Anyone keeping graptopetalum pentandrum

[jrh3]

Picked this little plant up for 1 dollar, wanna try to keep it on one of my Tarantula shelves, it had led lighting. Any tips on keeping this species?

 

[docwade87]

Assuming this is a dry succulent species plant? Pretty cool! I don’t have much luck indoors with plants. Interested to see what you find out here. Maybe I’ll learn something too!

 

[jrh3]

Assuming this is a dry succulent species plant? Pretty cool! I don’t have much luck indoors with plants. Interested to see what you find out here. Maybe I’ll learn something too!

I find a huge interest in succulent plants for some reason. This is the start of my collection.

 

[schmiggle]

Succulents are very cool, I have a small collection at the moment and I think they have wonderful shapes. You'll need to supplement lighting if this is like the succulents I've kept (and based on what I've read online), otherwise water sparingly and use a fast draining medium. For what it's worth, I've very successfully grown cacti outside in a wet New England summer just by keeping them in gravel and letting them get rained on; it dries out quickly so they never get waterlogged. You can water thoroughly somewhat infrequently with a well draining medium, although with this plant I probably wouldn't go as extreme as gravel (I killed a Gasteria doing that).

 

[The Snark]

Is this the succ sometimes called 'the living rock'? Can go for a year or more without water and usually grows at half the speed of the average glacier?

 

[schmiggle]

Is this the succ sometimes called 'the living rock'? Can go for a year or more without water and usually grows at half the speed of the average glacier?

No, that would generally be Lithops, though there are a number of other plants that also fit your description: Geohintonia, Aztekium (esp. ritteri), Ariocarpus, Lophophora, Strombocactus, Obregonia, and certain Conophytum (e.g. burgeri). I personally also think Cintia look like rocks, but I've never seen them listed that way.

 

[jrh3]

Succulents are very cool, I have a small collection at the moment and I think they have wonderful shapes. You'll need to supplement lighting if this is like the succulents I've kept (and based on what I've read online), otherwise water sparingly and use a fast draining medium. For what it's worth, I've very successfully grown cacti outside in a wet New England summer just by keeping them in gravel and letting them get rained on; it dries out quickly so they never get waterlogged. You can water thoroughly somewhat infrequently with a well draining medium, although with this plant I probably wouldn't go as extreme as gravel (I killed a Gasteria doing that).

Supplemental as in some strip led lights? Would this be enough?

 

[schmiggle]

Supplemental as in some strip led lights? Would this be enough?

Dunno the specific requirements for this species, but it depends on the LED strip lights. I use two 1600 lumen (I think) LED bulbs about half a foot away from my lithops and cactus and an LED sun lamp about half a foot away from my fenestraria, and so far that's been working. I use LEDs to save power and prevent burns. I personally never go under 15,000 lux over 12 hours, but you could probably get away with far less, especially if you're not too particular on the short, flat, stubby look common in wild succulents, which I find attractive.