Tiger jaws succulent

What should you grow when you desperately want to grow a venus flytrap but struggle to keep one alive?  The answer, surprisingly, is to grow a succulent.  

Tiger jaws succulents (Faucaria tigrina) look superficially similar to a venus fly trap with open jaws and ferocious looking teeth.  While it looks similar to a flytrap, these are not carnivorous, they don't move.  

These succulents have soft harmless teeth, but they sure look like they could take a nasty bite out of you. 

Tiger jaw succulent

Tiger jaw succulent

Tiger's jaw succulents look great and are easy to grow succulents, yet are not seen overly often.  They are not rare, and are not difficult to grow, but you don't see them every day.  I guess this is because they are not overly fast growers. 

Like a lot of interesting and unique plants, the tiger jaw succulent originally came from South Africa.  I don't know what it is with that country, but they have a lot of unique and cool looking plants.

Tigers jaw succulent

Starting to divide

Tiger's jaw succulent looks like gaping mouths with vicious teeth.  Some forms are a bit stripey, others more spotted, other forms are mostly green.  The more reddish orange colour you see on mine is only on older leaves that are fading and about to die.  

The scary looking teeth on the edges of the leaves are soft, and do not pose any risk of hurting anyone.  If (ie when) your kids touch them, the plants are in far more danger of being hurt than your kids.  

They grow a surprisingly large, yellow, daisy like flower once per year usually in autumn or winter.  The flower can sometimes be larger than the entire plant.  I find that they tend to divide/clump after flowering. 

Look like ferocious mouths

The teeth on this succulent look vicious but are actually really soft.  Unlike a cactus or a rose, you could not hurt yourself on this plant.  This plant is great for kids because they can't hurt delicate fingers.  Unlike a Venus flytrap these plants can take a bit of rough treatment.  

I have read that the teeth on a tiger jaw succulent are used by the plant to capture and direct water to its roots.  I am not sure if I believe that, when I water them the teeth never direct the water towards the roots.  I guess their purpose doesn't matter, what matters is how cool they look.

Being a succulent, these little ones don't need a lot of water to survive.  I find that most succulents do best when well watered, and tend to rot if sat in water.  

They seem to do well in full sun, but like most plants they appear to prefer a little protection from afternoon sun.  Some people grow them inside the house, this is fine but they need to be on a window sill where they can get a few hours of direct sun, otherwise they will slowly die.

The tiger jaw succulent don't love frosts.  Mine are growing in sheltered positions where they get the occasional light frost without showing damage, but I think hard frost would likely kill them.  

Tiger jaws succulent

If you like succulents, this is one to keep an eye out for.  It is simple enough to grow, and I think it looks incredible.  

If you have kids who want a venus flytrap, but are not likely to keep it alive, then this is worth trying to track down as it looks a lot like a venus flytrap, and is far simpler to keep alive. 

A word of warning, there are a lot of people online who like to sell fake seeds.  If you want a tiger jaw succulent, it is simple to buy a plant, don't buy seeds unless you are certain that you trust the seller.  

Buying seed of cool looking plants from places like Etsy or Ebay does not always work out well as you can't know if you are being sent seeds of this plant or just some random seeds.  Once seeds from ebay or the like grow and you work out you have been duped a lot of time has passed and it is too late for you to do anything about it.

I have no idea how easy these would be to grow from seed, I suspect pretty simple but likely takes a few years to reach a decent size.  It seems simpler for the average gardener to just buy a plant, that way you instantly have an incredible looking plant and you know you will get what you pay for. 

Silverbeet

Silverbeet (Beta vulgaris) is an easy to grow leaf vegetable.  Silverbeet is also called chard, swiss chard, rainbow chard, leaf beet, perpetual spinach, and beet spinach.   

When I was a child (and in some parts of Australia today) this vegetable was mostly called 'spinach'.  Silver beet is not closely related to true spinach (Spinacia oleracea).  They are used in similar ways, but they are very different plants, they grow, taste, and look different. 

Coloured silverbeet mix

Like many leaf vegetables, silverbeet is reasonably nutritious.  It is particularly high in vitamin K.  Ten grams of raw silverbeet leaf contains the recommended daily intake of vitamin K.  

Like many vegetables, silverbeet contains some anti-nutrients, in this case it is oxalic acid.  It is not overly high in oxalic acid, and it is usually eaten cooked (heat somewhat degrades oxalic acid), so this is not a big issue.  Some people eat raw leaves in salads, given the relatively low amount of oxalic acid present in the leaves and the small amount of leaves generally eaten, this isn't an issue for most people. 

Much genetic diversity among my silverbeet

Many years ago we bought a pack of silverbeet seeds.  It was a coloured mix and the seedlings grew various coloured petioles (leaf stems).  I liked the look of the yellow ones.  For some reason the yellow ones were always less vigorous in my garden, but I like the looks of them. 

I allowed them to self seed indiscriminately, and we always had some silverbeet of various colours.  We moved house and I took some seeds with us, then I forgot about them.  A few years later I thought about growing silverbeet again and had plenty of seeds that were about ten years old.  I planted a bunch to see if they would work, figuring I could buy more seed if needed.  

Most of the seeds did nothing as they were too old, but some grew, and we have had silverbeet growing ever since.  

Not a great photo: white stem on left, green stem on right

Each year there are different colours in the garden.  A few years ago most had light green stems, I like the look of them.  

This year there are no yellow ones, but we still have red, a vibrant pink that I cannot capture the colour of in my photos, white, and light green.  The leaf is always green, some dark, others light, and over winter some turn purple/reddish green.  

  

Various stem colours

Silverbeet is often considered to be a biennial, They grow one year and they flower and die in their second year.  Given the right conditions many silverbeet plants probably are biennial.  For me some are annuals, they grow, flower, and die in under a year.  Some are indeed biennial, growing one year, then in their second year they flower and die.  Others are short lived perennials, in my garden they survive 4+ years before flowering.  

Silverbeet is the same genus and same species as beetroot, mangelwurzel, and sugar beet.  All of these plants can and will cross readily, so care needs to be taken if seed saving.  

All of these can be grown side by side without affecting the taste of each other or the colour of neighbouring plants.  Growing them next to one another is only an issue if you are allowing them to flower and are planning on collecting seed. 

Pink stems from same plant - far prettier in real life

Beetroot was selected for its large sweet and tender root, mangelwurzel was selected for larger root and leaf, sugar beet was selected for high sugar content, and silverbeet was selected for leaf production.  I find beetroot goes woody and my chickens won't eat it once it grows large, whereas my hens eat every last scrap of mangelwurzel no matter how large and old it is.  

If seed saving, all of these beets will cross pollinate readily.  The plants produce ample pollen that is spread a long distance by the wind.  

I have crossed beetroot and silverbeet a few times, the result is usually a plant with a tiny bulbous root, and produces fewer, smaller, and slightly sweeter leaves than silverbeet.  I am told that crossing silverbeet with sugar beet results in plants with large and tasty leaves.

Various red and pink silverbeet

Seed saving and breeding of silverbeet can be a little difficult and takes a lot of time and garden space.  As mentioned, individual plants can be annuals while many are perennial or biennial.  This may be influenced by environment as well as genetics.  Stress seems to induce flowering, so if you have a nice perennial plant you may be able to stress it into flowering.  Being wind pollinated means your plants may cross if your neighbours are also growing some of this species.

As you can see in the photos, my Silverbeet has a lot of genetic diversity.  I think this is a good thing and try not to create a genetic bottleneck.  Some years I see more diversity than others, this is because it has some recessive genes as well as genes that are only expressed when in the right combination.  

I have always thought about breeding something spectacular with it, but have never gotten around to it.  I tend to just cull things I dislike and allow the ones I like to flower and drop seed.  There are also some that grow in out of the way places in the garden or lawn, which I often allow to flower and seed.  

I have a few plants that have very wide petioles, these look interesting but we don't use petioles much, and my chickens are reluctant to eat these thicker stems.  I had some plants a few years ago that were twice as wide as this, they were short plants that produced little leaf and had extremely wide white petioles.  I culled them.  I probably won't allow these wide petiole silverbeet to flower.  Then again, I may leave one just to keep the diversity in the mix. 

Thick petiole vs thin petiole

I like the bright yellow ones, but they were not as productive in my garden so are slowly disappearing from my mix.  I don't have any bright yellow ones this year, but they may reappear next year.  As much as I like the looks of them, if they are less productive I won't grow them. 

I don't love the looks of white stemmed ones, I prefer the look of light green.  Presumably white is more vigorous or something as that is the most commonly seen in shops, I just don't love the look of it.  In my garden the light green ones seem pretty vigorous. 

The red ones can be very pretty, and my red ones may have some beetroot genes in their heritage.  Many of these are very productive and vigorous.  Some of these will be allowed to set seed.

This year there are some vivid pink plants that I cannot really capture in photos.  I plan to allow them to flower and set seed.  I don't have many of the vivid pink, but they seem to produce well.  I hope I get more vivid pink in future generations.  It wouldn't be overly difficult to bag them and collect self pollinated seed, but I have a feeling that I won't get around to doing that this year.  

Silverbeet grows well over winter here, and provides nutritious and large leaves that we eat as well as feeding to our chickens.  Having some greens over winter is good for the hens.  Silverbeet also grows reasonably well over summer, but needs some water to prevent wilting.  

When my current plants set seed I may collect and offer some for sale through my for sale page.  This will be a mix of colours, and it has been open pollinated, so I can't guarantee what colours you will get.  

My plants probably have some beetroot in their heritage, but are not likely to produce fat roots.  Coloured silverbeet is not rare, and is certainly not difficult to grow from seed, so if I don't have seeds you should be able to find seed for sale somewhere.  You could buy seedlings, but for the same price you will get a lot more seed with a lot more interesting colours.  Seedlings tend to sulk after transplant but pick up if cared for, and seeds grow so easily, so either is a good option to grow these.  Once you have them in the garden, it isn't too difficult to allow some to flower and set seed when the time is right and ensure a continual supply of this vegetable.  

Language learning resources

This blog is mostly about garden nonsense, but thought I would write a post on language learning as it may be useful to someone.  Learning another language is a long process, sometimes it can be difficult to measure your progress.  One method is the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) scale. 

The CEFR is a guideline used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages.  There are various free online CEFR tests which can be useful to help learners determine which level they have achieved, there are also paid tests that would be more accurate and provide formal certification. 

The levels go from A1 to C2.  In CEFR A1 is the lowest level and C2 is the highest.  For most people (myself included), even getting to A1 takes a lot of time and effort.  

CEFR Levels
A Beginners level         A1 A2
B Intermediate level B1 B2
C Advanced level         C1 C2

I am learning a little of the Russian language, I find it fascinating, and difficult.  The best way to learn would probably be if you were immersed in regular conversations with native speakers.  If you have easy access to people who speak Russian that's great.  Face to face (or online) classes with other learners would also be useful if you can access them.  Otherwise there are a bunch of other resources you can use. 

Below are some of the resources I am using to learn Russian.  Some are better than others, most are free (there is a Russian saying: for free, even vinegar is sweet) and none need you to create an account or sign up or anything like that.  

St. John the Baptist Cathedral Russian Orthodox Church

Cyrillic Alphabet - I am a slow learner and I am getting older.  I figured it would take me months to learn the alphabet, or maybe it would be so difficult that I could never learn it.  I was pleasantly surprised when it took me under an hour to learn, the my kids took under half an hour to learn how to read Russian using the link below.  

Learning the Cyrillic alphabet was surprisingly easy.  I didn't start learning the alphabet until I had learned to say a few words and phrases, and I regret not beginning my language journey by learning to read Cyrillic.  Learning how to read changed my learning immediately, and made it possible to learn speaking and pronunciation much faster and far more efficient.  Learning to read was a game changer.  I strongly suggest starting with learning the alphabet.  This link is to a free resource that is very good.  

 https://www.russianforeveryone.com/RufeA/Lessons/Introduction/Alphabet/Alphabet.htm

I think that link is great, but you may get stuck on a letter or not really understand a letter because there are not many examples (plus there are a few letters which have no sound that it does not explain well).  If you get stuck there is also a set of videos to learn Cyrillic in three hours.  These short videos are very comprehensive, they are interesting, and they also teach a few words.  It is made by the same company as the free podcast below.  It is more comprehensive than the link above, but it takes longer to get through.  The alphabet videos in this link are all free. 

 https://russianaccelerator.com/read-russian.html 

Cyrillic alphabet (not my image) is easier to learn than you think

Podcast - RussianMadeEasy, this is a great resource for the absolute beginner.  It has 30 podcasts, each about 20 minutes long, the website has a transcript of the episodes and a media center.  There is also an app of the same content if you are the kind of person who is into apps.  It provides a foundation of how the language works, the basics of grammar, it explains all six verb conjugations, and teaches some basic sentences, etc.  

RussianMadeEasy uses techniques like contextual learning, construction branching, and pattern recognition for grammar, and has voices from multiple native speakers.  I'm told that it teaches around 250 words but am not sure if that includes cognates as I don't feel like I learned many words.  The company that made this stresses that this podcast is not enough for you to learn the language, it is just a great place to start, and it is free. 

 https://russianmadeeasy.com/ 

I think RussianMadeEasy is a great pod cast and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  It took me a long time to complete this as I wanted to master each lesson before moving onto the next, and I went back to older lessons to review as I progressed.  After completing this I did an online CEFR test.  It was a multiple choice test, and out of 50 questions I only got about 12 correct.  Meaning I am rated below A1.  Some of my correct answers were only because I knew some words outside of the podcast.  I think the podcase is great, I learned a lot and I highly recommend completing it if you are a beginner, but you need to realise that completing these lessons won't get you to A1 language proficiency.  That's ok, you need to start somewhere, and those podcasts are a great place to begin.   

That company also produced a free podcast on understanding spoken Russian.  I would link to it but don't know how as I found this on Spotify.  These also seem good, they are intended to help you get an ear for the language, and you pick up a few words and grammar as you go.  

This company also made a few paid courses, I have no opinion as I haven't seen them.  I don't even know if the company is still in operation.  I sent them an email with a question over their paid course and never received a reply.  Regardless, the free podcasts are excellent and well worth your time if you are a beginner.  

Russian Orthodox Church - Divine Liturgy about to begin

Book - New Penguin Russian Course, this is said to be the best Russian language text book for beginners.  This is meant to be good at teaching grammar, which is essential when learning a language.  It contains a few exercises, but not enough for a beginner beginner like myself.  It also has lists of words to learn, which I struggle with.  

I bought a second hand copy of the book rather than using the pdf version, but thought I would share a link to a free pdf in case someone else needs it, or in case my book falls apart from over use and I need to replace some pages.  That google drive is not mine, if the link doesn't work let me know and I can try to email you a pdf copy or work out something else.  

 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KNeBig36EHpXRGTYdDp0-g3mebUi68y9/view 

I have not completed this book yet, I am told it takes about a year for most people to complete.  I have a feeling it may take me longer than a year.  I am slowly working my way through this book, and am learning a lot as I go.  

I think this is a great book for beginners with a little knowledge of the language.  I don't think I would have a hope of using it had I not learned the alphabet and completed the podcast lessons first.  

Russian Orthodox Church

Между нами Course - free web based text book.  This description is from their website: Между нами is a complete first-year college level Russian course that has been designed for programs that have roughly 150 contact hours of instruction. The material is organized into nine units (уроки) and an epilogue, with each урок subdivided into three parts (части). Each часть shares common thematic and grammatical content which unfolds over the course of several episodes (эпизоды). Еach эпизод on the website consists of a Текст, a related set of comprehension activities called Вы всё поняли? (Did You Get All of Тhat?) and a related grammar explanation called Немно́го о языке́ (A Bit About the Language). In addition to the website, there is a print-on-demand workbook of classroom activities (Работа в аудитории) and homework activities (Домашние задания). The authors envision users working through these materials in small cycles, moving between the website and the two printable workbooks.   

 https://mezhdunami.org/unit01/1_1/index.shtml

I have barely started this course, and am already learning a lot.  Already knowing the alphabet, having an understanding of the verb conjugations, and knowing a few words and phrases before starting is helping make this course a lot more achievable.  I think it would be less fun if I started with no knowledge at all.  Completing the podcasts and learning to read Cyrillic first made this course far more enjoyable.  

Pascha service - many people were there (sorry it is so blurry)

Native speakers - one great way to learn to speak a new language is by speaking to people who are fluent.  I wasn't sure if I would mention this here, but the Russian Orthodox Church generally has people who speak Russian.  

The Eastern Orthodox Church is different to protestant churches and catholic churches in many ways.  They have a lot of traditions, and I find them to be far less judgmental and less legalistic than many (if not all) protestant churches I have attended.  People are there to focus on God and don't seem to care when I do something 'wrong'.  It is quite refreshing to be tolerated in a church rather than looked down upon for being different.  

The strong focus on tradition seems to somewhat stave off the odd messages [eg overly political, self serving, needlessly divisive, or downright unbiblical] that are far too common/accepted in protestant services.  While I certainly don't understand everything that happens during the Divine Liturgy, I seem to understand more of that service than I do of many protestant services that are entirely in English.  If you do attend an orthodox service for the first time, be prepared for everything in the service to be different than a protestant church.  

All parts of the church have a story to tell

Divine Liturgy was about to begin so I took some sneaky photos

NOTE: This post is about learning the Russian language and sharing some excellent free (or low cost) resources.  I made no comment on anything else about Russia or any other country.  

I have little doubt that sooner or later some hateful racist will try to make nasty comments at me for trying to learn to speak Russian.  Sadly, 40+ years of cold war propaganda combined with current world events have been used as an excuse for much hate and fear in Australia.  There is nothing wrong with learning to speak Russian or any other language.  

I don't care about your opinions on politics, and I am sure you have no interest reading about my opinions on politics, so please only leave a comment if you have something to say about learning the Russian language, and please don't bother trying to be hurtful.  

On the other hand, if you have suggestions of other free Russian language resources, I will gladly publish those.  большое спасибо!