Cactus Blog 

Echinocereus pentalophus

Sometimes the cactus flower is so big you can’t see the cactus at all. Here you can see a few spines poking up behind the flower. But beware when buying cacti in bloom – the flower only lasts a few days and then your left with a cactus that you really have no idea what it’s going to look like since you didn’t see the cactus at all when you bought the giant cactus flower.

But don’t worry about this one. It’s a pretty cactus too.

Sometimes the giant Echinocereus grandiflora flowers are extra big. We call this cultivar “Tropical Pink”

Nursery Whippets are the luckiest Whippets of all.

Here’s a couple of unusual Euphorbias for your perusal and enjoyment. Please don’t eat them though since they’re poisonous enough if you eat them or get the latex sap on you.

Euphorbia loricata has old bloom panduncles still on the stem from last year. I just made up that word. Maybe Rikki knows what the correct word is. Or you can look here and figure it out for yourself. For instance, they list a Euphorbia’s cyathia in an umbel.

And then the more popular Euphorbia anoplia since it is a very scenic plant. Scenic in the architectural concept of things and such stacked up around each other.

Agave potatorum ‘Kichiokan Marginata’

Now that’s kind of amazing.

Keith at the Store

Rachel from Idaho sends along prickly-pears-in-bloom photos from the Twin Falls area of Idaho.

In case you were wondering, Rachel is Hap’s Auntie and these are at his Mom’s, so we planted these in previous years and you can see how well they’re doing!

I could name the species for you if I was willing to. But I’m not. So no species names for you!

Here’s the big ditch that’s nearby, also known as the Snake River Canyon.

Along with a statue of some twins.

I took these 2 pictures last fall when we were visiting. Idaho!

Pachyphytum oviferum

A classic in the succulent range of plants. Round leaves with many different colors hinted at therein.

Popular in Germany.

Will form a trailing stem with lots of new rosettes popping up along it, rooting as they go, setting up shop at every new location it can find. Plus, the leaves are pretty easy to root so the pop off and go traveling themselves quite often.

And now the San Pedro Macho bloom has opened.

Artsy photo!

Closer in, please.

Echinopsis peruviana

Local native!

Sedum spathulifolium “Carnea”

Sedums have funny looking flowers when you go right in closeup. Kind of plasticky. 5-pointed stars of course.

Hey guys:

What in the heck is this growing up beside my H. attenuata? I noticed it a month ago, but it has started morphing into the growth that is now evident on the edges of the leaves.

Thanks,

Dustin

Dustin,
That’s a Kalanchoe tubiflora, also known as a Mother of Millions because of all the little plantlets coming along the leaf edges. In other words, it’s a succulent weed.
Peter

This is a tough one.

I have a new succulent terrarium and am in need of watering instruction. I had instructions included saying to use a spray bottle and moisten at the base of the succulents. I am aware that over-watering can lead to root rot, so I want to make sure I do not get to that point. The middle of my two main succulent plants are showing signs of brown leaves. I feel quite certain that I have not over-watered just solely on the fact that I’ve watered once in the week that I’ve had it, but I am concerned with the browning. Everything I have read has said the lower/base of the plants will brown and those leaves will die, but as long as the middle/center of the plant isn’t turning, all should be fine.

 

You can see in the pictures attached that is exactly what I’m noticing. I have the terrarium indoors in in-direct sunlight during the day. Could you please offer some watering suggestions? I do not know if I’m even watering enough, I don’t see any of the water going down into the soil-is that a visual indicator I should/not see? Thanks for your time.

Ashley

Ashley,
It’s hard to tell from the photos what is going on. The plant in the middle is a Haworthia and they are very sensitive to over-water. The bottom leaves dropping off look like they are rotting, rather than drying, which would imply over-water.

Terrariums are difficult to get the watering right. You may well lose a few plants before you figure out your own conditions. In general when a succulent is in a regular pot we water every 2 weeks (in our area), drench the soil and let it drain away so it is never sitting in water. In a terrarium you can’t quite do that since there is no drainage. So you water more often, but less water. You want to wet the soil, but you don’t ever want water sitting at the bottom (we add charcoal at the bottom of our terrariums to neutralize any sitting water). So you need to test it out over time – a small amount of water and then check the soil to make sure it is dry before you water again.

Good luck,
Peter

Dear Cactus Jungle,
I have an established echeveria plant outside my yard in long beach, California. Lately, it appears to be losing some of its color and dropping a lot of leaves. It used to be bright green and completely full, you could not stick your finger in the mass of flowers. Now there are holes. It gets plenty of sun and has good drainage. Is this too much water? Too little water? Normal?

 

Also, we recently had a laundry to landscape gray water irrigation installed near the plant, so maybe stress?

I appreciate any help as it is a favorite and I don’t want to lose it.

Thanks,
Pixie

Pixie,
It looks to me like this is an Aeonium (possibly A. haworthii or one of the A. decorum hybrids) rather than an Echeveria. Aeoniums are winter growers, so they often look exactly like this in a sunny location in the summer. Also, the plant has crowded out this area and probably has fully used up the nutrients in the soil.

Do not overwater going forward since it is dormant for the summer. Let it look like this for now, and then in the fall I recommend thinning it out by taking cuttings. Fertilize in fall and winter (see our Ultra Soil Cactus Meal).
Peter

Echinopsis peruviana

It’s time for the blooms to start opening. Not today, judging by the bud, but maybe tomorrow. The flowers are white and big.

According to the wiki,

The human use of the cactus dates back thousands of years to the northern coast of Peru and the monks of a pre-Inca culture known as Chavín (900 BC to 200 BC). They prepared a brew called “achuma”, “huachuma” or “cimora” which was used during ritualistic ceremonies to diagnose the spiritual links to a patient’s illness.

Echeveria cante

These are kind of rare right now, as they are the first crop from seed-that-set-seed so we now know these are stabilized in horticulture. Also, they’re generally solitary so unlike other Mexican Echeverias they are harder to propagate and slower to grow what with all the powdery white coating.

In other words, they’re expensive. And yet they’re flying off the shelves. Must be because they’re beautiful and rare, an unbeatable combination in the horticultural trade. (Don’t let anyone know I’ve revealed these secrets to you.)

You can really see the relationship to the Dudleyas in this species.

JBot sends along the latest photo from his garden, and he feels that the budded-out Echinopsises are watching him.

I agree, they are watching. They watch all of us.

I love these extra long tubular buds that turns into amazing deep throated flowers. Echinopsis subdenudata

When a whippet is comfortable, then there is happiness all around. It’s shared!

Erigeron glaucus

I’m making new native perennials signage and I thought this photo came out nice, so I’m sharing it with you. The other (more pleasant) common name is Seaside Daisy.

Opuntia basilaris

The Beavertail Cactus is native to California and Arizona, and into Northern Mexico and Southern Utah a bit too. The local populations are varied, and indeed the plants that are descendent from the California populations from the Mojave are not particularly hardy in Berkeley. The Mojave is a very dry desert. So after giving up on a number of plants years ago, we finally have some sourced from Arizona stock, and they are doing better, thank you very much.

These are a shrubby prickly pear, low growing – less than 2 ft. tall generally. The blue-green pads can often turn a bit purplish in the winter. And just so you know, these are generally spineless. Though they do have glochids, which are the tiny little hooked spines, so there.

Mostly succulents, but not limited.

And now for a small one.

Tiny!

We have a few scented geranium things and some other pelargoniums too and they’re OK. But then there’s this one.

Pelargonium “Vancouver Centennial”

This one just blows me away. We first had it 2 years ago and then last year we couldn’t get many at all! So this year when it was available we’ve bought them out. This means you shouldn’t be able to find them anywhere but at the Cactus Jungle. Hahaha. Just kidding. But next year we’re going to grow them ourselves just to be sure we can have them in stock for you.

So what is it that I like? Why it’s the foliage, young man. The flowers aren’t too big and grotesque like some of the zonal geraniums. But those leaves! And I try to find other cultivars that are just as nice, but none of them match up. How did they do that with those leaves, wihtout also have other cultivars that are just as stunning? It’s a mystery.

Romneya coulteri in the Napa Valley. Is that where we are? It is!

Whippet too.

Just off San Pablo Ave. Aeonium atropurpureum and Aloe ciliaris, together in one tidy planter. At least until the Aloe starts climbing 4 or 5 feet up the window.

It seems to be a military pin.

Borrowed without permission. If Keith asks me to take this down, what will we do?

And an explanation is here.

Have you ever looked closely at the Mexican flag? The crest in the center has a cactus, with an eagle and snake or something sitting on it.

Judging by the flowers and the shape of the pads, I’m guessing the cactus is Opuntia cochenillifera.

Check out the picture here, and more here, to really see how closely that illustration matches this cactus.

Numerous barrel cacti bloom around this time of year. For instance, take as an example, this here one:

Echinocactus grusonii

and this one here too

Ferocactus glaucescens

but mostly I recommend you take into account this example.

Ferocactus pottsi

Tom sends this from New Orleans.