This is a plant that many of us get upset. We think we know him well, but… we always make mistakes, and sometimes it’s simply because we give him a little more water than he needs, but that’s enough for the trunk to just rot.
The truth is that the Pachypodium lamerei It is a succulent shrub / tree whose white flowers have more than one of us in love, but. Why, if the experts tell us that it is easy to care for, we are not lucky enough to have a healthy specimen?
This story began like many others: viewing images of adult specimens on the Internet. Due to the size it reaches, and because I had the opportunity to see some in the village’s cactus and succulent nursery later on, I decided to buy one, to see how it was. I had everything ready: pot, substrate … I had even chosen the location, which of course would be at full sun.
Everything was going well, until the rains came. That year there were some in a row, so the substrate – black peat alone – was moistened for quite some time. And that’s when the problems arose.
Yes: the stem began to rot, until finally a fungus attacked it and I lost it. But this year I have tried again, yes, with a much younger specimen (it is about 6cm tall), and the truth is that at the moment it is growing wonderfully. Why? Because has a very, very porous substrate that allows you to have aerated roots.
Thus, if you have also had problems, I recommend that you do the same: change the substrate. I use specific ones for bonsai that, although they are totally different plants, that have nothing to do with each other, they are quality substrates that help the cacti and succulents have an exceptional growth. For the Pachypodium I mixed 70% akadama with 30% kiryuzuna, but you can mix 70% perlite with 30% river sand.
Water once a week and, most importantly: in winter protect it in a greenhouse or inside the home -always in a very bright room-, and water very occasionally.
With these tips, sure that your Pachypodium can have an optimal development and growth. You will tell me to see how you are doing .
