The Cactus Thread

[Jersey Devil]

Not something that I've really thought about Mr Devil I've had a cactus survive in total darkness for 6 months but that was more by accident, plus it went dormant. Even in the cactus house last years natural sunlight was so poor quite a few of the cacti grew etiolated (long thin growth) so most of them do need a fair amount of light. Annie is right about the Forest Cacti, they're more used to dappled shade but they're not ones that I usually deal with.

I'd think more about getting a Fern, many of those do well in low light. we've got a load of them at the back of our shaded fruit tunnel and I know of one that lives in a cave next to a normal incandescent light bulb

I bought a growlight with a built in timer for up to 12 hours. If she had that on the cactus, would that work ??

 

[Zigs]

I bought a growlight with a built in timer for up to 12 hours. If she had that on the cactus, would that work ??

It would keep it alive but if you want it to flower it'd need to go dormant over the winter, like reduced light hours and temperature. When we were building the cactus house we had most of them indoors over winter and hardly any of them flowered the next year because they didn't think they'd had a winter

 

[Jersey Devil]

It would keep it alive but if you want it to flower it'd need to go dormant over the winter, like reduced light hours and temperature. When we were building the cactus house we had most of them indoors over winter and hardly any of them flowered the next year because they didn't think they'd had a winter

Sounds too confusing and difficult for me. I'll just get her a picture of one But thank you for the feedback

 

[Zigs]

Sounds too confusing and difficult for me. I'll just get her a picture of one But thank you for the feedback

You're welcome Mr Devil

I'd still get her a picture of a fern too

 

[Zigs]

Don't know if I mentioned it but I've had an article on Mammillarias published in the Mammillaria Journal

 

[Zigs]

Couldn't load the pdf here so I took a screen shot of a bit of it

 

[PlantFun]

Started these hardy cacti as like a promise to myself that my wife and I would finally buy a house and I'd plant them in the ground. We got the house almost 2 years ago and this was their first winter outdoors. This spring I plan to plant some if not all of them in the front yard. Echinocereus viridiflorus, Escobaria sneedii, Escobaria vivipara, Pediocactus simpsonii, and Echinocereus russanthus rhyolithensis. It got down to 7F for half a day this winter and they all seem healthy.

 

[Zigs]

Excellent @PlantFun

I think I had some seedlings of Echinocereus viridiflorus a few years ago but they all died. If I remember correctly that's the one with the greenish flowers?

Be interesting to see how they do outside

 

[Anniekay]

Started these hardy cacti as like a promise to myself that my wife and I would finally buy a house and I'd plant them in the ground. We got the house almost 2 years ago and this was their first winter outdoors. This spring I plan to plant some if not all of them in the front yard. Echinocereus viridiflorus, Escobaria sneedii, Escobaria vivipara, Pediocactus simpsonii, and Echinocereus russanthus rhyolithensis. It got down to 7F for half a day this winter and they all seem healthy.

I need some of those for my rock garden !! Most of the succulents and cacti they sell down here won't take less than 40°f.

 

[Zigs]

I need some of those for my rock garden !! Most of the succulents and cacti they sell down here won't take less than 40°f.

I was talking to @PlantFun on Youtube about hardy cacti Annie, one of them we were talking about was the Oreocereus celcianus which is hardy down to -18c / -0.4f as long as the roots stay reasonably dry over winter

 

[Anniekay]

I was talking to @PlantFun on Youtube about hardy cacti Annie, one of them we were talking about was the Oreocereus celcianus which is hardy down to -18c / -0.4f as long as the roots stay reasonably dry over winter

View attachment 2949

Well, it does rain here in winter. The only cacti that I see planted outside around here are Opuntias that get really big and have yellow flowers in spring.

 

[Zigs]

Well, it does rain here in winter. The only cacti that I see planted outside around here are Opuntias that get really big and have yellow flowers in spring.

It chucks it down here too, which is why my outside bed is pure grit for drainage. The only compost in it is the stuff round the roots when I plant them out. I've got a few Opuntias in it as well as an Oreocereus

Oh, some of my Opuntias are the smaller ones like Opuntia fragilis

 

[Zigs]

I was talking to @CrazyCactusLady about the moving cacti, not sure if I showed this video?

Keep an eye on the big one in the middle (Clive) who slept for a few days before doing a facepalm

 

[Anniekay]

I was talking to @CrazyCactusLady about the moving cacti, not sure if I showed this video?

Keep an eye on the big one in the middle (Clive) who slept for a few days before doing a facepalm

It's like Cacti Yoga !!

 

[Zigs]

It's like Cacti Yoga !!

Hmm, I should start advertising classes I already have a personal coach...

 

[PlantFun]

Yes they have the green flowers that come out the sides not the top. I see wild ones growing locally here if I go for a climb up the mountains. Haven't caught the wild ones in bloom yet but always excited to find them.

 

[Zigs]

Cor, lovely to see plants in habitat @PlantFun

 

[Zigs]

Not been keeping too close an eye on my seedlings over winter but I had a look at this tray. Echinocactus grusonii and Oreocereus celcianus. The Echinocacti seeds came from Jardin de Cactus in the Canary Islands and I bought the others from Germany

 

[Zigs]

This is an Echinopsis deserticola we got as a rescue a few years back. It was a lot taller but a window frame fell on it and cut the top off

 

[CrazyCactusLady]

This is an Echinopsis deserticola we got as a rescue a few years back. It was a lot taller but a window frame fell on it and cut the top off

View attachment 2998

Ooh that’s a very spiky beauty