--- title: "Some of my S. African friends in motion - even if it's slow motion.…" description: "Some of my S. African friends in motion - even if it's slow motion. The Karoo Rose is a really fascinating, confusing ball of wrinkles and showy, bright…" url: "https://getplanta.com/community/vOLjreBcQ-OpqrHIhVSc4w/Ax8xItenLe8dpkg6958VIK" community: "The Cactus & Succulent Circle" author: "Dave_opuntiaface" published: "2025-10-12T14:41:26.903759Z" language: "en" image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gFKgBIDtQUSoNHyzAXA4pLM-wYI4yLGXFPAMGDtMt3o/qLPKZ3yJTiykP1KMgnxdjw.webp?size=large" --- [Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [The Cactus \& Succulent Circle](https://getplanta.com/community/vOLjreBcQ-OpqrHIhVSc4w.md) # Some of my S. African friends in motion - even if it's slow motion.… _Posted by Dave\_opuntiaface on 2025-10-12_ Some of my S. African friends in motion - even if it's slow motion. The Karoo Rose is a really fascinating, confusing ball of wrinkles and showy, bright blooms; in this stage, I could watch it unfolding in almost real-time. I did try the "paint brush in the flower pollen," but across species. It will produce no Karoo Rose x Lithops hybrid. Or will it? Every one of these "open, split horizontal, open, split vertically" came from the same ooze with a slightly different taxonomy. Dreamy Sunday thoughts. Note the brownish red Lithops duo who refuse to eat their young thus far lol. Also, check out those tiny lithops, who are at least two years old. I thought about tossing them, twice, but the roots are very established and clinging. Fun fact: I recently read that Lithops do benefit from a fertilizer, but the nitrogen should be low-ish. Lithops and all the scorched desert/ quartz mine dwellers absorb nutrients more slowly because, well, the organic matter in a quartz mine is scarce. Slow chewers who like light drinks of water, basically...but I am also insistent on an occasional Spring bottom watering. But maybe now I get what people mean by "fertilizer them sometimes." I'm not a flipping greenhouse so IDK. That kind of accounts for the more humidity-gathering blue columnars and melocactus who live in similar inorganic conditions. They are so slow to mature for a reason. Same with barrel cactus, etc. etc. Yes, that outdoor cactus is thriving in completely impacted sand and rocks, and it knows what it's doing. Don't dig it up and add Pearlite :) Okay, enough fake Scientific Model talk. Look at my flowers. ![Attachment 1 of 6](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gFKgBIDtQUSoNHyzAXA4pLM-wYI4yLGXFPAMGDtMt3o/qLPKZ3yJTiykP1KMgnxdjw.webp?size=large) ![Attachment 2 of 6](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gFKgBIDtQUSoNHyzAXA4pLM-wYI4yLGXFPAMGDtMt3o/rmH5CmV7Tv-hd0zf7nVdxg.webp?size=large) ![Attachment 3 of 6](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gFKgBIDtQUSoNHyzAXA4pLM-wYI4yLGXFPAMGDtMt3o/Xf-A8BqGRySwXCn7X8aZJQ.webp?size=large) ![Attachment 4 of 6](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gFKgBIDtQUSoNHyzAXA4pLM-wYI4yLGXFPAMGDtMt3o/h6T-UsvCR-K5p1qVhcFVUg.webp?size=large) ![Attachment 5 of 6](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gFKgBIDtQUSoNHyzAXA4pLM-wYI4yLGXFPAMGDtMt3o/vNo1SUMhTXCD3TKubdmDMA.webp?size=large) ![Attachment 6 of 6](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gFKgBIDtQUSoNHyzAXA4pLM-wYI4yLGXFPAMGDtMt3o/bmUGsR98RTSQufzNBer08g.webp?size=large) ## 9 comments ### Dave\_opuntiaface commented on 2025-10-12 And then these lumps. They are 8 years old. I promise they're coming back. ![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gFKgBIDtQUSoNHyzAXA4pLM-wYI4yLGXFPAMGDtMt3o/zUWtGPPkQ5qIS18D18u_MA.webp?size=large) ### Dave\_opuntiaface commented on 2025-10-12 Same here. ![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gFKgBIDtQUSoNHyzAXA4pLM-wYI4yLGXFPAMGDtMt3o/uzUwMQUHSSaPgIJe_OcCig.webp?size=large) ### Dave\_opuntiaface commented on 2025-10-12 Boop. ![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gFKgBIDtQUSoNHyzAXA4pLM-wYI4yLGXFPAMGDtMt3o/7vNyCogKTweQV9xAFsSv-A.webp?size=large) ### Nunyabzwx commented on 2025-10-12 They are so cool! I have never had these. But whatever you're doing , you're doing it right! #### Dave\_opuntiaface replied on 2025-10-12 I did a lot of wrong last year, but only to clean up bugs; experimental surgery. The ones I'm showing are v 3, but thank you. Here's a 2024 plan where 3 are still with us lol. ![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gFKgBIDtQUSoNHyzAXA4pLM-wYI4yLGXFPAMGDtMt3o/TkY7kuLURn-r75aXqSl_cg.webp?size=large) #### Dave\_opuntiaface replied on 2025-10-12 A survivor. ![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/gFKgBIDtQUSoNHyzAXA4pLM-wYI4yLGXFPAMGDtMt3o/JSS7_ueWQ4ehva7b-3Lgng.webp?size=large) ### Nunyabzwx commented on 2025-10-12 Ahhh ok ### Nunyabzwx commented on 2025-10-12 That ones cool too. I'm going to have to get me one even though I've been downsizing alot lately. #### Dave\_opuntiaface replied on 2025-10-14 Same on downsizing! --- _Source: the Planta community (https://getplanta.com). Reading is open to everyone. To post, comment and like, get the Planta app: https://getplanta.com/download_