Story time,

at the end of last summer my dad and I were setting up a new deer blind. So when deciding where to set it up I was walking through a gully set up are shooting Lanes. It was just after a really big rain. I saw a group of cactus overturned in the middle of the Dry Creek bed. I know very little about cactus, so I didn't know what kind it was. I just felt bad that it had got up rooted. So I picked it up, and kicked some dirt to loosen it up. I plopped the group of Cactus down in it, and Hope it would root. Well fast forward 6 months later. My dad and I were out to do some work at the land. This was the first time we had ever seen those cactus in bloom. They are definitely eye-catching out there. They really stand out with the absence of color out there . So I went to check it out and noticed it was the same kind of cactus that got uprooted half a year ago. So I made a point to go check before we left. Fortunately I found them, unfortunately they weren't doing so well. They didn't set Roots down. So I brought them back, it might be to late for them, but I'm gonna try and nurse them back, if nothing else ill get some seeds. Wish me luck.

That's a shame. Do you have pigs or Javelinas?

No pigs, but plenty of javelinas. I guess they don't like those cactus, or are they just have too many spines.

Cactus have water in them . I have seen cows eat prickly pear needs and all. Also bugs, ie the Coried Cactus Bug winters in them and comes out of these cactus just as they are budding/ I would always hit the cactus with some soapy water to kill those coried bugs right at that bud point. God knows what those pigs will root for. Anything and everything.

Wantonamara, I believe a big ole fashion gully washer ripped it out of the ground. I appreciate the info on the bugs.

They usually do not grow where gully washes get to them . usually a gully washer takes them out when they are babies. It would have taken years to get to clumping size and gully washers are frequent enough that the path of water would have kept that area clear of cactus old enough to clump. Interesting.

Sent you a pm. How fast do the grow? Should they be soft or firm?

In the wild, I can only guess . I found that once they start clumping , they will split and form more pups every year. But it takes a while. The firmness changes from the time of year. They can be softer in winter when they shrink a bit and firmer when they are in growth and it has rained. They softness is not a rot softness. but just not hard.

This guy feels hollow with just a hard shell. Think it too far gone.

How does around the root and the soil line feel? It does look bad.

Jeez, you two. This is like sitting in a class! I didn't even know such things as javelinas exist (and it's probably not a good idea to throw one in an olympic event which is the first image that came to mind).

Also, I decided my idea to carpet a slope with this cactus is not a good one. Most of the plants sold are habitat-collected, sometimes entire clumps...they don't seem to be threatened but I don't want to start that thing up.

Now I'm going to look up what a gully washer is.

Sounds like a flash flood?

Lol, in my best texan voice.... you ain't from around these parts are ya?

I live by the Pedernales River that had the deepest flash flood ever in the USA. The river rose 75'. I have seen it at 45' and that was jaw dropping. Our gullies get scoured, scoured clean of trees, rocks, bridges and houses.. Saplumerias Dad's place is a desert till the hurricane comes.

Wantonamara, should I cut off everyhing black, and oozy? Top pic, has a hole that has ooze.

Cut it back till you get nice clean healthy flesh. whipe the knife off with alcohol before the last cut. Sprinkle it with sulphur or cinnamon. If there is no good flesh, toss it. It is muy muerte.

@saplumeria Not as such, no lol

Oh! and I know what a gully washer is now. I can't wait to use it in conversation lol

You see if we were in East Texas we would say we had a real frog Strangler last night.

My gullies were washed last night. They are sparkly clean. Flood has been there and already gone. We had 4".

My seedlings are going on two years. At what age should I transplant them into more of their native soil. And then at what year should I plant them in their native environment? What are y'alls thoughts?

I'm going to make an obvious deduction here: In nature, they would have initially grown in their native environment, so any time. In practicality, when large enough you can see them and handle them, and hopefully not step on them.

Seed pods should of been out already....... wonder if the mild spring is setting them back? No signs of them yet.

A lot of other plants around me are running about a month behind their normal schedule.

My 20 year old Ariocarpus fissuratus - for those who are interested.

That thing looks ancient. It must love your climate. Did you grow it from seed? Also how many flowers does that thing put out?

saplumeria, I bought it as a seedling about 1" across in 1999. Here it is in flower - October 2016. One of the original settlers that came in the car with me to Spain in 2001. Thanks for your interest.

I have a few species of Ariocarpus in my collection - here´s various of them in flower in 2017.

Beautiful, I have a ton of questions for you.

OK

SpanishFly, as usual, I love your plants! Why am I now drawn to these cacti that are oh so slow growing... why didn't I start growing these 20 years ago? If only I could go back in time!

Thanks SLD, you are most gracious. And they will all outlive me.

Spanishfly, What type of soil? Do you feed them? Have you grown any from seed? Thanks for sharing picks and your knowledge.

So, if I start with a seedling now, assuming perfect care, it would be the size of yours when I'm 84 or so. I'd better get cracking, time's a waisting!

saplumeria, Ariocarpus are known to be lime lovers and haters of acidic peat. I use a mix that is 50% coarse grit and 20% crushed limestone. I also add a bit of topsoil and a little organic nutrition, in the form of wormcasts. I give them some low N fert, mixed to about half the strength on the bottle, every couple of waterings.

I have had some hybrid plants that have seeded themselves - I gave them away to friends of Mrs Fly.

Any tips on how I can be more successful with seedlings. I have a 5% survival rate.

How old are the little ones?

saplumeria, You should not have to go far to find some crushed limestone... Hahahahaha

I think this is the first time I'm actually going to need limestone. That might explain why my seedlings look incredibly bad. I just half-heartedly sowed these when my plant seeded, but considering how long they have survived, I'm committed now.

Thanks for mentioning the lime thing, Spanish Fly. No clue where to get it though. Google google.

Pagan - Many nurseries sell dolomite lime - do the job perfectly

saplumeria - I have only ever sown Ariocarpus seeds once - some that I got from my Ariocarpus bravoanus. I got one survivor out of a dozen or so, so don´t feel qualified to advise you well. Those two hybrids in the pic seeded themselves - I think they were about 3 or 4 when the pic was taken.

Soooo, I shouldn't feel bad? Lol I'll keep trying till I figure it out.

Amazing how small a four year old is. I have about 30 or so that are almost 2 years old, and they are tiny. Now I know why these cactus aren't more popular.

Pagan, I think I'll transfer mine to limestone next year. Gonna try and get them use to their native soil. I'l give them a year or two in their native soil then transfer them back out to the wild. I'll be devastated if they die after five years of care. ......

Wantonamara, got a bucket full in my garage. Lol, you know what would be a cool experiment. To get a shovel full of soil and pour a little water, and see how much life there would be.

I bought this Ariocarpus retusus at a cactus show last year. It's in the pot it came in. Is this a good size, or should I go up a size? I've been watering from the bottom, since the plant fills most of the pot and makes it hard to water from the top.

And here are my babies, a year old and growing agonizingly slowly.

These are from seed from Thailand that was marked Ariocarpus mixed species. cultivars, and hybrids, so who knows what they are.

Stupidlazydog, what size pot is that? Think that pot will do they don' have many roots. Main part is the tap root, and it just goes down. The bigger the pot, the more trouble you can get into because it will hold more moisture.

I've never had so much trouble growing seedlings as I've had with these cactus.

SLD, Ariocarpus tend to have large and deep taproots - the root is usually WAY bigger than what is above ground. I think that pot will be full of rootball, and you should go a fair bit larger. Good luck.

I was thinking it should have a bigger pot, so repot I shall! I think I have some lime out in the shed. I'll have to check out my pots, hopefully I have one that's taller in proportion to width. May have to make do with a regular clay pot. Hard to find the tall ones.

Take a picture of what you find.

Well, mine turned out not to have a large taproot

But I'm glad I repotted it. The mix it was in had a lot of small particles which had settled in the bottom half of the pot where there were no roots at all. I didn't have an azalea pot the right size so I repotted it in a pot that was a bit wider at the top (will make it easier to water) and about the same height, but it narrows at the bottom, so has less volume at the bottom.

Hopefully it will be o.k.

That should work. That's about what mine looked like. Tapered at the bottom, that pot looks like a perfect fit. I'l take a pic of mine when I repot them with more limestone. But that won't be until after they produce seed pods. If they ever do...

Finally! They are starting to come up.

Did i ever tell y'all about the time I feed a hummingbird from my finger? I think the poor girl flew into my window. I found her on the deck. She stayed with me for a few minutes, then flew up into the trees. I think she just had to gather herself.

I actually sputtered when I saw that pic. The hummingbirds in my yard are NOT nice! Those <expletives expletives> birds are <expletives> territorial.

They get after each other pretty good, but never mess with me.

We bought this house because it was in the trees. Looks like I'm in a big tree house, but now I'm finding out the challenges that come with it. My allergies are going crazy, my cars look like funnel cake, but with green powdered sugar(pollen) and birds keep flying into my windows. Perfect outline of what seems to be a dove.