Cactus Blog 

Hello Peter,
I was wondering if you could help me take care of my plants and maybe give me some advice! So as you can see I love plants, especially cacti and perennial plants. In every picture you can see that the soil is wet because I just watered them all today. Can you tell me how often each one needs to be watered?

I would also like to know whether they should be outdoors or not? I have a garden where I could put them but I would rather have them with me in my room. I recently put 6 and 7 outside but I am worried about that ‘burnt look’ they have going on now… Maybe the transition was a little too abrupt since they used to be inside. I never changed the soils, could you tell me if I should and how to?

Can you also tell me if they look healthy or if one of them needs special care? For the ones that stay in my room, I try to let as much sunshine in as I can, but I think maybe they would like to be outside. Also some parts of 7 died and I don’t know what to do with the remaining parts, does it mean that the whole cactus is going to die too?

I don’t know that much about cacti but I love them and would hate for them to die, so please help me! I’ve had the euphorbia 5 for a few years, I keep it inside the house and it looks really happy to me, it has grown a lot! Most of the others are new and I can’t tell if they have grown or not.

I live in Paris and it is rather hot and sunny during the summer and spring, but it can get really cold in the winter.

Also, if you know their names I would love to learn! THANK YOU so much, I LOVE your blog, I really hope you get a chance to reply and maybe help me.

Albertine

Albertine,

When you bring plants outside they need to be “hardened off” to the sun, which means bringing them slowly out into sunshine over the course of a week or longer, or they will get a sunburn.

All plants can be grown outside, it just depends on your local climate. Here in Berkeley or San Francisco we can grow those outside, but I am not sure in Paris. There is a cactus shop there that might know better for your particular locale.

The plants that I know are:

1. Euphorbia ferox

2. Don’t know

3. Opuntia microdasys

4. Ferocactus, too young to know the species

5. Euphorbia – could be trigona

6 and 7. Mammillaria

Generally you can water them every 2 to 3 weeks, but they look like they’re not getting a lot of sun, so maybe every 3 weeks is best.

Peter

That’s my Benjamin

Want to dig up a giant Agave in Oakland? Let us know!

I’ve been doing some research online and came across your shop. I live in Oakland, will be relandscaping the yard in the coming months, and have a giant agave plant that we’ll be getting rid of. The main plant is 5′ tall and ~8′ across, and there are at least a half-dozen smaller plants right around it.

It seems like a shame to destroy the plant, but they also seem quite difficult to move – so I’ve just started emailing to see where I might find a gardener or nursery that would be interested. I have no idea whether an agave of this size is even desirable or whether my best bet is just to get rid of it. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. I’ve attached a couple photos of the plant.

Thanks,
Conn

I say, how about a terrarium? And a caveman or monkey man from the Ascent of Man series would be a fantastic, and ironic, finishing touch.

I was wondering if anyone may know what type of Echeveria this is, see attachment. It was about 6 inches across and standing about 4 inches up. Deep, dark red/brownish color and leaves were thick.

cindy

That would be Echeveria “Fireball”

Peter

Rikki sends along news from yesterday’s Carnivorous Plant Society show that Devon won a Blue Ribbon!

Here’s the Blue Ribbon winning Drosera and it’s potted in one of our Carey Cherney Handmade pots!

And follow me after the break for another shot. (more…)

San Pablo Ave, Berkeley

Flowering cholla among the bamboo.

Benjamin rests after a long day of work  at the Jungle.

Agave schidigera “Black Widow”

Stemless rosettes to 24″ w/hairy leaf margins

• Hardy to 20F
• Full Sun to Part Sun
• Cactus Soil
• Low Water

Apparently we have an Italian namesake – Cactus Jungle, Italy – and they make fabric cactuses.

Very nice! Welcome to the Cactus Jungle family! Now do we get a share of their profits?

Aeonium lindleyi
 
Small, shrubby to 12″, with small dense green rosettes

Hardy to 25F 
Full Sun to Part Shade
Cactus Soil
Low Water

Those are my two Whippets. You may know them as Benjamin and Jason.

Page Street, Berkeley

Cotyledon orbiculata in full bloom. Now that’s a nicely shaped shrubby and chalky succulent, just like your mother used to make.

And in case you don’t also follow me on instagram, here’s the instagrammed and filtered version that appeared there.

Which do you like better?

I am not sure what is going on with this Alluaudia. It seems to be having issues.

Michael

Michael,

That’s not good. I don’t know what it is. I would isolate the plant first. Then try dipping a paintbrush in rubbing alcohol and lightly rubbing to see what happens. But since I don’t know what it is, I can’t really help.

I’ll post it on the blog tomorrow and see if we get any responses there.

Peter

I recently became the caretaker of these plants. They have not had much
sunlight and I am acclimating them back into full sun over the next few
weeks. I am keeping them under a mesh tarp to let them get diffuse sun
and I plan to put them into larger pots with some fertilizer (3-3-3). Is
there anything that you can help me with based by just looking at the
picture or do you see any thing I should change with my plan? I am
guessing they are mostly some form of Euphorbia erythraea forma
variegata but am not really sure.

Thank you for your time,
Rich

Rich,

Aside from the Opuntia which is the only cactus, the white ones are Euphorbia “Ammak” and the green ones are either the green version of “Ammak” or are probably Euphorbia trigona.

Depending on where you live they may need to be indoor. They are only hardy down around 32F, so we recommend them indoor in the SF Bay Area in the Winter.

Fast draining cactus soils for all of them. The cactus needs some good sun. The Euphorbias can handle light shade to full sun.

Do not fertilize a lot or these will grow into giant trees too quickly. Very little water – every 3 to 4 weeks should be fine, although more if it is sunny and hot.

Peter

Nina and Dexter send in this project they put together this weekend – a mixed succulents trough.

Hi! Thanks for your help today! Hope our new friends thrive in San Francisco.
Nina and Dexter

Nice!

Can you name them all? I’ll give you a start: Aeonium, Sedum, Crassula, Echeveria, Aloe, Portulacaria and another Sedum.

From my mother-in-law in Idaho comes a picture of some beautiful cactus in bloom; and a cousin made a cactus sculpture out of horseshoes.

Nice!

Aeonium “Graciosa”

Shrub to 2′, dark purple-edged leaves

• Hardy to 25F
• Full Sun to Part Shade
• Cactus Soil
• Low Water

Matt from San Anselmo shows us what he did with those Fan Aloes he got from us.

Aloe plicatilis sure can look modern.

Nice!

It’s the nephew in a choir on tour in Switzerland, so that deserves a blog post! He’s the first one you see when the camera zooms in, on the far left.

Aeonium arboreum

Dense, shrubby to 3ft.+; green w/red edges, darker in sun. Hardy to 28F. Native to the Canary Islands. Winter-growing Mediterranean-climate-loving.

Full Sun to Part Shade

Cactus Soil

Low Water

Jason

Benjamin

Sedum sediforme “Turquoise Tails”

Mediterranean

An older variety that has gotten more popular in recent years. Long trailing stems with blue leaves. Pale yellow flowers.

• Hardy to below 0F
• Full Sun to Part Shade
• Cactus Soil
• Low Water

Senecio jacobsenii is unusual. Such colors not seen since the 60s.

East Africa

Unusual pastel colored leaves in full sun. Low growing, good for hanging naskets or to trail over a mixed succulent pot. Will root along the ground as it trails.

• Hardy to 25F
• Sun
• Cactus Soil
• Low Water

Hello,

Yesterday I bumped my cactus, Mr. Popcorn, and on of his arms fell off/over. I’m not sure why…is this rot? What should I do about it?

The soil is the soil he came with, with a little from the woods that I got several weeks ago and mixed in. Do I need to get a special kind? Also, could you tell me what kind he is? I’ve tried researching it but I’ve had little success.

Here are some pictures.

Thank you so much!
Monica
P.S. Does he look healthy? Should he be greener?

Monica,

Your cactus is a Mammillaria elongata. The soil mix is too rich, and looks too wet. The arm has fallen over because of rot which was caused by too much water. Generally we recommend a fast draining cactus soil, no forest products. Water about every 3 weeks, and only a little more often in summer if it is in a hot and sunny location. Make sure the soil has completely dried out before the next watering.

You’ll need to cut out the rotted arm, digging out any rot in the soil too. I recommend spraying the base of the remaining plant with Neem Oil which is a natural fungicide and should help keep the rest of the plant from rotting.

Good luck

Peter

Sedum hispanicum “Aureum” – Tiny Buttons – is the limeiest of the sedums yet.

Spain

Gold to chartreuse color depending on sun conditions. Great for rock gardens. White star-shaped flowers.

• Hardy to below 0F
• Sun to Part Shade
• Cactus Soil
• Low to Moderate Water

Sedum hakonense “Chocolate Ball” is the most unusual color succulent we’ve seen in a while.

Japan

Alpine species. Very colorful stonecrop, deep colors in sun, orange tips. Can be planted between pavers. Low growing groundcover.

• Hardy to below 0F
• Sun to Part Shade
• Cactus Soil
• Low to Moderate Water