Lewisia seedling success

[Michael J Campbell]

Lori, Nevadensis rosea is not a strong plant, I always found it to be a weak grower and incline to disappear after a year or two . The white form should flower in the second year from seed, and if you can get the Bernadina form it is a good grower and has nice big flowers that are not puckered like the normal one that is usually available.
I should have seed next year if you are interested

[Lesley Cox]

I'm very fond of L. rediviva x pygmaea (or maybe it's the other way about) but lost it about 5 years ago. Was pleased therefore to find a seedling a couple of days ago. Not flowering yet but should do, soon. It comes true from seed.

[Lori S.]

Thank you very much for the kind offer, Michael - that sounds wonderful, and I would be interested in trying it later on if you collect seed.
I didn't noticed puckering of the flowers on mine (assuming it was labelled correctly), but then my eye is not too discerning, nor do I have great numbers of others to compare to!

[Katherine J]

I don't know how do you make the cotyledons to flower in the second (or even first!) season after sowing. I have some seedlings sown in Spring 2008 (from forumists too). They are potted separately and growing well, but no flowers as yet.
We also have very hot summers, almost like Paul, and I watered them from the bottom once in two weeks, that seemed good for them. They look healthy, green and shiny, I hope very much they will flower next year for me. Maybe I should give them more potash in spring...

I had one, which began to go yellow (the younger leaves). I did not give him any more water, and in two months it looked again healthy with new green leaves! 

Anyway, the cotyledon hybrids have appeard finally in Hungary too. There is a man, who is selling many beautiful colors on plant sales. I bought from him two this May, one of them in an 1l pot, and it flowered for me all summer, yesterday I found a new scape full of buds.  It is outside of course.

In 2008 I've sown also L. tweedyi, rediviva and oppositifolia, but they germinated only this spring. The L. rediviva and oppositifolia went dormant for summer, but until now only the rediviva has new growth. Nor the L. brachycalix - sown in January 2009 and germinated in spring - has shown any signs of life yet. I only hope they are alive, I didn't dare to look in the pots 

[Luc Gilgemyn]

Hi Katherine !
I don't see any reason why your L. cotyledon wouldn't flower next year.  Just remember they are gross feeders and will appreciate yearly repotting (I do that in late February, when they are just starting new growth) or at least some good fertilizer - I tend to feed them with pellets of dried cow manure, bone meal and a little potash.

By the way, it is not unusual at all for young plants to flower twice or even three times in one season... once a bit older they normally stick to their one flowering per season regime.

Good luck !

[Michael J Campbell]

Katherine, the Brachycalyx should have  little green shoots in the centre if you look closely,tip them out of the pot now and pot them on separately and give them some water to start them into growth,them keep them just moist until you see a flush of growth in the spring, feed them then every two weeks. don't worry about the Oppositifolia until Spring,but keep them just moist,then do the same as for the Brachycalyx. As to your Cotyledon not flowering,they are gross feeders and need lots of feed when they are in full growth, feed them with high nitrogen when they start to grow and then switch to Tomato feed every week.

[Katherine J]

Thank You Michael, and Luc, I think I was a little lazy with feeding them...

[Katherine J]

Yes!!! I see the green shoots on the brachycalyx!!! Thank You, Michael!!!

[Paul T]

To reassure those of you who were concerned about yellowing of leaves on some of my seedlings...... I've moved them to a more shaded bench, lower down in the covered shadehouse and they're now back to green, albeit still fairly pale.  It was obviously just too much heat.

[Katherine J]

Paul,
What kind of grit is that on Your seedlings?

[Paul T]

Katherine,

I use 3-5mm gravel on all my bulb seedlings.  I've tried it on non-bulbous stuff and it seems to work well as well.  It keeps the surface a little insulated from heat and dry.  This particular type is my favourite as I like the white (shows off the new seedlings quite well!  ).  I think it is predominantly quartz.  It is ornamental gravel for use with cacti and succulents.  Unfortunately only available here in 1 or 2kg bags, so expensive, but I really like it.

[Lesley Cox]

Thank goodness we can buy various grits by the cubic metre if we want to.

[Paul T]

I can't easily here.  I used to be able to get bigger amounts of ornamental gravel from one place, but they no longer exist.  The other alternative is aquarium stores, but I find that the stuff they sell is dirty and far less uniform than these cacti gravels.

[Katherine J]

I asked only because I thought it had some lime content, and I wondered if the Lewisias do like it. But quartz has nothing to do with limestone ... I think.

[Paul T]

I "think" it is quartz?  I've always assumed it was.  I could very easily be wrong though.