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Aphid Rain: That’s not sap coming from your Texas Pecan trees. It’s aphid excretions, yay!

So here’s another fun problem to look out for, but only if you have a pecan tree nearby: Aphid Rain. (I think I made that term up, but maybe there’s something more scientificky.)
I first noticed my car literally covered with small sticky droplets and thought it might have been nectar from the Crepe Myrtle flowers overhead. Then I noticed similar droplets on my plants’ leaves, table, deck…pretty much everywhere in my backyard where there is no Crepe Myrtle in sight.

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Let’s talk about heat dormant succulents for a sec.

June 2022 forecast Houston, Texas

Okay then. Let’s talk about heat dormant succulents for a sec. In extreme heat, a lot of succulent plants will slow down or completely stop growing to conserve their energy. Overwatering at this time = risk of them rotting. So how do we know when it’s time to reduce or stop watering? How do we know when a succulent isn’t actively growing? Observation. Some signs of growth include flowering, new leaf production, increasing in size etc. Making notes and taking pics of your plants (as we do) builds familiarity with their growing cycles.

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Parts 1 and 2: Potting up two BIG Desert Roses Bonsai plants (Adenium obesum)

Intro to video of potting up two big Adenium obesums. Shows a large Adenium with big bright pink flowers.

PART 1: My husband came home with 2 gorgeous Desert Rose bonsai plants and it’s up to me to pot them up! First we reveal the massive caudex and treat a rot spot with sulfur powder before transferring to a new planter.

PART 2: We reveal a fantastically massive caudex, clean it up, and repot it in a new planter. And we get to see both newly potted plants side-by-side. Spoiler alert – they are gorgeous!

Continue… “Parts 1 and 2: Potting up two BIG Desert Roses Bonsai plants (Adenium obesum)”