If you bought them from Allen Lowrie, don't kill them ;-) His prices
are a bit expensive, but his range of plants is excellent. Last resort
only for me...
I probably gave my seeds too much heat, which would explain why only I
only got 3 (? - 1 survivor) seedlings. The main element you want is
heat & ash, not necessarily flames, so straw/grass etc. would be
perfect. I used straw with some methylated spirits to kick start it
(probably my mistake).
The survivor is over 3 feet high, but is starting to die back rapidly
after 2 years of constant growth. The small side shoot about an inch
from the base has died back a bit too, but this is probably where I will
cut the stem (argh!) once the top dies back.
>In spite of Paul T.'s words of gloom the rosettes continue to enlarge. Of
>course, this is a relative term, as the largest few rosettes are perhaps only
>6mm in diameter. I am hoping that they get relatively large before they
>flower. I want to get self-sustaining on this plant.
I'm still waiting to plant my seed (mid-summer here), so can't add
anything to the comments I posted from other growers. I can't vouch for
their validity - the same grower also said that U. australis was
difficult to grow in containers