Cactus Blog 

Our current art exhibition looks great out among the plants at the nursery.

Suzanne Long.

Look what we found in among the olive trees.

There’s been a lot of spiders out this time of year. I carry a bamboo stake when coming in to the nursery first thing, to clear all the webs along the aisles. It’s starting to get to the point where they’re across the window on the car, across the front door at home, and they spin those webs so fast that you can clear an aisle and find another full web within an hour!

Maybe I should ask Keith to stop feeding them slugs so they’ll go away.

And I write extended headlines too.

Hello hello!
I was just at your lovely store Saturday and I purchased a few items for my succulents and cactus. I have done quite a bit of reading on the growing of these guys, as well as have a mother who has the most prolific, vivid green thumb. However, I am still a novice at growing my own cacti/succulents. I recently bought 1 cactus: a notocactus magnificus and a three succulents: an Anacampseros telephiastrum variegata [which I adore!], an Echeveria shaviana, and an Echeveria Topsy Turvy.

For the most part they are doing well. However, the Topsy Turvy has a long stem with a bloom hanging from it; the head of the bloom is hanging, yet to open, and has remained so for a few weeks. Also, the Ech. shaviana has a few rosette “petals” that are limp. They weren’t like this when I purchased them. I am worried about rot, though the rest of the plant is doing well.

I repotted all the plants into terra cotta pots of appropriate size with the Ultra soil bought from your Jungle. I placed some rocks on the surface of the soil. After repotting, I misted some nutrient spray on the rocks of the Echeverias and watered it in. I noticed that the soil dries out rather quickly with this heat, however I do not want to over water them.

Also with the purchase of the Nutrient Spray and Soil Conditioner – I don’t know the best way to use either product.

Can you offer some assistance please? I really am looking forward to growing some beautiful plants to decorate my classroom with. I also love growing things. 😀

Thank you so much for any insight you can offer.

With peace,
Ivette

That’s a lot to go through. The answer….
(more…)

Stannage Ave.
Aloe arborescens

Everybody loves an aloe. You know you do. Plus, we have the plus of a scenic rock. Everybody loves a scenic rock.

Cherry Blossom Girl is talking to her potted succulents.

Sorry my little succulents, I’m taking a lot longer to paint this table that I thought it was going to take me. You’ll have to wait a few more days outside.

From the comments on our post about Feng Shui Cactus comes this question:

hi.. i love cactus and i dont know about feng shui so i bougth a lot of cactus different ones and i put all then in my kitchen in the top of the closet i love to look at them and i dont feel anything but a friend of mine said id bad to have them inside a home and i start looking for information and i read so many diferent opinions i am confused… can you help me thanks why is bad to have then at home and in kitchen?
thanks elia

Now, personally, I think it is bad karma to ask a cactus grower why you should not have cactus in your home. But I answer the question all the same.

Elia,
It’s good that you love your cactus. We love cactus too. So clearly it’s not bad to have them in your home as cactus are living breathing growing lifeforms. Many cactus are even edible and are cultivated in kitchen gardens.
Peter

I just got this crazy spam. I’m posting it here as a warning to others: Do not attempt this! 

Dear American:

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.

I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.

I am working with Mr. Phil Gram, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. This transactin is 100% safe.

This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.

Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout@nulltreasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.

Yours Faithfully Minister of Treasury Paulson

Yesterday we posted a question about an echeveria, and asked for a picture. Today we get a picture!

Sorry, meant to send this initially. Watering about every 2-3 weeks. In a room with several windows, with shear white coverings – so it lets in a fair amount of light.

Steven,
Your echeveria is not getting enough light. Shear white window shades will block the UV that the plant needs. I recommend getting it into a sunny window, however increasing its amount of light each day so as not to shock the plant. Ideally, it wants 2 hours min. of afternoon sun or 3-4 hours of direct morning sun.

They can be prone to pests when not getting enough light, so given its current condition, you may also want to check to make sure that it doesn’t develop pests like aphids or mealy bugs.
Peter

Oh come on now, I blogged about Cactus Mittens yesterday (Cactus Mittens!) and nobody has any comment or response to this? How is this possible? The world may be a strange and mysterious place, our financial health in collapse, our health care system uncertain, a very polarized election coming up and yet here we are with cactus mittens and nobody seems to appreciate what this means for all of us.

Well, let me tell you what it means. It means that we’re OK.

My echeveria elegans seems to be wilting. Bought it about two months ago. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Steven

Now we get all kinds of questions here at the blog and at the nursery. Sometimes, though, we do need a little more information. For instance, in this case, all we know is that the echeveria is wilting. So let’s review what we know so far:

1. The plant in question is an Echeveria.
2. It’s wilting.

OK, good, that’s a good place to start. But we need more. We always need more. So here was my response:

Steven,
Can you send us a photo?
Also, here’s a couple questions to get you started:
How often are you watering?
How much sunlight?

Peter

I’ll let you know when we know more…

I try to use these quotes as a way to add a little politics to the site without writing political posts. So now should be the time for presidential candidate quotes. But events overtake, and I really like the way this is phrased. It’s not really a quote, more like a subordinate clause:

…Wall Street’s blind faith in its own ability to transubstantiate subprime mortgages into AAA-rated, investment-grade paper…

Now that’s an image to hold onto. (Billmon)

And here’s an image for your patience:

It’s a closeup of an Opuntia subulata c.v. monstrose. A wonderful example of how a small virus can take a giant tree cholla and turn it into a densely packed apartment-block of branches no taller than 3ft.

Google don’t fail me now. 

And it’s a hit! Cactus Mittens!

It’s a pattern for making mittens that look something like a saguaro. From Jess: Knit Climb Java

Teh Google really can improve our world in so many untold, practically unknown, verily unimagined ways.

Travel writing is always interesting. People from one part of the world, usually a rich country, travel to another part of the world, often a poor country, and marvel at the nature.

At the centre of the salt flats, the sudden appearance of the cactus-covered Incawasi Island gives you sufficient grounds to think your water bottle has been spiked with hallucinogenic drugs….

However, trek to the top of this rocky oasis and you will be rewarded with a blinding view of the sea of hexagonal salt tiles below – and if you’re really lucky you can get up close and personal with a ten metre cactus – a slightly more prickly experience than hugging a hoodie.

Fascinating, really, from a sociological perspective of course.

Stannage Ave., Berkeley

Agave attenuata, always a popular choice. These soft-leafed agaves are also less hardy. Oh well, a little plus, a little minus, must be karma.

These are pretty big, having come through the last two cold winters apparantly just fine. The babies are at the top of the hill, none down low. Very interesting.

by DevilsTower. I’ll wait for you to finish it and come back….

OK, so that was interesting.

Here, have a picture for your effort:

Echinocereus morricalii – a spineless hedgehog cactus (well, almost spineless)! Sprawling clumps of low stems from Monterrey, Mexico. They will have Magenta flowers, if you can wait. We’re keeping them indoors, because they’re just a bit frost sensitive.

Teh Google wins again!

from Pixdaus… by fedrus

No, no pictures today. We’re too busy, and we’ve been setting up the new POS system for the store, so you’ll just have to wait. The POS goes live on Monday, so come on by to see everyone flail around trying to ring up a sale. It should be fun.

We had a nice garden party for the Opening of the art exhibit last night. Not too many people, since there was a little rain and people are clearly frightened of the rain. The art looks amazing sitting among the plants. Maybe I’ll photograph it for the blog.

Whippet Rescue has an 8 year old female in MN.

Vespa is very pretty.

Evelyn Ave., Berkeley

It’s the yellow version of the red hot poker. I don’t know the cultivar of Kniphofia since there are a few that will bloom yellow. The hummingbirds of course go wild for these.

Previously I posted about RFID chips being placed in specimen cacti to help deter theft. It turns out cacti are not the only ones being protected. Here’s a headline I’m sure you never expected to see:

Scottish beavers and Cali cacti get their chips

It’s from an article at a Euoropean IT news site about the chips and how they’re helping track endangered species.

I don’t know what that headline means. All I know is we’re haveing an opening night party tomorrow for our latest art exhibition at the nursery.

Suzanne Long Garden Sculpture

September 19 – October 31, 2008

Opening Night Party September 19, 4-6pm

See you then, OK? Good.

FIRST they make you drink the juice of the San Pedro cactus. Then they lead you towards the darkness.

This is the beginning of an article in New Scientist Magazine. It’s not online. But they want you to know that the Inka kings got you high.

I think we’ll categorize this blog post under “Science.”

PZ Myers posted this photo that I have “borrowed” of lava cactus on the Galapagos. Why does he get to go to the Galapagos and I don’t? I like lava cactus. And giant tortoises too.

Did I mention the garden sculpture? Party this Friday? 4-6pm?

Suzanne Long Garden Sculpture

A group of Sedum morganianum (left), haworthia (far right) and kalanchoes (centre) provides a satisfying contrast of form and texture

Kains Ave.

I see cactus AND succulents there. Cereus AND Opuntia. Yucca AND Aloe. It’s all good.

This is the best short explanation of the financial crisis that I’ve seen yet.

Banks made a bunch of stupid loans which aren’t being repaid. A bunch of people made highly leveraged investments in securities backed by those loans. A bunch of other people sold insurance on those securities and related debt. (Atrios)