Question

donkey's tail calluses   Brought a matured donkeys tail home from a garden store about a month ago (the pot is pretty full, longest stems are around 7inches long). Lately I've been noticing small calluses appearing on the leaves, not too many but enough to be noticed. It has not been repotted since I brought it back, I've taken care to to keep the soil moist, not long ago it was pretty warm out with lots of direct sun so I watered it about every 2nd to 3rd day. Since then I've noticed the calluses and I've kept them indoors by the window, watering every week or so.

Basically I'd like to know what the calluses mean, and if I'm over watering it? (or not enough? too much or too little sun? wrong soil? too full?)

Thanks in advance for your help!
s.

Answer
Hi Sandy,

Those spots are most commonly caused by too much sunlight. It is unclear from what you wrote, but if you had your Burros' Tail outside in the sun, that is the likely cause. Outdoor sun is much more intense than indoor direct sun. Ideally, this plant should be indoors hanging in a sunny window or outside in the shade.

The soil is fine and there is no reason to repot this plant...ever. It has a small, fine root system that needs to dry out quickly and throughly after each watering. A small pot helps that process. When indoors, it should not need water more than once every one or two weeks. The soil should dry very deep into the pot before adding water. Improper light and too frequent waterings are the only things that cause problems with this otherwise hardy plant.

As stems become long and start to lose older leaves, prune them back to within a few inches of the pot. This will trigger new growth closer to the pot and keep the plant full and compact, rather than long and stringy.

Please let me know if any of this is unclear or if you have any additional questions.

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