T-rex Plants Blog
Published weekly. Ish. You can also follow along on Instagram at @trexplants
Care Diary: Gymnocalycium vatteri
I love Gymnocalyciums, and these are one of my absolute favorites. With an appearance that looks like they were chiseled into shape, mild spines, and huge, showy flowers, there's a lot to love about these cacti! Species Description and Distribution Gymnocalycium...
Care Diary: Thelocactus hexaedrophorus
These incredibly slow-growing, turtle-shell looking cacti are one of those species in a collection that can be a clear indicator that you've encountered a real cactus nerd. They're uncommon (and slow growing) enough that you rarely, if ever, see them at your typical...
Care Diary: Epiphyllums, the Orchid Cactus
Unassuming in appearance, even vaguely ugly (depending on who you ask), the Orchid Cactus is an unusual looking plant whose true beauty lies in the huge, beautiful blooms they product through late spring and early summer. Depending on the species, they'll bloom only...
Surprising(ly Stinky) Stapeliads
Originally printed in the February edition of the San Diego Cactus and Succulent Society newsletter. Easy San Diego Growers The genus Stapelia hails mainly from South Africa, as many of our favorite succulent species do. They’re generally low-growing, spineless, and...
How to Germinate Anthurium magnificum Seeds
Continuing the theme of Anthurium magnificum this month, I also recently harvested my Anthurium's berries and successfully germinated the seeds! Most of what I've read about Anthuriums has said that they're not self-fertile, but this plant made two blooms that just...
Anthurium magnificum Bloom Cycle, Continued
Continuing the bloom cycle of my Anthurium magnificum, right around the end of the month the plant decided it was done with the female phase of the bloom cycle and it was time for pollen. You can see the previous photos of the inflorescence emerging and entering...
Anthurium magnificum Complete Flower Cycle in Photos
My Anthurium magnificum has been producing at least one new bloom a month since late last fall, and with the new bloom at the start of 2022, I decided to photograph the bloom stages each day similar to what the folks at Exotic Rainforest did with one of their...
Velvet Leaf Anthurium Flowering Stages – (Nearly) Everything You Should Know
In 2020 and then through 2021, I've been acquiring more and more of the velvet-leaf Anthuriums that I love. By now, I have several species, duplicates of a couple, and they have been reaching a size and maturity where they'll bloom. The crazy thing is, while there are...
Care Diary: Growing a Massive Monstera Siltepecana
As the pandemic was just winding up and the insane plant craze was beginning, I snagged myself a nice big pot of Monstera siltepecana. I'd tried a couple times before with smaller, single-node cuttings that weren't well rooted, and had had them slowly decline on me...
How to Arrange a Succulent Painting
A recent project I wrapped up just in time for winter rains was the addition of this stone alligator to our front courtyard area. After a trip to Mexico for my brother's wedding, we picked this up on our drive home. I didn't have a plan for it, just a general idea of...