Cactus Blog 

I have a spiral aloe that I got from you guys (plus another larger one I already had) and they both need transplanting. So I have a couple of questions:

1) What is the best time(s) of the year to transplant?

2) What is the best way to transplant these to cause the least amount of damage to the leaves/plant (the larger one seems like it’s going to be tricky to get out)?

3) Are there any issues to watch out for when transplanting the spiral aloe?

Thanks!
————————
Jason

Jason,

1) Spring-Summer, you want warm soil for the roots to heal and get established in….

2) Smash the pots, that way you are handling it by the root mass and not the fragile leaves.

3) Do not water for a week or two after transplant so the injured roots are not a vector for infection.

Take care,

Hap

Gardens to Visit features a cactus garden for you to visit, I guess.

The Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium… (in) Palm Springs, California… were established in 1939 by Patricia and Chester “Cactus Slim” Moorten, one of the original Keystone Cops. The Moortens collected many of their own plants from Baja California, Mexico, and as far south as Guatemala.

Any pictures to share? Why, yes they do.

That’s a lot of cactus. But who would want to go to Palm Springs in the fall, anyway? I would!

From the Smithsonian’s botanical database of plant images, comes this blooming Pelargonium.

Photographer: Cooper, G.A. © Copyright 2008 Smithsonian Institution

Quiabentia verticillata

Rare cactus. See those leaves on top of that extra spiny body? Must be in the Pereskioideae sub-family. But no! It’s in the Cylindropuntia cactus tribe. i.e. it’s a cholla! Anyway, from Argentina, they can grow into giant trees. But they’re slow growing here in California.

Kains Ave.

Euphorbias, don’t know which varieties. But I love the way they’re poking outabove and below.

Sarcocaulon crassicaule

This spiny shrub from Namibia in the geranium family can get to about 10″ tall. Well, that barely qualifies as a shrub.

I don’t know what this is. We have a whole bunch of them growing. They’re only 4 years old, but I don’t even know if they’re a small barrel, getting close to full size, or if they’re a giant barrel just starting off. I’m guessing it’s an Echinocactus, but I just don’t know. I’ve identified about a dozen genuses it could be.

Today’s random google search takes me to this site that has pastel cactus flower note cards for sale.

This card is titled, “Yellow and Peach Prickly Pear Flowers”.

I wonder what would happen if I did the search on MSN instead? I see it pulls up…
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You may be wondering why there’s been more California Native photos this week than cactus or succulents.

I’ve been featuring some native plants this week, because we’re about to have our first big Native Plant Sale at the nursery. We’ve brought in all kinds of natives. We have probably close to 100 species out right now. And now is the best time to plant them, so you know, get with the program.

Here’s our ad running in the Chronicle.

The ad looks weird online, versus in the paper which it was designed for.

Plus we have radio ads too. KPIG on your AM dial, local radio, classic Americana. Good stuff.

Arctostaphylos morroensis – Morro Manzanita

Endangered in its native range in Southern Cal., it grows well coastal gardens throughout the state. Lavender flowers with red berries.

I purchased a Pachyphytum oviferum (Moonglow) from you a while ago & recently I have been having problems w/ the leaves coming off & not growing back. Along w/ this the plant was knocked into & about 4 inches of stem has fallen off. I would like not to damage this plant anymore & hopefully be able to repot the broken stem. How might I do this?
Thank you
Tiffany 

—
“I am a little star in a big star world”

Now I was thinking about these little pachyphytums recently, since they get a long trailing stem that is easy to break, and every time someone buys a big pot of it they risk them breaking off in the car home. So I tell them that if they break off they can be planted, of course. But is this good enough?

Anyway, Hap answered Tiffany’s question:
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Amica comes to visit the nursery. Benjamin is always very happy to see his sister.

3) Do we really know whether or not Sarah Palin is Sacha Baron Cohen’s greatest role?

DDay

Another one of Suzanne Long’s pieces on display at the nursery:

Eriogonum parvifolium, aka Seacliff Buckwheat – Can handle Sun or Shade, gets to around 2ft. Great native coastal shrub, important plant for endangered butterfly populations. Handles clay soils and winter freezes.

This comes from a site called Finding Dulcinea. They call themselves “librarians of the internet.” I don’t know what that means. The article also has a picture of a Saguaro.

Peyote plants are smuggled by narco-tourists seeking their legendary hallucinatory powers.

Indeed.

Hi Hap,

Can you take a look at what is going on with a few of my babies?

Photo 1 is my Old Lady, it looks like a wax, crust, light brown developed around her. almost like an ear wax?

Photo 2 is my prickly pear, it looks kind of brown? the spines are light brown and she isn’t very green?

Photo 3 is a cactus of mine with a grey scar around her base. It isn’t soft, just grey in color and smooth? I’m thinking maybe a sun scar? how can i help her?

thanks again, i appreciate it.

yours in cactii,
M Hoey
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Malacothamnus palmeri – Palmer’s Bush Mallow, from Carmel and Big Sur Central California Coast. Shrubby, branchy, almost tree-like, but only 6 ft. tall. They bloom a lot.

Check out those bristles.

Apparently succulents are spreading everywhere in the country. Now they’re in Pennsylvania and the Jersey Shore. Next who knows, Delaware maybe.

Succulents offer value and save water

Karl Gercens, Longwood Gardens horticulturist, tends to drought resistant succulents, some of which also are winter hardy, at Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, Pa. Gardeners are learning that these easy care plants, like this group of prickly pear cactus, aren’t just for display in desert gardens anymore. (AP PHOTO)…

“They’re carefree, without any insect pests, and shrug off high heat or extreme cold,” Kelaidis said. “”Some kinds of sedum and hens and chicks will go on forever. That’s why they use them so much in commercial plantings.”

You know I’m feeling kind of carefree too. We’re looking forward to a Red Sox v. Cubs World Series and it’s sunny and warm today so you know, it’s OK that they have succulents in Pennsylvania and along the Jersey Shore. On a different day we’d stress out about the Jersey Shore, but not today. Today we’re calm and carefree.

Here we have a beautiful daisy-like flower, larger than the little succulent hiding underneath. You can see it peeking through the petals. I wonder what it is?

Another picture after the break…
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Evelyn Ave.

So it’s a small garden.

Aeonium haworthii and an ubiquitous Crassula ovata in front.

In Manitoba, no less. You would think they would have a mpicture, but they do have this very nice description.

The cacti bloom in the Carberry sandhills. The delicate yellow blossom of the plains prickly-pear cactus is in sharp contrast with the prickly stems of this brittle plant.

One of the best places to view the prickly-pear cactus in full blossom is along the Quiet Voices Trail in Spruce Woods Provincial Park. These yellow flowers are plentiful and easily spotted among the mixed-grass prairie here. The pincushion cactus, with its characteristic violet-pink flower, is far less abundant.

Talbot Ave., Berkeley

Everybody loves Agave attenuata. At least until we get a freeze. Then it’s not so good. But they’ll come back. These have from the freeze we got the last 2 years.

Polliannacrafts has created a remarkable, adorable crochet cactus.

I’ve been told that sometimes I add just a bit too much snark, so no snark today. This really is a remarkably adorable crochet cactus, and that’s all I have to say about it.

(Photo was borrowed without permission).

I love it when papers print articles about a cactus in bloom, like it was some kind of miracle, which it is. Here we have the Memphis Commercial-Appeal printing an article about a bloom.

M. Shah Jahan, professor and chairman of the University of Memphis physics department, recently succeeded in producing this night-blooming cereus plant bloom, which last happened four years ago. The Queen of the Night blossom produces a scent that seems to combine the magnolia and gardenia, with a citrus strain and a hint of spice.

Why should we care? Well, for the first time I’ve ever read, the local paper tells you why you should care.

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Have you ever wondered why we call insects “pests”? No, I didn’t think so.

I noticed some white specks on one of my plants today ! Never saw them before. Are they insects? not sure. Attaching a picture…could you tell me how to get rid of these specks? If I take a damp cloth they come off, but it’s difficult to get in there and get them off….what is it?

thanks
Brian

Brian,

It is a bad case of Scale Insects. Think vampire barnacles… you can clean them off with a small paint brush or Q-tip dipped in rubbing alcohol. Paint on the alcohol liberally and let it set a few moments and then gently wipe them off, the alcohol dissolves the shelac like glue that they have attached them selves to the plant. It may take a few cleanings to get them all and to kill off all the eggs. You can also spray with Neem Oil in a 1% dilution in water to kill them, but you will still need to clean them off with the alcohol after they are dead.

Good luck,

Hap

I forgot to mention yesterday, on Friday Whippet Blogging, but Benjamin now has his own Facebook page!

Shall I say, “Woohoo!” ?

Ipomoea jaegeri

Now that’s a stunning plant. The flowers last only the one day, but they’re quite big for a morning glory, about 4 inches across. Succulent stems, to 2 or 3 ft. Shrubby things.