Cactus Blog - Page 11 of 212

That's a lot of Blooming Aloe

Posted February 24, 2016 3:17 pm & filed under Berkeley Succulents.

Aloe arborescens
Blake St, Berkeley

Oakland Agave

Posted February 22, 2016 8:13 am & filed under Misc.

Foxtail Agave, A. attenuata
Alcatraz Ave.

Aeonium, Berkeley

Posted February 21, 2016 1:12 pm & filed under Berkeley Succulents.

Blake St, Berkeley

Succulents

Posted February 20, 2016 2:03 pm & filed under Berkeley Succulents.

Blake St., Berkeley

Rainbow over Cactus Jungle

Posted February 18, 2016 3:33 pm & filed under Misc.

Cactus, Berkeley

Posted February 14, 2016 10:49 am & filed under Berkeley Gardens, Cactus.

Matthews St, Berkeley

Baldwin's Sure-Fire Method to Refreshing Succulent Gardens

Posted February 14, 2016 10:27 am & filed under Videos - Instructional.

Berkeley Succulent Garden

Posted February 9, 2016 1:48 pm & filed under Berkeley Succulents.

It’s small, it’s between the sidewalk and a brick wall, but it’s all succulent garden.

Grayson St, Berkeley

Valentines Cactus

Posted February 5, 2016 12:37 pm & filed under Berkeley Succulents.

Actually a succulent. Hoya kerrii!

Weedy Cactus

Posted February 4, 2016 4:32 pm & filed under Cactus.

Jess slowly weeding the spiniest of cactus!

Photobombed by Jeremiah! Nice.

How Venus Fly Traps Work

Posted January 25, 2016 7:41 am & filed under Carnivorous Plants.

In one simple video, from Slate.

Sempervivums Show Winter Color

Posted January 12, 2016 9:10 am & filed under Nursery.

Nicely colored up for winter, the Sempervivums are glowing!

Hybrid Cactus

Posted January 7, 2016 2:44 pm & filed under Botanic Gardens, Cactus.

That’s a beautiful Denmoza x Cleistocactus hybrid! Sweet.

As seen at the Huntington Gardens in Pasadena.

Christmas Cactus

Posted December 24, 2015 10:10 am & filed under Cactus.

Do the Christmas Cactus bloom on Christmas?

They do!

Small Little Succulents that are not Big

Posted December 18, 2015 2:22 pm & filed under Whats New.

Aeonium decorum

Bushy shrub to 16″; red-edged in sun; thick long leaves

Hardy to 28F
Full Sun to Part Shade
Cactus Soil
Low Water

Berkeley Succulents

Posted December 15, 2015 5:45 pm & filed under Berkeley Succulents.

Aloe arborescens on 7th Street in Berkeley! Blooms everywhere.

Carrion Flower

Posted December 9, 2015 7:00 am & filed under Berkeley Succulents.

Stapelia variegata #orbea #stapelia #stapeliad #succulents #carrionflower #flower #cactusjungle

A photo posted by Cactus Jungle (@bobdavisart) on Nov 29, 2015 at 11:57am PST

Questions!

Posted December 4, 2015 12:09 pm & filed under Questions.

Hey there. I recently purchased this barrel cactus from a shop in Denver and then took it with me back to NYC. (As carry-on.) It looks basically healthy except for this discoloration, which seems to come in two parts. At the upper end of the plant there are these lighter (yellowish) spots. With an x-acto knife I can slice them off, tho it’s not the easiest thing in the world to do. Towards the bottom, the discoloration isn’t raised, and it’s pretty thorough at the bottom two inches, creeping up in some places.

Maybe the bottom is natural barking, and the top is related to frost in Denver? In which case, let it be?

Or maybe it’s a scale infestation? In which case, should I take that knife to everything I can?

Spent forever online looking for advice but have gotten nowhere. Any thoughts you have would be so appreciated!

David

It’s hard to tell from the photo. It’s either some previous damage that has healed over, in which case you don’t need to do anything. Or it’s scale, which is an insect, so please put away the exacto blades. If you think it’s scale then you should spray it with an organic insecticide. You can also dip a soft paintbrush into rubbing alcohol and that will break the shell down so that you can clean them off after they are dead.

Peter

It's a Toy

Posted November 21, 2015 12:50 pm & filed under Art.

No… It’s a cactus!

Haworthia fasciata in Slo-mo

Posted November 19, 2015 4:20 pm & filed under Uncategorized.

Succulents are Super Hip and Cool

Posted November 17, 2015 6:09 pm & filed under News.

According to the New Republic, there’s never been a better time to decorate your home with so many succulents that you can’t even see the windows anymore.

I am not trendy

. In fact, I actively disdain something as soon as I sense it’s a trend… But that couldn’t stop me from falling prey to one of the latest trends: succulents.

I noticed other people’s obsession with succulents before I became obsessed myself….

But somewhere along the way, my stance on succulents started changing. I found myself thinking that maybe if I had a succulent….

First, I acquired a light green echeveria that grew a single yellow flower. Then I got another, darker echeveria. And a hen-and-chicks. And a big spiky aloe. And a fairy castle cactus. There was no turning back.

Phew! What a story! A journey to enlightenment.

Berkeley Milkweed

Posted November 3, 2015 9:37 am & filed under Berkeley Gardens.

It’s the Hairyballs Milkweed plant.

Gomphocarpus physocarpa 10th Street, Berkeley

Crispy Cactus

Posted October 30, 2015 8:26 am & filed under Cactus.

Stenocactus crispatus

Mexico

4″ solitary barrel, undulating ribs, variable spines.

Hardy to 20F
Full Sun
Cactus Soil
Low Water

Berkeley Agave

Posted October 29, 2015 1:15 pm & filed under Berkeley Gardens, Berkeley Succulents.

Agave attenuata on Dwight Ave., Berkeley

Playing with Cactus

Posted October 24, 2015 7:49 am & filed under Cactus, How-to.

Musicians have been playing with cactus ever since John Cage wrote a piece for cactus many years ago. Probably people were playing cactus even longer ago than that, but there you go – John Cage gets all the credit.

Farkas, 30, plays percussion

instruments such as marimba and snare drum, but nothing captures attention like playing the spines of a cactus in a pot….

As strange as it may sound to others, Farkas said, cactus playing is a thing in the percussion world — mostly thanks to avant-garde composer and music theorist John Cage. Cage’s “Child of Tree,” composed in 1975, uses instruments made of plant materials, including the cactus.

Best if all this particular article comes with instructions! Now you can know how to play the cactus yourself!

How to Play the Cactus

1. Get a cactus with long, evenly spread spines.

2. Make a contact microphone using a piezoelectric transducer, plug it into an amplifier and attach it to one of the cactus spines.

3. Use your fingers or other objects to pluck or rub the spines to create sound. Bonus points for rhythm without injury.

Electrified!

Cactus Flower

Posted October 23, 2015 9:17 am & filed under Cactus, Travel.

Another picture of a Parodia nivosa in bloom. So much pretty.

And a bonus photo! Of a perfect fall day in Central Park in New York. Nice!

Turk's Cap Cactus

Posted October 20, 2015 7:37 am & filed under Cactus.

Melocactus violaceus

Large, globular, with white-haired cephalium when mature.

Cactus Flower

Posted October 19, 2015 9:09 am & filed under Cactus, Photography.

Parodia nivosa

Pumpkins? Succulents? What Kind of Halloween Horror is This?

Posted October 15, 2015 3:00 pm & filed under How-to.

The Washington Post is making a horrible nightmarish Halloween centerpiece out of a stitched together agglomeration of hideous opposites.

Though it is kind of cute.

Daigle, 31, who is one of the authors of the blog Needles & Leaves… told us a bit about succulents and shared a few photos of DIY holiday ideas from her book. There you can find detailed directions on how to create them.

Oh, so it’s in a book! Very timely.

Where is the best place to buy succulents?

Try and go directly to a local nursery. You will get a better plant from them, and you can pick it out yourself.

Nice! She likes us! She really likes us!