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Cacti & Succulents

Scarred for life, but still with us

9 years ago

I wonder how many people have plants that froze, were attacked by mites, mealies or pets and came through. The scars are still very obvious, but the new growth gives you hope. It reaffirms the will to live. Here are some of mine.

This is (I think) Aloe alooides. The growing point got zapped by the cold, but this summer it came back. The second one is A. plicatilis, same story in the same freeze.

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This one had mites a 3 years ago. Cleistocactus something.

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Epithelantha micromeris that froze. Several pups have since grown. The one at soil level is not unexpected, the one higher up is different.

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Finaally, this is a Rhipsalis that went from growing another stem to turning it into a root. I have no guess as to what is going on there.

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Comments (4)

_eee
9 years ago
I don't know where you live but you sure have a lot of nice cactus and succulents, thanks for sharing.
Dottie
cactusmcharris, interior BC Z4/5
9 years ago
Pete,

I used to have plants like that in San Diego, the odd time it would dip to 33F and wet - almost all the Madagascan stuff didn't go for that. Did you have to nurse the Aloe back (coring and dusting)? I've never seen that metamorphic change before, but we know how opportunistic those jungle cactuses are.

Dottie,

Dz's plants usually hail from Pennsylvania, but he's been known to take his Schlumbergia shtick on the road. Tip your waitperson.
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Dzitmoidonc
Original Author
9 years ago
Hi all. Jeff, I just live and let live. If the damage is too severe, I watch the plant decline, and since I have a big compost heap, they end up there.

The first Aloe pictured was a bit sad for me to see freeze because this was the last of about a dozen seedlings I raised. Others were sold to support a Baltimore botanical garden (some sent away in pkgs), but I generally keep one of everything. The center rotted and I waited for the other leaves to also blacken and die, but I noticed what ended up to be 2 side shoots. One is now the top, the other is the small side rosette.

The plicatilis tends to make branches anyways, so that one was not a surprise. This plant, small as it is, has flowered 2X here.

I remember visiting people who had old succulents and lusting after them. Now I look around and realize that all it takes is time, and time is all we have. While I was out, I also took a few pics of healthy plants. Anybody else have plants with stories scarred into them?

Aloe capitata.
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Crassula lactea getting ready to stink up the place.
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Trichodiadema volunteers in the Aloe krapoliana I received from CC in WY in 1996.
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Misselle
9 years ago
Currently, very relevant to me! I decided to move all my plants in so a more protected spot on the weekend as we have been having a very very hot dry summer. So I pop all 150ish off the stands and sit them in a group in the yard, move the stands, tidy up and what do you know, It's dark and I have to leave them out. After two 45 degree days, yep burnt, brown and pretty sad. Just finished popping them all into their new homes, so fingers crossed, by next weekend they will start looking up. Woops!

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