Stringy, Leggy Succulents

Something I have been struggling with lately is getting my succulents to grow as thick and full as were when I first got them.  My echeveria originally started out growing larger leaves (maybe this was during summer?), but since then I haven't been able to get any of the propagates to grow leaves much larger than an inch or two.

Check out the echeveria curving up the left side - it's more stem than leaf!

I have to think this has something to do with the lighting conditions I have.  Maybe it's time to start thinking about artificial lighting as a supplement.

Checking in on my Moses in the cradle, I was at first pleased to see how much it had grown.  Upon closer inspection, I realized that the growth was again mostly vertical and not much foliage.

Look at the height this bad boy has achieved!

...and yet when you look closer, the spacing between leaves is over an inch...

...as compared to the original growth, which was quite dense leaf shoots.

I'm not sure what to do about this Moses.  I read online that outdoors you can cut them back, basically in half, to encourage denser growth in the spring.  I might try cutting it back and then setting it outside in a somewhat shady spot to see what kind of growth I can get.

New Strategy for the Begonias

After doing some reading about begonias online and noting their growing requirements, I came to the conclusion that my begonia was doing terribly because the conditions here are not very humid.  Also, the pot I had it in was probably not the best at draining quickly.  It is my understanding that begonias need to be kept in humid environments, but they still need relatively quickly draining soil.

What I have been doing this winter, since the air is so cold and dry, is setting jars of water amongst my plant tiers.  Since I find trays of water and stone to be most annoying and cumbersome, I am trying this alternative approach for now.

Anyway, so I finally decided to repot the begonia, and actually ended up dividing it as well.

For reference, September 2014:

You can see the state of the begonia today in the background, in that hideous pot that I am half tempted to just throw out.  Realistically, I will either give it to someone or drop it in the reusables at Bucks Country Gardens.

I got this cute little Chinese/Japanese-themed ceramic piece at Restore in Chalfont last weekend.  I wasn't sure what to do with it... until now!  I like the way the begonia looks all bonsai in it.

The rest of the big ol' begonia gets nestled into a lower shelf surrounded by four jars of tap water.

Fried Bamboo, What is the Deal!?

I am at a loss for what has happened to my bamboo plant.  It seems that after I repotted it in a new jar with just rocks, it's started to turn yellow and is now almost completely yellow.  The little pot it came in had rocks, but it also had some of that clear gel that absorbs water and slowly releases it.  Perhaps this bamboo variety is not accustomed to complete submersion in water, which is why they had the gels in there.  I thought the gels were more of a watering convenience for the greenhouse as it meant they would not have to water it as frequently.  But it certainly seems that I am incorrect.

Here is my bamboo shortly after repotting it a month and a half ago:

Here it is today:

Taking a closer look at the roots, most of them seem fine, those one has a bit of an orange tinge to it, which leads me to believe it is not enjoying the constant exposure to water.  I'm going to stop by Agway and pick up some of that gel in a fresh bag and throw it into the stone mix.  For now, I've just drained all of the water out of the jar and hope that helps to dry out the roots some.

When my Chinese evergreen started to turn yellow, the "root" of the problem was overwatering and zero drainage whereby the the majority of the roots had rotted out.  I'm not sure that this is an identical problem, but it's the only inference I can make at this time.  As usual, I will keep you posted!