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Cacti & Succulents

a sampling of my collection

16 years ago

Here's a glimpse into my succulent world

http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2867590870035068969CHmHML

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Comments (12)

sjv78736
16 years ago
Very nice collection. I also like your staging
Caudex1's collection link...

Here is a link that might be useful: Caudex1's link
birdsrwonderful
16 years ago
Hi. Love your collection. I have a plant I purchased about 2 years ago from my local K-Mart. It is called a Desert Rose and it has succulent type leaves and a bulbous stalk? that looks like many of your plants. It has produced some beautiful pink flowers both summers. This year after flowering it is producing a few strange looking long "finger-like" growths that are about the same color as the bulbous stalk. Does anyone know what they might be? Should I cut them off or let them grow. I really like this plant and would like to keep it a long time if possible. I have not repotted it yet but was planning to do so before fall so it would have more room. Is this a good idea? Any information anyone might be willing to give will be much appreciated.
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HAVE: Grape Sample from collection
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Comments (1)
David- I would be interested in doing a trade for some of your grape cuttings. Please go to My Page here at GW and send me an email and we can talk about it further that way. Thanks.
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My Newest Addition to my Collection: Erythrostemma
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Comments (5)
I find erythrostemmas very hardy and easy to maintain. I grow them in a chunky mix that dries out well and they tolerate a bit of drought. The cutting you receive will no doubt arrive in good shape as they travel quite well. This is deceptive, because the petioles become a bit fragile during travel even though the leaves remain green and robust. They are easy to accidentally knock off. Handle very carefully. After it's rooted, then they are no more fragile than the next Hoya.
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Why are my worms collecting at the bottom of my bin?
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Comments (12)
multi tier worm bins are real bad for brand newie worm wranglers. The trouble is they seem like simplicity itself. open lid and throw kitchen scraps which are 70% water in top tray and sprinkle with water. Over time these kitchen scraps 'decompose' and the worms eat upwards on the food, fungi, organisisms all muching away at these foods. The water and moisture from the kitchen scraps follow gravity to the bottom of the bin into the sump. So this bottom area tends to mainly be moist and smelly since new worm wranglers tend to not empty the leachate (which is toxic and poisonous) off enough, so the worms tend to dislike this bottom area since it has yucky stagnant water pooling there; its basically a swamp since it also contains worm castings. Thus new worm wranglers often drain off this foul smelling soup and flush the system with more water, but by 'overwatering' now they are compacting the upper layers with water molecules. this is because water acyaully is very heavy and it clings to itself, so the overwatering tends to compress the food bedding layers and the water clings to itself and displaces oxygen. So now we get anerobic decomposition and instead of aerobic methane that quickly disapates off in a well balanced oxygenated worm bin we get a compressed mass of food that slows down its decomposition due to lack of oxygen. Now we get ammonia gas and this gas kills worms real dead, so the worms must run away (into the bottom sump) or do a worm run and leave the bin entirely to avoid being gassed to death. So, to dry, to wet? the newbie worm wrangler tends to lighten up on how much water they add, so gravity tends to pull down moisture into the bottom layers and water sump. So now the upper layers of newer food tend to dry out more and worms breathe through their WET MOIST skin so they tend to move to where the water is (into the sump) luckily. AS long as they have a ladder to reclimb back up to the bedding layers instead of drwoning in the sump. Remember they need moisture to breathe so they dehydatrate if they stay up top. If it rains then they worm run away to the refreshing outside rain and die from sunlight or lawn fertilizer or whatever. So this is why (especially) with a sudden unplanned for run of hot weather that evaporates or transpirates your top layers of moisuture away your worms flee to the bottom sump layer for the life giving water. Remember without water worms are dead, dry bedding to a worm is the same as you crawling over broken glass or sandpaper without protection; it would not be nice so do not 'neglect' your worms. These factors and others are why multi tier worm farms are not the greatest for newbie worm wranglers, but remember worms are very resilient and people learn if they lose or hurt their babies (worms), so over time humans get better at 'listening' to what worms "like". Generally worms like being left alone to do their thing and mainly new worm wranglers try to hard to 'help' the worms with to much food or water but we humans usually get better over time, but of course you have to take note of the weather since worms cannot learn to drink from a tap; how could they turn it on ? ;)
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Help me stop collecting paint sample pots!
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Comments (8)
All my trim is Simply White. What about the next color up on that strip, Moonlight White? There are many examples of this online if you Google--it looks gorgeous in person but is definitely "white". Or the next color up, which is Old Prairie (pale taupey greenish gray). I have the opposite problem (North/South facing, but not a lot of windows, everything reads blue, argh!). I wouldn't get too caught up in what you were "told". Only you have to live in the space so I say go with your gut! Are you feeling something yellow-y, taupe-y, or more gray? It sounds boring but BM Linen White is a classic for a reason, a rich white. I like BM Windham Cream for a buttercream color, but I am partial to that in general. There are a lot of grays but it really depends on what kind of undertone (green, blue, brown, purplish) you want.
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paulzie32
16 years ago
As usual, you have awesome plants! I haven't seen a pic of yours that looked bad! I also see you have the same B-Day as me!
We're also in the same zone... Maybe one day I can stop by and see your collection in person?
I love the one on the top shelf second from the left, Bottom Shelf Second from the left (next to the Opuntia) and the Far Right Top Shelf! Very Cool Looking!
sjv78736
16 years ago
Birdsr -
Your "desert rose" is an adenium, probably obesum. It sounds like you may have some seed horns growing this year...congrats! There's much discussion on whether adeniums are self-fertile; do you have more than one plant?
To capture your seeds take a section of pantyhose and cover the seed horn completely, tying it off with a twist-tie so that when the horn pops open your seeds won't blow away. GL!
HTH - Jo
caudex1
Original Author
16 years ago
paulzie,
Where you located?

Top shelf 2nd from the left Cyphostemma currori
Top shelf far right is Fouquieria fasciculata
Bottom shelf is Ceraria namaquansis
birdsrwonderful
16 years ago
Jo. Your reply sounds like I might be a new "mommy". I had no idea what was going on. I only have one plant. What is the best way to plant the seeds? I have this plant in 1/3 orchid mix, 1/3 sand, 1/3 garden soil on the advice of a local nursery owner. Am I supposed to be cutting the plant back at some time?

Thanks for any advice you have.
xmasgirl43
16 years ago
Hi! Did you build those little shelves yourself, or did they come in a kit, or what??? Very cool...I want some!!! LOL.
xerophyte NYC
16 years ago
birdsrwonderful - if you do have seed pods, let them dry out before harvesting, keep them cool and dry until the spring, then plant the seeds as if they were a tropical annual. Also prinkle a few around the mother plant and ignore them, often some neglect results in germination. Here's some more helpful info on Adenium.

caudex1: very nice collection, are they protected from rain and cold?

x
caudex1
Original Author
16 years ago
xmasgirl,

I used 3 precut stair risers, 1 2x12x12ft for the top row and 5 2x6x12ft for the lower rows. For stability 2 1x4x14ft was used as cross over supports so it wouldn't shift side to side. I used 1 2x6x4ft at the bottom of each riser, the corners against the ground were rounded so I can push it like a sled to a different location if needed, shelves empty of course. All lumber used was redwood or pressure treated and has held up nicely for 5yrs.

Works very good for displaying plants and ease of watering. I used to have plants on the ground or on tables but it took up so much room and you couldn't see some of the smaller ones. By building the bleachers it freed up space so that I could bring in more plants :0)
stanofh 10a Hayward,Ca S.F. bay area
16 years ago
You have a great collection of healthy plants.Is Austin mild enough to grow them outdoors all year?-or is that a summer set up?.
caudex1
Original Author
16 years ago
I'm in Northern California. I'll be rotating my collection around the middle to end of October and bringing out all the winter growers. The summer growers will be put under shelter to protect from rain.
xerophyte NYC
16 years ago
Have you found an increased need for watering with the pots exposed to direct sun now, where previously they were buried or shading each other on a bench? What do you think about the roots being heated up on hot days?

I have thought about a similar set-up for my plants but I worry about the exposure. Maybe a little wall can be made on the front of the shelves to provide some shade and cooling? Or some annuals can be planted into the pots to create some shade?

x

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