kuro-shinju

[u bada]

So I tried a "special" cultivar a few years ago and killed it within a year, after some discussion of it here, and further research i decided to try one again... and got this recently at a show... and coincidentally it fit perfectly in a mame bonsai pot i've had for years laying around... actually i have two of the same pot, and had i known it would have fit this perfectly, would have gotten a second but oh well... lol

it's one of the smallest varieties from what I read and of the faster growing varieties of the smaller ones according to vendor, so hopefully it'll do well. the last variety i got was tamakongo and it grew painfully slow...

There's a spike growth nestled in one of the fans, so hoping things go well this year...

I'll have it on my balcony where it'll get morning sun and even some late afternoon sun, sheltered just a bit by other plants. And considering watering was my main problem last time, I'm going to submerge the whole thing then let dry for some days before I water again... and very little water in fall/winter when it'll get to upper 30's.

main concern is humidity can be in the 30's and less for much of the year, and it's expected to be one of the hottest summers, so expecting 100 degree weather days in late summer and early fall...

Any tips, thoughts would be appreciated!

[WhiteRabbit]

Nice one

[MattWoelfsen]

Very nice presentation of this very small Kuroshinju 黒真珠. This is considered one of the smaller bean leaf plants "Mame-ba". So nice connection with the pot.

Despite its small size, the plant is very hardy. You have to be careful about letting water pool in the stem (jiku) as these are prone to crown rot. The flowers are small and they are "heaven facing".

Everyone should have this "Black Pearl". Congratulations.

[u bada]

Thanks WhiteRabbit and Mattweolfsen!

And thanks mattweolfsen for the info... it does look like a little tough guy... the last one I had and killed was a tamakongo, and it was because I watered it too often a. and b. water got trapped in the leaves as you noted, and c. I watered too often in winter specifically... i feel optimistic that with getting it in late spring Ill have a good growing season to water and try out the best spot for it before fall/winter sets in when in can sit there and do nothing. Even get blooms hopefully.

While I'm no neo aficionado, I have appreciated it's traditional practice, presentation etc, and am pretty happy with how well it fits the pottery and how it presents, thanks for the comment on this.

I'll be near a vendor that has neo cultivars this weekend, and may get at least one more, we'll see...

[MattWoelfsen]

Oh, oh u bada...this is a slippery slope...you go to that vendor and you MIGHT just get one...but then you'll see another one. You will say to yourself...Nah, I'm just going to get this other one...you go home...

You think about the one you left behind. It naws on you, you start to rationalize, you start denying you don't need it but then...

You call the vendor, they say it's still available.....

Neofinetia are very alluring, LOL!

[Marco]

Great choice and well suited for that pot. This is one of my favorite varieties.

I was very skeptical about buying this plant because it was so small. I felt that I would kill it in a matter of weeks. However, as Matt eluded to, soon after aqcuiring I found that this variety is very hardy.

[No-Pro-mwa]

Cute one.

[bethmarie]

Adorable plant and lovely presentation in the perfect pot.