Talinella pachypoda

Hello community (new here)

I wanted to share my Talinella pachypoda, which I’ve been growing for over 10 years here in Switzerland.

What’s interesting:
I’ve successfully propagated it unsing cuttings, and the 3-year-old rooted clone is now forming a proper caudex. The method? Just healthy 15 cm stem sections in water for 1–2 weeks, then into moist soil — about a 30% success rate so far. The clone is thriving outdoors on my balcony.

The mother plant:

• Gets full sun spring–fall when temperatures don't drop under 10 degrees anymore
• Drops all leaves in autumn
• Develops woody, semi-exposed roots that occasionally dry out and self-decay — no rot, just natural aging (I think)
• The mature plant regularly flowers and sets fruit in late autumn/winter, even while leafless. I haven’t tried collecting or germinating the seeds yet — would love to hear if anyone else has.

I’ve seen this natural root degradation before (papery, hollow, dry roots on older exposed sections – 3rd picture) — I now treat it as part of the plant’s aging process, not a problem. The main caudex is rock solid and still slowly thickening.

🌱
Has anyone else here worked with Talinella? Do you have some ideas / good practices?