PACHYPODIUM DECARYI
PACHYPODIUM is a diverse group of plants found mainly in Madagascar and South Africa. I love this group because of the varying sizes and shapes of each type. one common thing is that they all love bright light and less water. they are drought resistant.
Today I shall be discussing Pachypodium decaryi, one of my very favorites. When I first got this plant it didn't have any leaves, it was in dormancy. During this time it's very tricky to feed the plant with water because that can cause root rot. So, I potted the plant in a dry mix of coarse sand, perlite and pumice stone,. amount of vermicompost was only 10 percent with 1 tsp of bone meal. I love adding bone meal in this type of potting mix because it helps in root growth. I waited patiently for 6 weeks when I first saw the green dots appearing at the tip. Hurray, the new leaves are coming. I started watering the plant more frequently every 3rd day and kept the plant the whole day in the bright sun.
P decaryi is found in central Madagascar. They have a huge caudex looking like a pitcher and leaves are at the top. They don't have any thorns on their stems. They bear white flowers in autumn.
Over the last 3 months, more long green leaves have come with a brilliant look of the plant. I have just fed the plant with a small amount of vermicompost.
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