Dear CN,

I was once as you are now several months ago. an interest suddenly developed into an all consuming passion. I too looked for a Carnegia gigantica and I too saw a very small specimin .

It is not a cereus as far as I know it stands alone as a species.

The best alternative for you is Trichocereus pasacana. This grows to a mighty height , branches and best of all grows quickly. I know because, a friend I made through this forum gave me a piece . Over summer it grew 6'' ie doubled its size.

You might find an alternative to the Carnegia or pasacana by simply searching "Columnar Cacti".

If you regularly watch ebay under the search "cacti" you will soon realize that there are from time to time advanced cacti for sale at low prices in NSW. Unfortunately this is not so common in Victoria .

If you are interested in researching cacti. The best way of learning is to buy a cheap book off ebay under cacti and succulents. Then or instead, type the name of a cacti you think you are interested in into google images. Even if you get the spelling wrong often the helpful suggestion will light the way.

Forget about the Carnegia gigantica .. it grows so slowly it will become boring. The excitement of cacti apart from the extra ordinary range is the speed with which some grow.

good luck

Hi C.N.

I know that Lester Meyers has small C. gigantea for sale. I'm guessing they are between 1-2inches in diameter, which I guess is beyond the tiny seedling stage. At $3 dollars each thats pretty good.

Otherwise you should try Rudolf Schulz, I know that he definitely has good sized plants of Saguro. Last time I was there, they were close to a foot tall. The only problem is that they are a very long spined form, which can be a bit hazardous if yoyr trying to unpack from the box, or if your planning to put in your cactus and succulent garden that would experience high traffic.

I bought my first Saguro, just over ten years ago and it was only a small seedling in a 2 inch pot. Now it is about a foot high. it has had to deal with a lot of my early mistakes when I started the hobby. They are quite tough plants.

Saguro can actually grow about 20cm a year if you can provide them with the correct heat. They love it hot. Obviusly I can't provide them with those conditions living in cold , windy Melbourne. So they are not as slow as some people may think. If you have ever tried to grow Strombocactus or Ariocarpus, then you will truly know how slow some cacti can relly be.

Anyway, good luck with your cactus garden endeavour, I wish you great success. Whatever you do, make sure whatever plants you put in the garden aren't too small, otherwise they may wilt and die because of the sun and heat.

Thanks baldric and dannyd for the advice and info on how to find a specimen of Saguaro, very much appreciated.Does anyone know how I can get in touch with Lester Meyers and/or Rudolph Schulz as dannyd suggested??? Phone number/address or website/email address???

Regards C.N.

Depending on where you are I can help you with some advanced cactus cuttings (mostly cereus) - about 6ft tall - at a really good price. Email if you are still looking.

Dear Lillipilly ,

Would you let me know too???

Conifer-nut- have to agree with the previous posters here.

I have a Carnegia myself - got it many years ago when it was only about 6-8 cm high and a similar size round. If I recall correctly I purchased it from Collectors Corner out in Braeside.

Anyway, years later and its now about 15 or so cm high - and it actually had a growth spurt in the past summer!

In short, I wouldn't bother.

baldric has provided one name of a good branching type cactus, I've got a couple myself that I'd recommend T. pachanoi as another option. Cereus peruvianus (which might be considered part of the Trichocereus family now as well) is another option.

Further to that - Cephalocereus azures, often sold under the name "The Blue Torch" is a fast growing and beautiful columnar cactus.

It is blue with yellow spines and tufts of white hair. I have one now that is nudging 10ft tall and starting to produce branches off the side. 18 months ago it was about 5ft 6inches, so it's grown hugely in just 18-20 months.

Lastly - lillypilly - are you able to let me know as well re the advanced cuttings? Thanks

How did you go

... I understand you got a good specimin off ebay ... how about a photo of the little beauty.
Post one now and another in two weeks so we can monitor its growth.

Baldric

Hi All.
Sorry for late reply,but Telstra can't/won't give me broadband so I'm stuck with dinosaur dial-up internet connection and Gardenweb is so PAINFULLY SLOW on dial up I don't visit here much due to the time it all takes.
Anyway,yes I did purchase a specimen of Carnegia via Ebay for $33.The seller said I got a good buy as similar size specimens would be around $100 or so in a cacti nursery.I can't post any photos as I don't have one of them Digital camera thingies and wouldn't know how to post a photo either.
The Carnegia is approx 18 cm from soil level to tip and approx 12 cm at its widest point.VERY prickly,spines about 5 cm long.I've only watered it once in the 2 months I've had it and we have received little rain were we live.Seems to be doing well.I guess underwatering is better than overwatering especially since its likely to be relatively dormant in growth over winter Yes/no ?
I'm happy with it even though its growth is said to be slow.
Its one of those "I've got to have one" purchases, just to say I've got one as a talking point.
I'll start to look up some of those other Carnegia like cacti mentioned above to start my collection off.
Got to find a cacti nursery now I guess to buy them.

Watch this forum soon for some dumb questions from this cacti collector beginner.

C.N.

hey, does anyone know what Lester Myer's email addy is or if he has a recent catalogue? Also, I'm interested in finding exotic cacti and in particular Carnegia Giganteus in Adelaide, SA. Anyone know where to go?