants
Is Your Conophytum Dead, Or Is It Supposed To Look Like That?
The tiny little, long-lived Conophytums are some of the most coveted plants in the world - and also some of the hardest to keep alive. More so than Lithops or nearly any other succulent, Conophytum are particularly unforgiving of overwatering, inadequate light, or...
Plant Poaching and Our Part In It – Takeaways from Kal Kaminer’s SDCSS Talk
Fair warning for anyone who's a regular reader: This isn't an image-heavy post, and is a long read. I'm finally home from our monthly cactus club meeting, and I'm fired up - this month's talk was a fantastic lecture from Kal Kaminer, proprietor of LA Succulents, a...
Monstera deliciosa Thai Constellation: You Finally Bought One, Now What?
In recent weeks (months?), plant enthusiasts all over the US have been excitedly discovering that Walmart, Trader Joe's, Home Depot, and other large stores suddenly have the highly coveted Monstera deliciosa "Thai Constellation" available. What's more, the plants are...
Tis the Season – For Lithops!
Ah, fall. That lovely time of year here in San Diego, when we go from full summer to sort of summer. Nights get marginally cooler. Days are less likely to reach triple digits. If there’s any leaves changing color, it’s the slowly crisping bushes and trees clinging to...
How to Grow Obregonia denigrii – the Artichoke Cactus
You ever decide to get a cactus on a whim, just because it was there, you were first, and there was only one? That's how I ended up with my Obregonia denigrii. It was peak COVID season, the plant bubble was looming large, and like everyone else, I was stuck at home...
Stapelia leendertziae – Growing the Black Bell Flower
If you're the sort of grower who likes a themed garden, and you've chosen a gothic theme for your plants - these are a must-have in the collection. The blooms are easily in my top 10 favorites, being dramatic, enormous, and easily stopping people dead in their tracks....
How to Grow Matucana madisoniorum
I was drawn to these as young plants because of their glittery stem coloration, a look that's almost like a matte green with a light coating of glitter to make them almost sparkle in sunlight. As with the other small, globular plant species I enjoy, these also have a...
Growing Mammillaria matudae – The Thumb Cactus
I only took home a little Mammillaria matudae as a result of wholesaling so many cacti during COVID - it wasn't a cactus I was initially all that excited about. The only thing that did tickle me was that it was a "thumb cactus" - how cute! I had a chin cactus...
How to Grow Copiapoa laui – the Smallest Copiapoa
The diminutive Copiapoa laui is the smallest species in the Copiapoa genus, an attractive little clumping species that is enormously underrated. As far as Copiapoa go, this is one of the faster growing species, making them ideal for the impatient among us who want...
Updated Guide to Growing Miqueliopuntia miquelii – Blue Opuntia
I first wrote about this cactus back in 2020, detailing a happy little import I'd had for about a year at that point. While my early post and guidance for growing them was good enough, I had only been growing the plant for one year, and hadn't yet imported any new...