Okay folks, lemme tell you about my bumpy ride trying to grow this Flor de Izote thing. Honestly, didn’t know squat when I started. Saw a picture, thought “Wow, cool flower!” and just dove right in. Big mistake number one right there.
Jumped In Headfirst, Got Wet Feet
So picture this. My buddy gave me this ugly, little stump with some stringy roots hanging off it. Said it was an “Izote pup.” Looked like a piece of driftwood more than a plant! I figured, how hard could it be? Slapped it into this little plastic pot I had lying around, stuffed it with regular garden dirt from my yard. Poured water on it like I was trying to drown it. Felt pretty proud.
Days went by. Nothing happened. Weeks passed. Still nothing. Started poking it, wondering if it was already dead. Then the leaves started looking kinda sad, yellow and droopy. Panic mode! Hit up the plant forums, finally realized I screwed up big time.
Learning the (Very) Hard Way
Turns out this Flor de Izote ain’t like my thirsty tomatoes. It basically told me:
- “Stop drowning me!”
- “Your dirt sucks!”
- “I need sun, dummy!”
Okay, fine. Lesson learned the hard way. Pulled the poor thing out – roots were kinda mushy, yuck. Trimmed off the nasty bits. Ditched the wet dirt. Went to the store, grabbed the cheapest bag of cactus mix I could find. Found a much smaller pot this time, one with those holes in the bottom. Stuff doesn’t like wet feet, apparently.
Round Two: Actually Reading Stuff (Kinda)
Repotted the sad stump into its new desert mansion – all that gritty cactus soil. Put the pot smack in the middle of my sunniest spot, the one that fries ants by noon. Watered it? Barely. Like, maybe soaked it once a month? Okay, maybe twice if I remembered and things were real hot. But mostly, I just kinda… forgot about it. Plant neglect became my secret weapon.
And you know what? Months later, this weird thing started showing signs of life! Tiny nubs poked out near the base. New growth! Slow as molasses, but hey, progress! Felt like winning the lottery after failing the first test.
What Actually (Kinda) Worked
So after killing almost one plant and reviving another, here’s the scrappy low-down that worked for me:
- Pot Size Matters: Use something small. Way smaller than you think you should. Big pots just trap water and cause rot.
- Soil is Key: Forget fancy nutrients. Cactus or succulent mix is the only way to go. That gritty stuff drains like a dream.
- Sun Worship: Bake it. Seriously. Give it the hottest, sunniest spot you have. All day. Mine gets southern exposure. It eats it up.
- Water is the Enemy: Water it like, almost never. Seriously. When the soil is bone-dry for days, and then give it a good soak. Then forget it again. Forget about a schedule.
- Ignore it: Honestly, this might be the best tip. Don’t fuss. Don’t hover. Just stick it in sun, water occasionally, and let it do its thing.
Mine hasn’t flowered yet – still just getting bigger and kinda spiky. Looks tough. Heard flowering takes ages and needs maturity. But hey, it’s alive! After almost murdering it? I’ll take that as a win. It’s a weirdo plant for weirdo plant parents who forget to water. Maybe next year it’ll surprise me. Or maybe not. We’ll see.
