I really like the Altman "Tricho grandiflorus Torch Cactus". They are cheap, tough, vigorous growers for me (once in the ground, and mine are all outdoors.) They take the 100F plus heat, and our cold. I grab some up every spring from the Altman shipments. As stated above, definitely Forrest Gump "box-of-chocolate" plants. You never know what you'll get until they grow/bloom. However, a few of mine have bloomed even when small 3" single stems, so sometimes I get an early clue. My older clumps always bloom reliably. I have white, pale yellow, bright gold-yellow, peach, and red. The blooms are not nearly as large or interesting as the beautiful named Echinopsis hybrids (like Schick hybrids), but I'm happy to trade that for surviving my zone 8a winters. (Notolover, maybe you could try a few of these in the ground?) The bodies of my Altman trichos vary widely too. Some form clumps of tall stems, and some form wide low clusters. Some have dark green bodies with reddish spines, some have light green bodies with gold spines. I enjoy seeing who they grow up to be. My favorite Altman Tricho grandiflorus blooms pale yellow. It was a single $9.99 stem from Walmart about five years ago. Most winters we get down to mid teens, but last year we were below 10F. In the apocalyptic freeze of 2011, we were below zero for days. We lost 40 foot palm and eucalpytus trees, but every Altman cheapie Tricho I had survived. I stuck styrofoam coffee cups on the stem tips, and threw a bed sheet over that...with a few inches of snow, which no doubt helped. I didn't lose a single stem of these...not a scar. That's when I started buying these like a mad woman. (Don't get between me and a new, unpicked Altman shipment.) In contrast, almost all of my named Echinopsis hybrids died in 2011, even though I covered them too. This is one of only two hybrid survivors (purchased as "Cherry Red" although it looks pink.) Before the freeze, it was over twice this big. It grew back, mainly from the base. If you look closely you can see the sickly narrowing of some stems about halfway down, from the big freeze. It's on the sheltered south side of my house, so that's probably why it survived. My only other 2011 hybrid Echinopsis survivor was Flying Saucer, a gift from a very generous friend in 2010. If they're forecasting teens, I stick styrofoam cups/bowls on the stem tips, and wrap it all with old towels and clothespins. It survived the 2011 below-zero freeze this way. I'm lucky that my neighbors are patient about how stupid my yard looks on cold nights. I have Schick echinopsis hybrids in the ground again, and they each get covered with a plastic bucket if it's heading much below 20F. I add sheets/blankets on top if it's threatening lower teens. Sometimes styro cups on the tips (depending on how crazed I am.) The Schicks have made it through two winters, including down to 9F. They are pretty annoyed by the end of the winter (angry shriveled red bodies) but then they forgive me, cheer up, plump up, turn green, and bloom. Regarding the Altman Trichocereus/Helianthocereus grandiflorus babies....I have read discussions elsewhere that the more current name for these is actually Echinopsis huascha. At least, that's how I label them in my yard, along with the note that I bought them as Altman Tricho grandiflorus. Love em. Good cheap low-stress fun. I plan to always have some of these Altman plants mixed in with my fancier hybrid Echinopsis, just because they are more worry-free, and so ploddingly reliable.

I came across your post because I was searching mold on aloe plants. I just bought an aloe plant last weekend at lowes with an assortment of succulents that came potted together. I seperated all the succulents and divided my aloe plant into three little plants. I used clear plastic drinking cups to start off all the plants and repotted with miracle grow potting soil making sure to put holes in the bottom of all the cups a least 5-7 holes) All my other plants are doing great but I noticed, being that the cups are clear that the same green mold on your aloe plant is growing in all three cups of my aloe. None of the other plants have it. Only the aloe... Right now anyway. Since these have been divided and don't have much root development will the suggestion in your feed about the peroxide harm the plant or do you think it should be fine to use this method? Any other suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

Bear, Didn't mean to sound like a jerk. :) I've just done a bit of reading on CP's and I'm just getting into Asclepiads, so I get a little over zealous sometimes. As far as I'm aware, Huernia don't eat the bugs, they just want them for pollination, but who knows. It just seems eating you pollinator would be counter-productive from a reproductive standpoint. *smile*

Oh no, the pressure washing zealot is back?! So unfair that you can't feel your plants are safe where they are. Wind can be annoying, but, it don't gotta brain. Humans, on the other hand, don't have an excuse for laziness or blatant inconsideration or worse destructiveness. It makes me mad, when one is conscientious and worry about not imposing on the neighbor and then some miscreant (or a mental cretin) bulldozes over our property. Big BIG sore point with me. So, please! Feel free to vent. I totally understand not risking a loss of something you've taken the time to acquire. Living babies that you plan to nurture and grow to nice specimens! Totally understand that. hhmmm, well, you get visitation rights 'til you get a private piece of property to space out a nice garden. Girl, believe me, I take major issue with stupid, irresponsible people…. especially after being the only one towed home from this recent collision. His Explorer was drivable, and the 2 cars in from of me in the pile up drove home. Yes, 3rd time some idiot plowed into me. 1st time my front end was rammed from the right when the idiot women ran a red light 4-5 seconds after it set (and everyone opposite me had stopped) red and broke my front axel in two. She was going 60 miles per hour while I was barely moving left. 2nd time (in 2010) my car went head on into the fool that cut me off. Both going at 40 miles and hour. This helped wiggle 3 discs out just a little further than good and later caused a really bad sciatica event that took out my right leg for more than a month. The current slam has set me back in the muscle spasm dept. Whiplash, crumped shoulders and neck. Right leg thigh twitching like mad sometimes, but no sciatica, thank God. And with a knot in my stomach (anger), I begin the trial in researching and looking at ads for a similar condition car all over again. What I had, and was quite happy with-not going to ever sell, was a 2nd generation Lexus sedan, 15 years old but they were made with bulletproof engines. Took 2 years to find my car in excellent condition with 62,000 on the odometer and I want the exact same 15 year old model. Sigh. But, yes. I am getting treated, but can walk and wasn't hospitalized. Thank you, Planto, I really appreciate your words. I look forward to communicating with my cactus buddy, too. I need the connection to the prickly fat leafed admiration club. It's a welcome relief from the current hassles. I wish that was the only problem I face, tho. Where I live, it used to be a pleasant safe neighborhood. Just in the last 5 years, we are being drawn into a battle over securing our block from transients that park their Rv's and campers for weeks and leave their trash in the street in front of out homes. This being underwear, smelly clothes, broken furniture even condoms, bottles of beer and lurid looks. The ones without vehicles decide to hole up behind our alley and smoke and drink and urinate back there. They overturn the dumpsters and litter the alley with garbage. I hate seeing them there when I take my trash out for trash day. I hate for my Mom to be exposed to them and worry when I'm not home. Last year, I've found people using our front hose to take a bath, I've found trash, smelly blankets thrown into my yard. It means a call to local non-emergency, sometimes, twice a week. My, whose ranting, now. :[ I sometimes lose interest in organizing the yard when I think about what I see happening to my block. I worry. What I like about cactus and succulents is that they are quite forgiving and stay green even without a growing medium. I still have the remnants of the mealy triage, I did a month ago, putting out roots waiting for me to give them a pot. I admire their resilience. Maybe, I like this type of plants because they've shown me that you can go on despite less than ideal situations. I can't give up. Some days wear on me more than others. I forgot to post this bloom. It's a tricho named Lavender. Quite a deep deep magenta with edges of purple. It's my moms favorite ( every new bloom becomes the current favorite). It lasted 3 1/2 days This post was edited by aztcqn on Fri, Jul 4, 14 at 2:59