Cactus Blog 

In this fire season in Southern Cal., Debra Lee Baldwin writes about firewise plants on Gardening Gone Wild.

Succulents by definition are plants that withstand drought by storing water in fleshy leaves and stems. This makes them slow to catch on fire. Consequently, they’re good perimiter plants for gardens in fireprone areas.

She also discusses fires in the recent past and shows pictures of gardens that helped to protect homes. This is just as relevant here in Northern California, where the fires are just as intense, if less frequent. Debra will also be teaching a class on planting for fires on September 20, if you happen to be in the Encinitas area.

So to summarize: Preparing for drought? Plant succulents. Worried about fire? Plant succulents. Want a gorgeous garden with a multitude of varied architectural shapes and modern colors? Plant succulents. What more could you want?

Ferocactus tiburonensis

I wonder if this barrel is from Tiburon, right across the Bay? I suppose not, since it wouldn’t make sense to have a native barrel cactus from Tiburon – not really desert-y enough for a barrel. Must be a different Tiburon.

I wonder if there’s a Tiburon in Mexico? Tiburon Island seems to be a desert ecological wonderland, so I suppose that’s how it got it’s name.

In Santa Lucia, which is a preserve near Carmel. That means it’s in the Bay Area! Looks private.

First, we have a photo on Nat. Geo.

And we have a closer up photo on green architecture notes.

No notes on what’s been planted, but you can see for yourself.

There’s a backyard succulent nursery in Hollywood. Such secret locations are to be carefully hoarded, and not shared with just everyone. Well, maybe with online readers, but that’s all. And newspaper readers too. And I should probably just twitter and facebook this and get it over with.

A kindly woman by the name of Theresa sells potted plants out of her backyard in Hollywood.

Me in her jade garden
Photo: Chandler Poling

We started out as a backyard nursery too!

Do you like small plants, because this one is small – Sedum nanifolium – the name means small leafed. This is the tiniest sedum I know of, but then there are hundreds of stonecrops, so I could be missing another one.

I’ve decided to start chronicling my experience trying to get my broken Archos media player replaced. I started the site archossucks.com. You can follow along there.

Also, cute whippet puppy warning: Kennel Windy Meadows. Such cuteness.

I plan to build a new greenhouse, any suggestions?
Nothing huge or outrageous, just functional. Any do’s and don’t’s?
Nothing commercial or industrial, I just collect a ‘few’ cactus

Matt

Harbor Freight Tools has a good kit, but it’s a pain to put together, and it has to be extra reinforced.

Better quality would be Charley’s Greenhouse or Farmtek.

Walls should be lexan, polycarbonate, or glass. In general, larger is better, make sure it has great air ventilation, and tall enough for you to stand. Shade cloth the roof in summer so it doesn’t get too hot.
Peter

An update on my broken Archos media player. I spoke with customer service, after an hour on hold getting through to tech support and then another 1/2 hour on hold being put through to customer service, and they will send me another RMA so I can send it back to them and they’ll put another note in there about the problem yet again. When I asked for a new unit, the woman said “Absolutely not.” So the first time I sent it in, they kept it for 1 week, before sending it back unfixed. The 2nd time I sent it in, they kept it 3 weeks before sending it back unfixed. Now they’re offering to take it back a 3 time, maybe to keep it for 5 weeks this time? They’ve had this unit in their shop for more time than I’ve had it in my home.

I called their US corporate offices and spoke to someone named John, and he said he would look into it for me.

In the meantime, Here’s a clearer video of the problem. I also figured out that the problem is with the screen, and not with the motherboard or other internal hardware. Interesting.

From Matt in Portland, OR, we have these unnamed cactus in bloom very late in the year.

A closeup after the break, plus we discover the name of this lovely cactus that looks like a cross between a mammillaria and a parodia.
(more…)

We get a follow up from a previous question, and it’s not looking better.

Hi Hap –

I’m not sure if the cactus is better. I’ve used the milk solution weekly, the good news is that the scaly bugs have significantly reduced. However, the browing doesn’t seem to be improving and seems to have spreaded.

I appreciate any additional input.

Thanks,
Tish

Tish,

It looks like you need to spray with something more aggressive than milk and baking soda. I would suggest trying a Neem Oil spray, in a 1 or 2% solution. Retreat with Neem about every week to ten days for three or four treatments. You should also “paint” the dark brown spot on the lower part of the cactus in one of your photos with hydrogen-peroxide to stop the infection there from spreading and turning in to rot.

If you would like, you can bring it by the nursery and we can do the first treatment with you, so you can see just how we do it and we can make sure we are making the correct recommendations.

Talk to you soon,

Hap

Pachypodium saudersii

Shrubby, spiny, caudex-forming – what’s not to like? White flowers with pink edges? Red buds? You like it all, I can tell.

Let me take a moment out of my cactus day and rant a bit about Archos. Archos makes media devices with lots of memory so you can watch movies and such on a nice screen. Not cheap. However, my device is broken and Archos doesn’t seem to want to fix it, or replace it.

I have sent it back to them twice already, and they kept it for weeks on end, and then they sent it back to me and it is still broken! Why would they do that? Are they evil? I can’t make a clear determination on this, but it sure seems to me they are evil.

So I am pissed off as you can imagine. Maybe having a readership of a few hundred blog readers will get their attention, but I wouldn’t bet on it, evil bastards.

We still have a few of the Echinocereus/Echinopsis hybrids producing late blooms.

We call this one Echinocereus grandiflora “Caribbean Peach”

Dazzling colors are the hallmark of these giant flowers. Oh, to be a bee. The bees are also going crazy for the late Echinopsis pachanoi blooms. So much work to do before winter. And the bees are busy too.

More Cactus clipart for you to enjoy and share.

Generally I like a few bees around the nursery, flopping around in the cactus flowers, but not like this.

The woman said she was in the yard working when a swarm of bees started attacking her near… Cactus, authorities said. She was able to call 911….

“The lady had been stung probably 300 to 400 times prior to our arrival….” At least three officers each had about 50 stings.

So now that CCD has declined, the bees are back to marauding the countryside? Rampaging through the cities? Unacceptable!

From Sunset Magazine we find this picture of a garden design by Molly Wood in Costa Mesa that cleverly uses a succulent border of Sempervivums.

Public domain cactus clip art for the masses! Print it out and paste it on your notebook, and you’ll be the coolest kid, trust me.

Cactus Linda

The Arizona Family Examiner shares pictures of cactus, this one by Jim.

It’s great to go barefoot in places with beautiful green lush grass, but definitely not advised in the desert. Step on some cactus and it takes pliers to remove the needles. “Ouch.”

From the Chicago Botanic Garden Blog we find out that…

The planting is almost complete on the Green Roof Garden North

Yay!

I wonder what it looks like right now?

Yay!

Hello Cactus Jungle,

We lover your store. We bought these plants there.

They are getting brown curling on the ends of some leaves, and some leaves have fallen off?

Help? Save us?

Thank You

Tom and Joy

Tom and Joy,
You have 2 different problems.

1. Rex Begonias are a generally easy houseplant, preferring bright indirect light, but there’s a few tricks. The first thing is they like a moist environment, even though they’re drought-tolerant. So water weekly. And when it’s warm, mist the leaves twice a week. But the problem is, they don’t like wet leaves. So the trick is to water the soil, not the leaves, and to mist with a very fine spray, with no visible water droplets on the leaves. Also, direct sun can burn the leaves. Even then, they are semi-deciduous and will have fewer leaves in winter. For the brown leaves, just cut them off.

2. The Aeonium kiwi looks like it’s not getting enough sunlight, or it’s getting too much water. Or maybe there are little pests on the underside of the leaves? Hard to say from the photo.

Hope this helps,
Peter

In the middle of an article comes this quote having to do with cactus. I think it stands on its own, and there’s no reason for you to read the rest of the article, so I’m not linking to it at all.

Price said Schaer was the first patient he has seen with a wasp sting on his uvula, although he once treated someone with a cactus spine in his uvula.

OK, here’s the link in case you think I’m making this up.

Hello,

I have been a follower of your blog for quite some time. We are raising some hen and chicks and wondered if you had any tips on increasing the number of “chicks” produced. Our stock of hens is increasing slowly.

Thanks
Steve

Steve,
There are 2 different types of plants commonly called “Hens and Chicks”. A good place to start is a fertilizer. We mix our own organic nutrients called cactus meal, and recommend you apply them once per year for healthy, natural growth.

If it’s a Sempervivum, they like a lot of root run, so if they’re in a pot, they will stay small and multiply slowly. In the ground they take off. To help them along, we use Supergro, a balanced organic ferilizer.

If it’s an Echeveria, the growth rate depends on many factors, however some species are just very slow to multiply. You can cut off the main rosette, and that will often cause branching at the cut end. Supergro is also beneficial.

Other factors include watering and sun, depending on your climate.
Peter

The Ithaca Journal recommends eating cactus.

Improve the variety of your diet — try some exotic produce.

Nopales or cactus pads are often used in Mexican or Southwest dishes.

But they don’t tell us where you can find it in Ithaca. Maybe you have to go all the way to Tampa, because I don’t think your regular safeway in Ithaca is going to stock nopales.

Last week, Enchiladas Mexican Restaurant (opened)…, bringing downtown diners yet another option.

Chile verde con nopales ($10.95) is a classic Mexican dish that combines spicy pork chunks with a flavorful sauce of green tomatillo and cactus (yes, cactus).

I’m sure it’s delicious.

When Darin comes to visit, Benjamin and Jason get busy.

I was going to have a photograph of a Clusia orthoneura bloom for you by now, but the bud is still not open!

I hope you don’t mind this morning’s posts with me  just writing whatever’s on my mind. I promise you I’ll post the clusia bloom as soon as it opens. They’re very pretty.

And I have the best Friday Whippet Video ever coming up soon too.  Stay tuned.

So earlier this morning I mentioned it’s the time of year to take your final cactus cuts. And I thought I should also mention that it’s OK to take some succulent cuts all the way into winter.

For instance, Aeoniums. And Aloes, too!

Fun fact: Did you know that the stoma of the aloe leaf are often sunken, and surrounded by well-developed lobes?

Portion of Vertical Section of Aloe Leaf

1. Stoma                            5. Vascular Bundle
2. Cuticle                          6. Water Storage Tissue
3. Upper Epidermis     7. Palisade Tissue
4. Palisade Tissue         8. Lower Epidermis

And from Aloes: The Genus Aloe By Tom Reynolds

Science!