Hi all!

Here are detailed instructions for the Bryophyllum and
Sempervivum plantlets:

Note: Alex, please forward this mail to Melanie, cause I don't have
her email.

* use Cactus soil only
* use a large pot (~15-25cm in diameter) to avoid toppling over
  of the large adult plant (1-1.5m!)
  Pots of almost any size for the Sempervivum can be used.
* use plastic pots to avoid total loss of moisture when in a really
  warm and sunny place
* put the plantlets into the soil so that the plantlets are half in
  the soil (roots in the soil ;-) , and the rest of the planlets is
  above the soil
* for the Sempervivum, just make a small cavity into the soil and put
  them in
* carefully press the soil around the new plantlets and Sempervivum,
  so that the roots have good contact to the moist soil
  Attention: don't press too hard - otherwise the small plants will
  suffer from damage
* put as many Sempervivum in one pot as you like - since those are
  plants not growing high, they will arrange themselfs
* water only when the surface of the soil in the pot is little dry
* do not water the plants with water directly from the tap: put tap
  water into a bottle and let it rest for at least one day, to allow
  chlorine evaporation
* use liquid cactus fertilizer (mix accordingly to the instructions
  on the fertilizer bottle) with the water almost everytime you
  water the plants
* NEVER EVER let any water stand in the saucer beneath the pot:
  This can be lethal to succulent plants.
  If some water remains in the saucer after watering (look for it
  about half a hour later), just pour the water out of the saucer.
  If there has been much rain - check for standing water in the saucers
* Especially the Bryophyllum need much light, so place them in a
  really sunny place
* Bryophyllum cannot withstand temperatures lower than below the
  freezing point (and only that for a few days), so put them in a
  cool, rather dark place during the winter (e.g. cellar)
* You can leave the Sempervivum outside during winter, but do not
  forget to water them every 3-4 weeks IF you keep them on a balcony.
  Even if it is freezing outside. It is an urban legend that plants
  left outside over winter do not need any water. They do!
  If you keep the Sempervivum in your garden with natural watering
  (rain or snow in winter), you do not need to water them in winter.
* for Sempervivum almost any soil will do - you do not have to use
  cactus soil

Here you can see my new pots with Bryophyllum and the Sedum Palmeri(?)
from Alex ;-) and the old pots with the Sempervivum:
http://www.bryophyllum.com/b-new-season-2006.php

To see my plants in 2005, see:
http://www.bryophyllum.com/b-new-season.php

And if you wonder where those incredible Bryophyllum originally come
from, here is a satellite photo of ESA of Madagascar:
http://www.bryophyllum.com/b-madagascar.php

Happy growing,
il Capitano 8-)