EPT
Around 8 or so years ago, I became interested in bonsai. I was fascinated by the tiny trees and wanted to learn how to grow and cultivate my own. For a while I invested a lot of time and energy into the hobby, but then I became busy with real life stuff like work, and eventually StarCraft and Team Liquid (which also eventually became a job). Bonsai as a real hobby can be very time consuming, since you have to water, wire, adjust, and do all sorts of daily maintenance. Especially since I became fond of high maintenance species, such as pemphis acidula. Of course you can leave things to grow out too, but I felt like I wouldn't be able to enjoy the hobby if I could only dedicate an hour to it every day. So I eventually stopped around 3 years into the hobby.
+ Show Spoiler [Examples of Pemphis acidula bonsai] +
A lot of people consider pemphis acidula one of the best and most amazing species that can be used in bonsai. Their natural shari can be dramatic and otherworldly, and their bark, even in very young and sheltered specimens, can be extremely coarse and detailed.
![[image loading]](http://miniscaping.com//assets/uploads/5/54/547/547b4834bb0479.65080684.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://artofbonsai.org/galleries/images/cheng/16.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://www.bonsaiempire.com/images/artists/trees/Gede-Merta-Pemphis-Acidula.jpg)
While I did not have anything close to as beautiful as these, I did have around ~5 pre-bonsai that I was developing and shaping. Unfortunately I did not take any pictures, but most of them were in states similar to this picture:
![[image loading]](https://i20.servimg.com/u/f20/15/50/09/99/dsc_1548.jpg)
I was already trying to ramify them and they were all growing really well. One of the peculiarities of pemphis acidula is that you have to spray or water them with salt water once in a while. Not every day, mind you, but a few times a week. These plants are found in coastal cliffs and mangroves, so exposure to salt water ensures they stay compact and have short fleshy leaves.
Aside from pemphis acidula, I also had desmodium, Ficus microcarpa, Serissa foetida, boxwood, and even a crabapple.
Recently, I've started becoming interested in plants again, but I gravitated towards a kind that requires a little less attention: succulents. Now, that might not sound as interesting as bonsai at first, but after a lot of looking around and research, I became enamored by these little weirdos as well.
They are a lot easier to take care of. They only need watering once or twice a week, depending on the season, and don't really require much pruning, unless you want them to branch out, thicken at the base, or propagate. Fertilizers are largely unnecessary since they are used to living in nutrient poor soil, and not using fertilizers ensures they stay compact and look like how they would in nature. So basically you only need to pay attention to them a handful of times a week, if that.
So over the past few months I've been growing my collection and learning more about them. Turns out there is a lot more to succulents than what you probably imagine.
You're probably thinking something like this:
![[image loading]](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/51945be4e4b05b135b14e8c4/t/51a96d19e4b07ac5e8bc4e0c/1430836460458/how-to-propagate-succulents-from-leaves-and-cuttings-needlesandleaves_net.jpg)
..or something in the Aloe family. I think those are the most common kinds of succulents that people are exposed to, and that's the kind you see in supermarkets and gardening stores most often. Their thick squishy leaves pretty much define a succulent for most people, but the definition is actually somewhat broader.
From wikipedia:
In botany, succulent plants, also known as succulents or sometimes fat plants, are plants that have some parts that are more than normally thickened and fleshy, usually to retain water in arid climates or soil conditions.
While most people think of leaves being thick and fleshy, roots and stems can also retain water. And this is where things really get interesting. My favorite succulents are called caudiciform, because they possess a caudex. A caudex is basically an enlarged rootstock, where plants can hold water.
Here is a small example of a caudex, from my Monadenium montanum var. rubellum:
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/lichter/Blog/DSC_0463.jpg)
Yep, that weird thing in the middle is called a caudex. Here are other examples from the internet:
+ Show Spoiler [Caudiciform examples] +
Euphorbia stellata
![[image loading]](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KzZ7dT_XKDM/UeHIzdcWSiI/AAAAAAAAB-M/4inrfZFsrpk/s1600/IMG_1637.jpg)
Adenium obesum, most commonly known as desert rose
![[image loading]](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/73/67/32/73673226a3d7942cd462560e8a65680c.jpg)
Pachypodium saundersii
![[image loading]](http://www.llifle.com/photos/Pachypodium_lealii_subs._saundersii_19835_l.jpg)
Discorea elephantipes, commonly known as Elephant's foot
![[image loading]](http://www.cacti.co.nz/images/library-d-dioscorea-elephantipes-dioscorea-elephantipes-16512-d.jpg)
And of course a much older example of Monadenium montanum var. rubellum
![[image loading]](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/2d/be/04/2dbe049fd52b9e783e8f4997e2bbe649.jpg)
Those are just some of the interesting forms that succulents can take. Also I should note that most cacti are also considered succulents, but not all succulents are cacti. Here are a few more random examples of fascinating species:
+ Show Spoiler [More pics] +
Euphorbia platyclada, which basically looks like a dead shrub
![[image loading]](http://www.cacti.co.nz/images/library-e-euphorbia-platyclada-euphorbia-platyclada-upright-form-pic2.jpg)
Astrophytum cv. Fukuryu Dinosaur
![[image loading]](http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/CACTI/Family/Cactaceae/17189/photos/Astrophytum_cv._Fukuryu_Dinosaur_8202_m.jpg)
Echinopsis aurea subs. shaferi f. monstruosa cristata hort.
![[image loading]](http://www.llifle.com/photos/Echinopsis_aurea_subs._shaferi_f._monstruosa_cristata_16546_l.jpg)
Gymnocalycium ragonesei f. cristatum hort.
![[image loading]](http://www.llifle.com/photos/Gymnocalycium_ragonesei_f._cristatum_12987_l.jpg)
Mammillaria crinita subs. painteri f. monstruosa hort.
![[image loading]](http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/CACTI/Family/Cactaceae/11150/photos/Mammillaria_crinita_subs._painteri_f._monstruosa_12065_m.jpg)
Othonna herrei Pillans
![[image loading]](http://www.llifle.com/photos/Othonna_herrei_25895_l.jpg)
Cotyledon wallichii
![[image loading]](http://www.llifle.com/photos/Cotyledon_wallichii_8279_l.jpg)
Delosperma tuberosum
![[image loading]](http://www.llifle.com/photos/Delosperma_tuberosum_19647_l.jpg)
Monsonia multifida
![[image loading]](http://www.llifle.com/photos/Monsonia_multifida_25991_l.jpg)
Dorstenia foetida
![[image loading]](http://www.llifle.com/photos/Dorstenia_sp._1555_l.jpg)
As you can see, succulents can take all sorts of weird shapes and sizes. I think one of the most fascinating things about them is how wildly different each species has adapted to very harsh climates with limited nutrients such as water and sunlight. The weirder it is, the more I probably want one.
Here are some of the species I currently have which I have pictures of:
Split rock plant or Pleiospilos nelii
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/lichter/Blog/DSC_0443.jpg)
Euphorbia cv. Cocklebur
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/lichter/Blog/DSC_0499.jpg)
Euphorbia ambovombensis
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/lichter/Blog/DSC_0513.jpg)
Some mystery Euphorbia, probably brachyphylla
![[image loading]](http://www.teamliquid.net/staff/lichter/Blog/DSC_0559.jpg)
Of all genera, my favorite is probably Euphorbia, since they are mostly caudiciforms with the most interesting shapes, and often very bonsai-like appearances. However, I was surprised to learn that Euphorbias actually have toxic sap. Like, actually poisonous. Some species can actually kill you if you ingest the sap, and at the very least it's an irritant when it makes contact with your skin. So yeah, gotta wear gloves when I prune them. Part of their charm, I guess.
From the pictures I showed earlier, I also have Pachypodium saundersii, Dorstenia foetida, Euphorbia platyclada and Astrophytum Fukuryu.
Aside from those, I also have two more: Euphorbia ritchiei and Alluaudia procera, respectively:
+ Show Spoiler +
![[image loading]](http://www.llifle.com/photos/Euphorbia_ritchiei_subs._nyambensis_16398_l.jpg)
![[image loading]](http://seedscactus.com/1432-thickbox_default/alluaudia-procera.jpg)
Right now, I've already begun to take cuttings from my plants in order to try to propagate. I've made cuttings of my E. brachyphylla and M. montanum var. rubellum, and so far I've only succeeded rooting about half of them. So I kinda suck at it, but I'm sure I'll get better as I understand each plants' needs and requirements more. I've also bought some seeds and a seed box, so hopefully I find some success in germination once I start. Of course, it's going to take a few years before any of those seeds end up taking their more adult forms, so this will probably be a long-term hobby.
Well, at least I hope it will be. I really like plants and I feel like I've found something that I can do even with my busy schedule. Though I guess since I was able to write this blog I must not have been that busy. Actually I should probably get back to work.
Updates probably soonish?
