Boojum looking poorly

Atrox

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Tucson AZ. I have raised my boojum from a bare root peanut size outside. It has had good seasons and bad. This summer We had a long period of 105 F + and before I noticed it was looking poorly. I brought inside where it has been for 2 months. The new leaves came soon after I brought it in but all growth has now stopped. They are known to be winter growers and dormant in summer, as we often do in bonsai, I suppose this one is confused ahahha

Anyone have long-term experience growing these?DSCF2152.JPG
 
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Very odd and cool species, I remenber long time ago seeing photos of them and thinking they were like an alien planet flora or something xD as far as growing them I dont have experience, I only have grown their cousin Fouquieria splendens Ocotillos. Maybe a check on the health of the roots would help. And fot style, it would never be a conventional bonsai anyways so I would go with the natural form of the species

62ba60fd08a48.image.jpg
NationalGeographic_722839webres-copy1.jpg
 

namnhi

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I have zero experience on this specie but isn't it a dessert plant? Why did you bring it inside from the heat when it is a dessert plant. I would take it outside and put it in a shady spot. I think you will kill it if you keep keeping it inside.
 

Atrox

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"Desert" is a very broad term. There is very little online info on growing them, seed, small, big. Like the ocotillo, transplanting large ones is a mixture of horticulture and black magic but the $ makes the attempts seem worth it to some. The boojum are very slow growing and only occur in a very limited zone of "desert" worldwide. I didn't just jump into trying to raise one but research even with the www results in few real hands-on info. Mine is 10 years old or so always in the same box and soil shown. Our extreme prolonged heat this year is not something that occurs in their type of "desert" and its trip inside was in response to a never seen rapid change in health. I have no intention of "keeping it inside." Give it a try if you are feeling froggy, seeds are only a buck each but one the size of mine is on the bay now for over $900, so seems they are not too easy to keep happy as long as I have with mine.
 

namnhi

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"Desert" is a very broad term. There is very little online info on growing them, seed, small, big. Like the ocotillo, transplanting large ones is a mixture of horticulture and black magic but the $ makes the attempts seem worth it to some. The boojum are very slow growing and only occur in a very limited zone of "desert" worldwide. I didn't just jump into trying to raise one but research even with the www results in few real hands-on info. Mine is 10 years old or so always in the same box and soil shown. Our extreme prolonged heat this year is not something that occurs in their type of "desert" and its trip inside was in response to a never seen rapid change in health. I have no intention of "keeping it inside." Give it a try if you are feeling froggy, seeds are only a buck each but one the size of mine is on the bay now for over $900, so seems they are not too easy to keep happy as long as I have with mine.
I still don't think it should be inside. No tree that I know of has a better life inside than outside...
 

namnhi

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I think you are right. Good luck with your 900 bucks plant.
 
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