Some of the plants on the front porch on 7-1-25.
Hello everyone! I hope this post finds you well. I don’t have a garden this year, so I can give the plants on the front porch more attention. There are three litters of kittens on the back porch (GEEZ!!!), so all the potted plants are on the front porch. Well, I first put the Alocasia pots along the south side of the house, then moved them in front of the shrubs in front of the house (on July 4). Cactus and succulents aren’t exactly the most needy plants, but at some point, they do need to have larger pots and fresh soil. On the front porch, none of the plants get what we call full sun (6 or more hours of direct sun). The front porch faces west, is covered, and there are two good-sized maple trees providing afternoon sun. All the plants somehow get direct sun at certain times of the day and seem to do amazingly well.
While the plants on the front porch consist mainly of cactus and succulents, there are also other plants… Amorphophallus konjac, Sauromatum venosum, Tradescantia, Callisia fragrans, Ledebouria, Billbergia nutans… You get the picture.
The work table that has been on the back porch since 2019 was moved to the front porch. It’s what I use for repotting. I built this table, as well as the tables I have the plants on, while I was living in Mississippi. The top and shelf of the work table is made of old cypress boards that were once part of the old covered patio behind the mansion. Well, it was a big house… The plant tables are made of boards that were stacked in the old patio that were once part of a fence that surrounded the back yard. I made tables that surrounded the inside of the two large sunrooms in Mississippi. I took a few apart and brought them with me when I moved back here in 2013. They have come in handy…
I repotted a few plants last year (and every year), but I lit in with a purpose on May 30… I wrote that while laughing… I don’t repot everyday, obviously, and some days I just look at the plants with a “?” on my face. Then I realized that some of the plants have the same expression. It like they are saying, “Well, is it my turn yet?” “What about me?”
Every plant gets a before photo, its roots, the new pot is measured, then an after photo is taken. That may seem a bit excessive, but I do that for the plants pages and the journal. Well, I guess the blog is a journal…
So, lets get started before I change my mind or get distracted…
May 30…
Cereus repandus f. monstruosus ‘Rojo’ in a new 6 1/2″ tall x 6 1/4″ wide pot on 5-30-25, #1048-2.
At first, I hadn’t thought of taking before photos and photos of their roots, so the Cereus repandus f. monstruosus ‘Rojo’ and the others repotted on May 30 just have an after photo…
I found a larger 6 1/2″ tall x 6 1/4″ diameter pot that seemed suitable. I had bought a few bags of Dr. Earth Cactus and Succulent Mix last year, so I used what was left on May 30.
Espostoa melanostele subsp. nana (Peruvian Old Lady) on 5-30-25, #1048-8.
I removed the old potting mix and added new to the Espostoa melanostele subsp. nana (Peruvian Old Lady), but I used the same pot it has been in since 2021. She doesn’t have much of a root system, so she didn’t’t need a larger pot. Of course, I had straighten her up a bit (AGAIN) since she is a leaner… Well, she easily leans because she doesn’t have many roots to hold her up. To say she has been in the same pot since 2021 is an understatement, though. She has been in and out and back in multiple times. It isn’t uncommon for there to be rocks in her pot to help with that.
I had to be careful not to mess up her new hairdo… A friend came over one day and thought she was pretty neat. Of course, he had to touch her. He gave her a little squeeze and found out the hard way she has sharp spines under the soft hair. 🙂
Stenocereus pruinosus (Gray Ghost, Etc.) on 5-30-25, #1048-15.
The Stenocereus pruinosus (Gray Ghost, Organ Pipe, Etc.) now has a larger 6″ tall x 6 1/4″ wide pot. It seems to like its new pot and I hope it likes Dr. Earth’s potting mix… This is a well mannered friend.
June 2…
Still, no before photos so I snuck in a few from last October…
Aloe humilis (Hedgehog Aloe) at 5 1/2″ tall x 6 3/4″ wide on 10-14-24, #1022-1.
The Aloe humilis (Hedgehog Aloe, ETC.) was still in its 4 1/2″ diameter x 5″ tall pot I brought it home in 2024. It also had a few dead leaves that needed removed.
Aloe humilis (Hedgehog Aloe) on 6-2-25, #1050-1.
WHOA! When I removed the plant from the old pot, I saw it had a very good root system and could definitely use a larger pot.
Aloe humilis (Hedgehog Aloe) in its new 6″ tall x 6 1/2″ diameter pot on 6-2-25, #1050-2.
I gave it a 6″ tall x 6 1/2″ diameter pot… I ran out of Dr. Earth Cactus Mix, so I just used Miracle Grow Potting Mix with a little extra perlite and chicken grit. I always go to the driveway and put enough rocks in the pot to cover the bottom for drainage.
Gasteria ‘Little Warty’ at 6″ tall x 9″ wide on 10-14-24, #1022-12.
The Gasteria ‘Little Warty’ had been in the same pot since it was repotted in 2021 and was feeling a little cramped up.
Gasteria ‘Little Warty’ in a larger 5″ tall x 6 1/2″ wide pot on 6-2-25, #1050-3.
I decided to give the Gasteria ‘Little Warty’ a makeover and put it in a larger 5″ tall x 6 1/2″ wide pot. It had several dead leaves I needed to remove to tidy it up a bit. As you can see, it has several good-sized offsets.
Haworthiopsis limifolia (Fairy Washboard, Etc.) after it was repotted on 6-2-25, #1050-4.
I put the Haworthiopsis limifolia (Fairy Washboard, File-Leaf Haworthia, ETC.) in this larger pot last year so it was still fine. For some reason I decided it needed new potting mix again.
June 4…
Aloe juvenna (Tiger Tooth Aloe) on 6-4-25, #1052-1.
The Aloe juvenna (Tiger Tooth Aloe) has had its ups and downs the last several years. Judging by its root system, it seemed better suited for a little smaller and shallower pot. To much unused soil under the roots may have been causing problems for this one…
Aloe x ‘Amethyst’ on 10-14-24, #1022-2.
As you can see in the above photo of the Aloe x ‘Amethyst’ taken last October, it definitely needed a new pot…
Aloe x ‘Amethyst’ roots on 6-4-25, #1052-2.
It has a very nice root system.
Aloe x ‘Amethyst’ in a larger 5″ tall x 6 1/2″ diameter pot on 6-4-25, #1052-3.
Looking much better after removing some dead leaves and putting it in a larger 5″ tall x 6 1/2″ diameter pot.
Aloe x ‘Amethyst’ leaves on 6-4-25, #1052-4.
I really like this Aloe and its interesting leaves… Umm, I don’t have a page for this one yet…
Aloe x ‘Pink Blush’ at 4 1/2″ tall x 6 1/2″ wide on 10-14-24, #1022-4.
I brought this Aloe x ‘Pink Blush’ home last spring and it has been doing very well.
Aloe x ‘Pink Blush’ in a larger 4 1/2″ tall x 6″ diameter pot on 6-4-25, #1052-5.
I decided to put it in a larger 4 1/4″ tall x 6″ diameter pot to give it a little more room…
x Gasteraloe ‘Flow’ before repotting on 6-4 25, #1052-6.
I brought this x Gasteraloe ‘Flow’ home in 2022 after I lost the one I had since 2016 to a mealy bug infestation. The plant had been in the same pot since I brought it home and it needed a makeover… This is when I started taking “before” photos…
x Gasteraloe ‘Flow’ root system on 6-4 25, #1052-7.
I took it out of the pot to have a look at its roots. There was a nice root system and many offsets. I trimmed off the dead leaves and removed some of the old potting mix. It doesn’t hurt to trim off some of the old roots as they grow new ones during the growing period.
x Gasteraloe ‘Flow’ in a larger 4 1/2″ tall x 5 1/2″ wide pot on 6-4 25, #1052-.
I decided to put the plant in a larger 4 1/2″ tall x 5 1/2″ wide pot.
I think I will stop with this post and start working on part 2 or it will get very long…
Until next time, be safe, stay positive, stay thankful, and GET DIRTY!
The Belmont Rooster 