I've been watching this plant of 'Tristesse' for a while and now my worst fears are realised - a flowering shoot! But no chicks I have two plants but both exactly the same
Up she comes ......


And after 'the treatment'.


These 2 were freebies I received with an order last year so nothing lost, but I really would like to keep Tristesse now I've seen her. Its rosettes are as hard as iron over the winter, beautifully symmetrical and a nice brownish shade too. Let it live!

So, ladies and gentlemen - and those of no fixed gender - place your bets. Will I be rewarded with even one tiny rosette?

that you get something!

Pictish, you managed a very clean looking incision on that going-to-flower rosette, hope it works for you to buy enough time to stimulate chick production. Looked it up in the Semp database, great looking rosette, so worth the effort to try forcing chicks (while on the database, added it to my want list ).

From 6 semp orders this spring, it seemed standard practice to receive at least one large rosette and then a couple sizeable chicks, often more. From some vendors single rosettes were sent in a few cases, without rosettes, now I'm watching anxiously for those single rosettes to produce chicks.

Hey! Semp 'Hey Hey' is going to flower, fortunately that one came with a second mature rosette now with 5-6 chicks.



I'm watching 'Raspberry Ice', came as a huge single mature rosette, now suspiciously growing taller, maybe it's a rosette that grows that way, I don't know, only have had it here for a month, no chicks yet. Fingers crossed it doesn't flower

Nice work Pictish. I vote for offsets forming.

Mark, keeping my fingers crossed that your 'Raspberry Ice' will produce offsets. It is looking suspicious.

I think you'll get offsets. I have had a few of my new purchases do that too. That was before I knew I could perform surgery on them.

I did not know you could do that. I wish I had known sooner, I lost a couple of semps I really liked because they bloomed out before making babies. At least with this method you at least have a chance of getting babies.

Melissa.

I find after doing this the plant does better in bright shade, good luck Pictish!

Thanks for the Good Luck wishes - I'll try to remember to keep you all updated.

Thinking about it, I have two near identical plants so I'll try one in bright sun (as long as it lasts) and one in shade. Or maybe a shot of high nitrogen fertiliser? Hmmm ....

I noticed more plants shooting up flower stems, here are a few shots of S. dolomiticum x montanum, I had forgotten that I had this one from Mark Brandhorst in 2012, ended up ordering it again inadvertently in my spring 2018 semp orders. I'm wondering about flower color, the semp database shows them as deep pink, it has not flowered for me before.

stems about 4" tall:


non-flowering rosettes:


close-up of flower buds:

Nice colony Mark. I love the blooms on this one.

I thought this might be of interest to semp fans who order mail order plants, or receive the plants in other ways. From 144 semp cultivars ordered spring 2018, this is my preliminary list of those that will flower. With new incoming semp plants, flowering can mean the loss of what's been ordered unless some chicks came with the plants ordered.

abbreviation: flwg = flowering

format:
# cultivar #flwg rosettes ~#chicks or non-flowerings rosettes (+ notes if any)

the list (so far):
1. 'Akhenaten' 1 flwg - 2 large chicks
2. 'Faramir' 1 flwg - 1 not flowering (2nd hen might flower, can't tell yet, no chicks)
3. 'Hey Hey' 1 flwg - 1 hen not flwg, many chicks
4. 'Holly Jolly' 1 flwg - 2 large chicks
5. 'Hot Shot' 2 flwg - several chicks
6. 'Kip' 1 flwg - 0 chicks *(possible loss)
7. 'Neptune' 1 flwg - 0 chicks *(possible loss)
8. 'Niphetos' 2 flwg - 1 hen not flwg, several chicks
9. 'Novak' 3 flwg - 1 chick
10. 'Pruhonice' 1 flwg - several chicks
11. 'Purple Passion' 1 flwg - 0 chicks *(possible loss)
12. 'Raspberry Ice' 1 flwg - 0 chicks *(possible loss)
13. 'Seminole' 2 flwg - several chicks
14. 'Serapis' 1 flwg - several chicks
15. 'Tordeurs Mem.' 1 flwg - several chicks
16. 'Urmina' 2 flwg - several chicks
17. 'Zorba' 2 flwg - 0 chicks (I ordered this twice, one from diff. vendor, no flwg, thus safe)

summary:
12% incoming new cultivars will flower (so far)
4% incoming new cultivars risk of loss

Notes:
1. Surprised by 'Purple Passion', the only plant from Youngs that came as single rosette without chicks.
2. Some plants in my new semp order were ordered as quantity of two, glad I did because in some cases both single hens received are flowering, thank goodness for chicks.
3. Others might flower as well, will update this list as season progresses.

Mark if I don't order from SMG I usually order 2 plants, these plants bloom when stressed, shipping, replanting, heat, small pot...all sources of stress

I been cutting blooms off today as well! No room for more seedlings. Have 2 flats of seedlings coming up and not sure where I'll put them.

I think this is going to be one of those heavy blooming years. This spring has been totally abnormal for weather here in the PNW.
That is one of the reasons I send young offsets in an order, and why I like to receive young offsets. Sometimes I will add a more mature rosette just so the person can have a plant that shows right away, but always accompanied by young offsets.
The arach types are sending up bloom stalks all over the place. Good thing is that the colonies have plenty of young offsets that are already producing more offsets.

When I send an order do the same. I hate getting a big old hen. They are also harder to transplant. Hard to get over wanting a big plant but with sempervivum smaller is better. Just my thoughts.

Yes I agree too Julia and Lynn, it is nice to see the older plant, but after all that travelling, it is very likely to bloom! Get the scalpel out! I can spot those that haven't even begun to send up the raised part - you can see it kind of gathering up into itself = time to cut! Even then, if the hen is in full sun without some shade, it probably won't send out chicks!

Update on Sempervivum dolomiticum x montanum flowering, first flowers open today, June 2, 2018. Rather pretty I think.

Far from 100% ambulatory after 2 ER visits this past week, and 2 hospitalizations with successful prostate surgery yesterday, I can manage some very limited walking around so took a few photos on this hot miserably humid day (much cooler weather coming tomorrow for next few days).

Hope you're feeling better soon. Great bloom picture, hard to capture the beauty of the blooms.