Cherry Red tricho

Eddie

Madame Pele and Eddie

Some new additions from a local succulent show. I really like the silver powdery types alot. An unknown hybrid echevaria. Doesn't look like n echevaria, more like a dudleya, but, it's small for one. Guy didn't know what it was.

A close up

And a couple of eche. lillicinas.

I love the color of this one, name escapes me at the moment. Been growing in its pot in the yard for 2 years.

E Lauii is growing nicely. It's just growing out of it 3 inch pot.

A double flowered kalanchoe. Sucha happy bouquet.

Yes, I love that deep yellow color .. really hard to find such color in roses. That color makes me happy !!

Echevaria lauiis are stupidly prone to rot!!!!! HOw does this plant survive in it's native habitat. Oaxaca gets rain doesn't it? Jeez, found this one with all leaves dropping off and the center ruined. The leaves looked great except for the attachment point - translucent and soft. It's so frustrating that one lousy drop will cave in the whole plant within a day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! On the right is the eldest lauii. Their intense sensitivity to moisture really pisses me off. I covered the damaged center with powdered sulfur and hope it hasn't entered the stem. I really hope it survives.....

Today I received 2 small eche. cantes and potted them up. The joy is kinda gone after finding my lauii.

The smaller one has a very nice blue farina that will be beautiful when/if it grows up without water damage or rot.

aztcqn: Plants like their natural habitat best .. if only I know what's the best natural habitat for each plant !! Potting soil like peat-moss isn't natural, even for water-hog like roses. The roses that put in my clay soil do much better than the roses in peat-moss potting soil.

One of my tiny rose dropped all the leaves with our heavy rain, even with breathable SMART-POT !! I should had mixed perlite in that MG-moisture-control potting soil, or pine-bark-fines for faster drainage.

I don't use peat in my mix, mostly pumice. This plant is known for it's delicate constitution toward moisture on the leaves and center crown. I knew this, but, am still so frustrated to see it decimated in one night over a few drops of water sitting on a leaf overnight. And I really do wonder how it survives in it's natural environment where it must rain?! Yet they don't rot from crown rot there.....maybe it's our city water.....

Thank you, aztcqn, for that info. ... I had just realized that the handle-flap on my Smart-pot mix fipped over, and condensed water on my rose-rooting ... it lost leaves from that. So I folded the flap down to allow more air on the side.

Water actually drain faster from a coarse pine-bark potting soil than a gravel mix. I used to put gravels at the bottom of pots, but I quit doing that since I find large-chunks of pine bark is lighter, plus water drains faster.

What I like about pine-based potting, with lime added is it's always dry on top, plus lime has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. It takes longer for water to evaporate from gravel than from pine. Pine takes forever to decay, since it doesn't absorb water like other tree-bark.

Pine-bark has a tannin to prevent root-rot, very much like the tannin in tea which is anti-bacterial & prevent cavities. I'm on the hunt for pine-fines .. it's hard to find it here.

I am not sure if that's entirely true:..." Water actually drain faster from a coarse pine-bark potting soil than a
gravel mix. I used to put gravels at the bottom of pots, but I quit
doing that since I find large-chunks of pine bark is lighter, plus water
drains faster"... Gravel does drain very fast, I would think that mix would drain faster or slower depending what other ingredients are in it?

Gravel on the bottom (a layer of it) doesn't help, layering is not what the gritty mix is supposed to be - different products should be of very similar size and mixed together.

That was already preached to me by someone who never grow roses in tall pots before. Such rules don't apply to own-root-roses, heavy rain, and tall pots with peat-based potting soil. My pots sit on clay, then the clay glued up the holes. Clay touches peatmoss become serious glue.

I grew 70 roses in pots for 6 months before planting in the ground. I have 2 choices: either elevate them on wooden planks, or put coarse pine-bark at the bottom. Wooden planks is messy, it's easier just to put coarse pine-bark at the bottom, esp. when the pot is tall.

Menards has different samples of on a screen in open view: coarse sand, different bark samples, pea gravel, whitish gritty mix. I touched them after a heavy rain: the sand was soaking wet, with a weed sprouting. The pea-gravel was wet, the gritty mix was wet, but the bark-samples were dry.

I used different materials in the past to suppress weeds by my driveway: white gravels was a disaster, weeds sprouted well with the moisture in between. Red-lava-rocks? Weeds sprout on that. But zero weeds with pine-bark chunks (drain fast & bone dry).

The tannin property of pine bark is anti-bacterial and anti-fungal, see below link:

http://www.braintan.com/barktan/2tannins.htm

" Most trees contain plenty of tannin. It is concentrated in the bark layer where it forms a barrier against microorganisms such as fungi and bacteria (when hides are stuck into tannin baths the bacteria are also killed). Tannin is a large, astringent (meaning it tightens pores and draws liquids out), molecule found in plants that bonds readily with proteins.

Oak bark averages 10% tannin. Oak wood = 6%. Fir bark has as much as 11% tannin and yields a yellow/brown leather. Birch bark has 12% tannin. Certain willows are considered excellent, yielding a soft and supple leather. It can have 10% tannin."

**** From Strawchicago: willow bark has rooting hormone. We use that to root roses' cuttings. Tiny-rose rooting drop leaves when there's water accumulated at the base of its stem, such as a peat-based potting soil, also drop leaves in coarse sand, but keep their leaves in fast-draining pine-based mix.

My apologies about posting my comment above, I think this conversation would be better in it's own thread and not to hijack aztcqn's long lasting thread with so many beautiful photos.

I wrote the above to answer Aztcqn messaging me "Any insight you have on remedies to thwart bugs pests such as mites or soil gnats would be appreciated." I respond here to solve the problem of leaves droppping due to excess moisture.

My answer is to keep the surface dry, and pine-bark is the key: anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, and dries out faster than pumice.

Rose-rooting also rot & lose leaves in coarse sand, but keep all their leaves in fast-draining pine-based mix such as Al Tapla's 5:1:1, 5 part-pine, 1 part peat moss, and 1 part perlite, and some lime to balance pH.

Pumice or coco-coir can sub for peatmoss, but coco-coir beat pumice in having potassium and phosphorus, plus slightly acidic, thus more flowering in large-scale rose-study. Coco-coir also suppress mold, is used for reptile bedding. Materials that dry fast on top, like pine fines, also prevent pests and gnats from hatching.

Roses have spider-mites when they are grown next to hot bricks or stones, which reflect heat. Pine-fines also keep the surface of soil cooler, to discourage mites. An excerpt from below link: "The best soil for succulents is slightly acidic with a high lime content."

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/growing-medium-succulents-44088.html

Pine-fines is acidic at pH 4, thus require lime to make it less acidic. Lime is an anti-fungal agent. And it drains fast, and dries out fast on top, thus is used as medium for rooting roses, which is very prone to rot and losing leaves.

I rarely get to see this ones open blooms. It will absolutely not open unless bathed in direct strong sunshine. 3 days of overcast and bud remained closed even though ready to pop. I thought oh well, next month is another chance. Today, small window of 3 hours direct sun and I was rewarded with this beautiful gymnocalycium flower! I knew I bought it for a reason. :)

Pretty in pink.

My rebutia narvaecesis never disappoints.

Mammilaria theresea looking so happy. Investigating how to coax more blooms out of her.

When I first bought it, was this size.

Incredible!!

It was such a pleasure going over your thread again. And the last two are beauties. I recently got a narvaecensis, and have become a huge fan. So many beautiful flowers! And M. theresea has long been on the wish list. You grow your plants to perfection!

wowz, I'm so glad you posted again, I would never have known about this thread! :D

Hi Christine,
I see you might have had a question? There was a snippet " I just have one question... how do you know what color blooms you a......" on the notification I got. :]

Thanks ewwmayo,

gdinieontarioz5, The reboot narv is a cutie. Never fails to fill itself up. :]
The mamm theresea is surprisingly easy to grow. I was told that it can be difficult if not rested, protected during winter. I got that first one from ebay. I have a tiny one I took home from a local cactus show and sale. It's 2.5 inches high and has a bud! They are worth growing.

ooh. LOL! You caught me second guessing my question and deleting it. I thought it was a dumb question, but I'll just ask it anyway:

I was wondering how you know what color the blooms will be before you buy. Or... perhaps you don't know! It's just that I'm worried I'll buy a whole bunch of cacti in my excitement and end up with blooms that are all in the same shade....yikes.

exhibit A of my excitement: The teeny cactus I bought today... It's the size of a grape tomato!

My succulent space has been invaded by some charming, but, overbearing friends, nasturtiums....

They are EVERYWHERE. :]

Hi Christine BA,
That's a cute lil plant.

I usually look up the description from the name. If there is no tag, hard to say. All the minis I have are species and tagged before I buy. What's the name on your label?

aztcq

You can use nasturtium in your salads...but it is quite vigorous! Lots of nice blooming plants in your garden besides succulents.

True, I should eat more salads! Yep, they are my familiar garden friend. : ]

aztcqn, the tag says 'rebutia narvaecensis'. I was able to look this one up via google before purchasing, although most of the time the stores around here don't provide tags, or some are missing tags. I'm excited to see it bloom!

Christina, if it is R. narvaecensis, you are in for a treat. The flowers are gorgeously coloured and large. And once the plants matures, the number of flowers is incredible. Twenty one open at once. No way I could fit them all in one picture. Ten more are hidden.

Dinie, it's beautiful! I'll snap a pic when mine blooms. The closed blossoms are a dark red right now, which makes me wonder if they will actually be white flowers... we'll see!

The buds are much darker than the flowers. And they are more pink than the picture. So hard to get the colours right on pictures with a phone camera.

You were right!!

More Reboots popping.
rebutia albiflora

reb narvaecensis no2

I am undecided as to which is better...your photography skills or your growing skills. Both are very well refined. Thank you for all these great pix.

tj

Thank you TJ.
I think the little guys grow themselves 'cause they like the conditions. Only thing I worry about is watering in warm weather and sheltering from winter rains when they are resting. :]

aztcqn, do your echinopsis hybrids put out many blooms at one time like your trichocerus hybrids? I am looking into purchasing these blooming beauties, but not sure which hybrids put out the most blooms in a cycle... I want to enjoy a show...! :p

You won't be disappointed with them.

I acquired them 3 years ago as very small plants. They do put out flowers, but, about one or two at most. What I've noticed is that at smaller sizes, they are sensitive to inconsistent watering and will drop the buds if I wait a bit too long to water. So maturity with size is an important factor. I have an echinopsis that's grown to 6-7 inches in diameter and that one is
holding about 5-7 open flowers (last year) at a time even with uneven
watering. Bigger holds more water.

Some of the echis are, now, 4 times bigger and are starting to produce many buds. Others are still dinky and will drop buds if weather gets suddenly hot or dry/windy.

If you get young plants or small they may need to grow a bit to produce several flowers at once.

A beauty that popped under the shadow of the elm.

Hi Azt:). I do not know how I missed this thread, but I did. I too am a crazy cactus lover:). I'm curious about your Mammillaria theresea. I just bought mine at the end of April. I really love it. Mine is about the size of half a thumb. How do you grow yours? I would love to know thank you:).

Hi Kara,

Sorry it took me some time to respond.

I grow it outside in full sun. Water only when mix is completely dry and it pretty much grows itself.
In winter I reduce watering to, about, once every 2-3 weeks. In the cold rains I move almost all my cactus under cover to prevent rot as the plants are dormant in winter. They need very good air circulation. Lack of and the problems begin with rot and caved in bodies.

Hope this helps!

I see you posted pics of your m.t. in bloom and other colorful cactus! Nice collection you're growing there. :]

Thanks:). That does help. I can see how rot could start on that particular Mammillaria.

I love all your Trichos:). I just think they make the most incredible flowers. I really want my Trichocereus collection to get bigger. I need a 'Flying Saucer" in my life:). The T. 'Cherry Red' is gorgeous. I could go on and on about your collection. I bet they bring so much happiness to your life:).

You know which of your plants that amazes me is your Chamaelobivia 'Unikum'. Have you gotten more striped flowers:)?

They were all under a big overgrown elm and didn't get enough sun to produce flowers so far. The the chimera aspect of Umikum is pretty neet when it shows up.
The trichos are pretty easy to grow and they withstood the heavy heavy Cali rains without damage. They're tough. All but Flying Saucer have pups, but, this year not a spectacular show. They all need mix changes......Repotting - heavy, spiky, unwieldy - is going to be a hmhhhhmm..........

I think your collection is well under way for some fine specimens. Keep posting pics of your lovely blooms.

Blooming at the moment. Very pretty flowers. Not enough sun this spring. May have more by mid summer now that the elm's been trimmed..

This is a good year for cactus blooms. They got kicked around by spider mites last year, but, I think I got them under control and onto annihilating the little bastards.

The reason I work at this...

Prometheus

Beautiful!

Gorgeous. Glad you got a handle on the spider mites. Let them eat cake...

"The reason I work at this..."

And mighty fine work it is. Thanks.

tj

Wow... just, wow!

The line-up yesterday morning.

I've been blessed with so much beauty. :]

What a fabulous array of colors!

They are stunning!