Hello Everyone,
It's been a busy day here as I wrapped up a major 3D printing project I've been working on, and somehow I still had the energy to get a few things done around the house.
Something I've been putting off for a while because it wasn't urgent, was transplanting of the Graptopetalum/Sedum hybrid succulent(s). It's the only succulent I have right now, but it's in the plans to get some more eventually. I have some recommendations on what to get, and I'm looking forward to the day I'm able to acquire some more.
I'm not sure what it is that's so special about succulents, but they are addicting. Some people like them because they are relatively easy to care for and pretty forgiving if you forget to water them for a long time. I'm more of the type to overwater them. I learned recently that this is what I've been doing wrong with my succulent plant for the entirety of its life. Also I was exposing them to too much wind and light in my grow tent.
I grabbed everything I would need for the transplants. Coffee might not necessarily be needed but hey... I like my coffee, :D strong and black, not reminiscent of my personality, though some may beg to differ ;)
Here's a closer shot of these little beauties. We can see a slight pinkish hue, which is the "blush".
This is desirable, and easy to achieve under the low powered LED's. (Light Emitting Diodes.)
The good thing about maintaining the blush, is that we reduce etiolation. (Not desirable.)
Explained simply, etiolation is when the plant "stretches" for light, and will cause all kinds of problems with a succulent like this. We want to avoid that completely.
The roots grow shallow with these succulents. The reason is due to evolution, a need for the roots to be closer to the surface in areas where water is more scarce. If a light rain comes, the plant is better adapted to make use of the rainfall, and will absorb more than a deeply rooted plant.
This makes transplanting kind of easy because we can uproot without disturbing the root system too much. I simply take some tweezers and insert a safe distance from the plant, and pop it up.
The soil will generally stay clumped together pretty good, but is also a loose mixture that will crumble apart if handled too roughly, so I take special care to ensure this does not happen.
I think these small clones are pretty healthy. Technically they are all clones, because when the petals drop, and the right conditions are met, they will shoot new roots and the petal will use its last bit of photosynthesizing energy to produce new new clusters of sprouts. It's pretty cool, and is the only reason I still have this plant, because the original mother plant has been gone for a long time. It's even possible that the original mother plant I had was a clone.
It looks like there's some new growth on this stalk that I beheaded a while back. I think I'll leave it and see what happens :)
Those little 3D printed pots look a little dirty, and they are.. but while the soil is dry it's very hard to clean them, and I won't be watering for at least two or three days, per the advice of 
Once I water them, the soil in the pots will stay in place making cleaning them much easier.
I gave the main pot a little water, just enough to wet the surface. No need in saturating the soil with a pot this big. It's probably much more soil than what is needed currently anyway.
I have them all under the LED's now, being held up by a 3D printed multi purpose rack that I'm utilizing as a light rack. It's cool because I can raise and lower it with connectors, and can even scale connecting rods shorter or longer for precise heights. Sometimes I use 3D printed stackable containers to raise the plants. I've constructed a way to put the plants where ever I want them at a moments notice with very little effort at this point.
If anyone is wondering, on the side are some green onions that I bought from the grocery store. If I put these in the refrigerator, they will be no good in about 2 days, but putting them under some light, and lightly watering just the roots, gives me a little extra growth and keeps the current growth nice and healthy, instead of all withered and gross.
I gave this one a little water and put it in the window sill as a test to see how it does. This window doesn't get a whole lot sun. None of my windows really do.. Just in the morning, and this time of year we have less light. So I expect the blush will reduce and maybe some etiolation will occur, but that's ok, because it helps me develop a better relationship the succulents, in learning what they like the most. I might even put some outside when the spring time comes. I live in New York , and we have some crazy seasons here. Right now we're in autumn, and winter is right around the corner. These plants cannot be outdoors year round in New York.
That will do it for this indoor garden update. Stay tuned for some cannabis content in the near future, and if the 3D printed content is of interest, please have a look at my dedicated 3D printing blog ~~
Thank you all for the amazing support and engagement. Your time and thoughts are a valuable commodity, and I always do my best to reward engagement and engage back!
Thanks for stopping by, have a great day! -
