I bought this pleiospilos nelii on August 1 – three weeks ago. The top leaf pair was closed. I repotted into a mix of perlite and cactus soil about two weeks ago. I have not watered it at all. The upper and lower leaves are still firm. I was surprised to see the upper leaves opening to reveal a new leaf. I read that watering could trigger leaf stacking, multiple leaves open at a time, but this is happening without watering.
I assume this is healthy and normal behavior for this plant but want to get some confirmation here.
I had run out of taller pots when I repotted so this is in a shorted pot. Should I repot a second time to a taller pot, or wait until the splitting has progressed further? Is a taller pot necessary for this plant?
by UniversalIntellect
2 Comments
These do like a deep pot — I was told 4″ tap root. They take forever to split, so if you have a better pot, I think I’d go ahead with it rather than waiting around. It may be being slow in absorbing the outer leaves because it was overwatered before you got it, so I wouldn’t rush to water. If the largest (middle) pair gets wrinkly or soft, water then.
Looks great- stop watering until you have two sets of leaves again. Inner leaves will use water from outer leaves. You don’t want to have more than two sets at a time.