T-rex Plants Blog

Published weekly. Ish. You can also follow along on Instagram at @trexplants

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...
Growing Anthurium pendens From Seed

Growing Anthurium pendens From Seed

This anthurium is a species I didn't really set out to acquire, but instead, was gifted a berry from a friend of mine to try growing for myself. Since I was already successfully growing Anthurium magnificum from seed, why not give these a go?  To my delight, the same...

Sulcorebutia arenacea – Beautiful Bloomers

Sulcorebutia arenacea – Beautiful Bloomers

These cacti are attractive, dense little plants that produce large displays of vivid, orange-yellow blooms throughout spring and early summer. I picked one up in late 2021, and have been enamored with the attractive, dense growth since. Distribution  These are native...

Growing the stapeliad Huernia pendurata

Growing the stapeliad Huernia pendurata

This funky looking plant is an easy to grow, fairly hardy stapeliad that produces unique flowers consistently through its blooming season. I've had mine just under a year, and absolutely adore it. Origins This is a nursery hybrid between H. hystrix and H. pendula, and...

Care Diary: Astrophytum capricorne

Care Diary: Astrophytum capricorne

Many people love the Astrophytum myriostigma and its lack of spines (and many cultivars), but there's a different cactus in the Astrophytum genus that holds my heart: Astrophytum capricorne. There are, as with the myriostigma, many cultivars and clones of this...

Care Diary: How to Grow Astrophytum asterias

Care Diary: How to Grow Astrophytum asterias

These small little cacti are extremely popular for how small they stay and their complete lack of spines. They grow in a single, small globe shape, with their growing and blooming season in summer. Grown well, they are rarely more than 3” tall, and can get as wide...

Care Diary: Glandulicactus uncinatus

Care Diary: Glandulicactus uncinatus

This little cactus has the dubious distinction of having a ridiculous number of genera ascribed to it. I recently entered mine in our winter cactus club show & sale, since as a winter bloomer, it's a fantastic little cactus to show.  Deciding on the category took...

Care Diary: Gymnocalycium andreae

Care Diary: Gymnocalycium andreae

I am, of course, obsessed with the Gymnocalycium genus. As a part of that, I have a habit of picking up pairs of species I haven't seen before any time I spot them.  Gymnocalycium andreae is no exception. I spotted these as small plants at Grigsby's cactus gardens,...