| FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS 9. Sun spots?
Adromischus plants
often have spotted markings upon their leaves. In
winter, these fade in colour, but fortunately the
colour returns each summer with better sunshine
and higher temperatures - as with our human
suntans! Bryan Makin used to achieve wonderful
colouring by growing plants in a low glass frame
and removing the top during the summer months to
provide direct sunshine. Thus, as much sunshine
as possible is generally recommended for these
plants to bring out their best colours. If grown
in shade, such as under greenhouse staging,
Adro's rapidly become non-descript, leggy and
green.
However, beware of
scorching at the hottest times for section 2
& 3 species. These usually grow in shaded
rock cracks. I remember finding A. schuldtianus in Namibia all along a deep fissure under a reef
of rock, where the sun would never reach, but
water could trickle.
Occasionally as a
plant grows, the spots increase in area. Some
sports can be completely covered with the red
colouring and these are, of course, highly valued
horticulturally. Two examples that I have grown
are: A. alstonii (as A. triflorus)
ISI 1377 and an A. marianiae purple
sport from Chris Rodgerson.
|
