my cacti, growing in progress...

Cereus Forbesii

2014-11-23T16:30:00.000+01:00

Oct 2007

March 2009

March 2012

This is a cactus which came with me from London to Spain and it flourished! In the photo taken in 2009 the difference between the old and the new self is very visible. The colour changed and also the width increased.

With less than ideal conditions from 2011 (moved from Spain to Northen Italy) the tip became thinner.

It has a bluish stem (but it turns into green when the plant grows old) with four ribs (generally six) and black spines. It can grow up to 4 meters with stems up to 12cm in diameter. When fully grown it produces night blooming flowers.

Info:

Habitat: Argentina

Known also as: Cereus validus

Temperature: Min of 5˚-7˚

Cultivation tips: provide full sun at least for half a day

POLASKIA CHICHIPE

2012-05-01T18:54:00.001+02:00

Jan 2012

This is a small specimen of a tree-like cactus which can reach 4-5 m high. It is similar to the Myrtillocactus.

Origin: Mexico (Puebla and Oaxaca)

Spines: 1 central spine, 6-8 greyish radials. The spines on the new growth are reddish.

Flowers: cream-yellow, night-blooming

Fruits: globose red, edible fruits called chichituna ripen in July.

Cultivation:

Temperature: Average 12° C. They are cold intolerant and might die if exposed to freezing temperatures. During the summer it is best to keep the plants outside where the temperature can rise to over 30 C with no harm to the plant. Need full sun avoiding only the harshest summer sun, if kept too dark they may become overly lush and greener and could be prone to rotting due to over watering.
Soil: Furnish good drainage and use an open and free draining mineral compost that allows therefore roots to breath.
Water: In winter: keep almost completely dry. If the soil is allowed to be dry for too long root loss could follow but equally the same result would occur if the plants are both wet and cold. From March onwards the plant will begin to grow and watering should be increased gradually until late May when the plant should be in full growth. In summer: water regularly as long as the plant pot is allowed to drain. During hot weather you may need to water the plants more frequently so long as the plant is actively growing. From late September watering should be reduced to force the plant to go into a state of semi dormancy, by October you should be back into the winter watering regime.

Repotting with new compost

2012-03-30T10:15:00.009+02:00

Today I started repotting my plants.

New compost made of:

1 part substrate for acidophile plants

1 part coir

1 part pumice

I put expanded clay at the bottom of the pots and lava rocks at the top.

New compost

Gymnocalycium saglionis

Echinocereus rubispinus

Pilocereus chrysothele

Parodia magnifica

Echinopsis oxygona

Gymnocalycium baldianum

Ferocactus latispin0

Ferocactus setispinus

Opuntia microdasys albispina

Opuntia microdasys pallida

Myrtillocactus Geometrizans

2012-01-14T12:37:00.006+01:00

July 2011 - 36cm and 26 cm

January 2012 - 43 cm and 32 cm

This photo shows the growth of these two cacti in the last 6 months: 7 cm the tall one and 6cm the branched one.

Gymnocalycium Saglionis

2011-07-31T14:28:00.004+02:00

May 2010

This is the only previous photos of this specimen I have. Here in a group shot showing a May blossoming.

July 2011

spines turn red when wet, otherwise they are grey

it shows a bit of dehydration, I haven't been there to make sure he gets enough water

Info:

Common name: Giant chin cactus

Origin: Argentina

Blooming time: growing season

Cultivation: Keep this plant almost dry in winter at a minimum temperature of 0°C, prefer a an acidic compost otherwise growth will stop altogether. It needs plenty of water during summer. The plant tolerate extremely bright situations but are likely to suffer from sun scorch or stunted growth if over exposed to direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day in summer. Since they are big sized plants need plenty of space for their roots, repotting should be done every other year or when the plant has outgrown its pot. They are the biggest plants among the Gymnocalyciums and can grow to 90cm tall.

Astrophytum asterias

2011-07-23T10:31:00.007+02:00

Feb 2008

June 2008

July 2008

July 2011

After it lost all its roots due to basal rot during winter. I managed to save it!

Info:

Common name: Star cactus, sea urchin cactus, star peyote, sand dollar cactus

Origin: Rio Grande Valley in Texas and states of Nuevo Leon and Tamaulipas in Mexico

Spines: No spines

Flowers: Yellow with a red throat in Summer

Cultivation: Slow grower. Water weekly during summer with a little fertiliser added. They need a good amount of light.

Frost hardy to -4C

Gymnocalycium pflanzii

2011-07-12T10:05:00.007+02:00

Nov 2008

July 2011

Info:

Spines: Strong, very stiff, bent backward, initially blackish with a brown base, then becoming grey-pinkish to whitish brown with a black tip. 5-7-9- radial

Flowers: white petals with carmine/pink throat

Cultivation: Their culture is easy and their flowering is abundant if we give them a well drained relatively rich substrate (if possible not limestone) Water regularly in summer (but do not overwater ) keep rather dry in winter, need frequent repottings and a very luminous exposure but avoid direct exposure to the sun rays. Feed with a high potassium fertilizer in summer. Hardy as low as -5° C (or less) if kept dry.

Opuntia Gosseliniana var Longispina

2011-07-11T19:37:00.010+02:00

Feb 2008 (three pads)

July 2008

Ago 2008

May 2011

July 2011 (six pads)

The long spines are very soft and white.

Info:

Common name: Violet prickly pear (from the colour of the pads)

Origin: Arizona and Northern Mexico

Flower: yellow in spring (March, April, May)

Sun Exposure: Full sun

Frost tolerance: Hardy to -18 C

Growth Habits: 90 cm high, 1.8 m across

Water Needs: Little to no water once established

Mammillaria Schiedeana ssp schiedeana

2011-07-11T17:26:00.007+02:00

Oct 2007

May 2009

July 2011

Info:
Origin: Mexico

Flowers: white, blossoming in Feb-March.

Fruit: red

Cultivation: It is a slow growing species of easy culture. Water regularly in summer, but do not overwater (Rot prone) Use pot with good drainage and a very porous potting media, keep dry in winter. Feed with a high potassium fertilizer in summer. It is quite frost resistant if kept dry, hardy as low as -5° C (some reports give it hardy to -5°C)

Clustering in cultivation after several years and easily flowered. For best results, use a shallow pot, and only use the smallest diameter pot that will accommodate the plant.

Sun Exposure: High levels of light are needed to flower and for good spine development. Can be sunburned if moved from shade/greenhouse into full sun too quickly. During the spring it may be able to take full sun until the heat arrives at the end of spring. In an area that has hot afternoon sun, it may be able to take full morning sun, but requires afternoon shade or afternoon light shade. If grown correctly, it will reward the grower with generous displays of purple flowers.

Echinopsis Grandiflora (Calochlora)

2011-07-10T13:59:00.006+02:00

Nov 2008

Cutting kindly given by Ornella.

July 2011

I suppose that I am not watering this plant enough as it is not growing as fast as it should. It hasn't flowered yet and there are no pups. I will try to fertilise it and see what happens.

My collection in Italy 2

2011-07-10T12:31:00.003+02:00

I have been in Milan for nearly 6 months now, whilst my main collection is still in Spain - unfortunately undoubtedly suffering - and I only have a handful of cacti here.

From the original ones, which I got in 2007, few survived. Here they are:

Astrophytum Asterias

Echinopsis Grandiflora

Gymnocalycium Pflanzii

Opuntia Diademata

Opuntia Gosseliniana Longispina

Parodia Chrysacanthion

Pilocereus Glaucochrous

Trichocereus argentinensis (Hort)?

2010-02-13T20:34:00.007+01:00

Found in Coveta Fuma

Aug 2010

July 2011

20.5 cm and growing very quickly.

Can't find info.

Trichocereus bridgesii or peruvianus

2010-02-13T20:04:00.007+01:00

July 2011

Feb 2010, unrooted cutting.

Trichocereus pachanoi

2010-02-13T20:03:00.009+01:00

Cutting from the Ivory Tower

Oct 2007

June 2008

May 2010

Aug 2010 (aborted bud)

Feb 2011

The yellowish colour already should have told me that the cactus was left in too much sun. A month later, whilst I wasn't there, the sunburn damage became apparent.

March 2011 (sun burnt)

Info:

Common name: San Pedro

Origin: Mountains of Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and northern Argentina, between 1500m and 2700m elevation.

Habitat: It grows naturally in the high altitude, high rainfall areas of the Andes, it can withstand temperatures far below that of many other cacti.

Flowers: Very large, white, night blooming and remaining open for the following day, fragrant, up to 22 cm in diameter. They are very showy. In this species, the flowers buds are produced from the spine clusters along the margins near the top of branches. The buds are pointed. Flowers tube, and fruits are covered with scales and black curled hairs.
Blooming time: July.

Cultivation: Trichocereus pachanoi is very easy to grow and cold hardy as low as -12°C (or less). It needs a fertile, well drained soil mix. Water the plants well and allow them to dry before watering again. This species seems to do better with a little more water than most cacti. In fact, its cultivation requirements are really more like 'normal' plants than most other cacti. During the growing season fertilize them monthly with a balanced fertilizer
Sun exposure: Full sun, but during hot summers the cactus are subject to sun burning, so grow them in light shade.

During winter months, put them in a cool luminous place and encourage them to enter winter dormancy by withholding water and fertiliser over the winter, as they will etiolate, or become thin, due to lower levels of light. They are susceptible to fungal diseases if overwatered, but are not nearly as sensitive as many other cacti, especially in warm weather. They tend characteristically towards black rotted spots unless watering is moderate and only in hot weather. If kept damp through cold periods, they will invariably suffer.
T. pachanoi produces prodigious amounts of growth each year if kept well fed and watered throughout the warmest months, particularly if it has been acclimatised to accept full sun. Once this cactus is established it can easily produce 30cm of growth every year.

Trichocereus Intro

2010-02-13T18:22:00.003+01:00

The genus Trichocereus (moved into Echinopsis), consists of about thirty different columnar type plants.

Habitat: Andean ranges of Peru, Chile, Argentina and Bolivia; China. They can be found from sea level to 3000 metres (9800ft) of altitude where plants are adapted to low air humidity.
Description: mostly mountain cacti with a columnar or globular stem branching from the base; some may attain 7 metres in height.

Flowers: White, nocturnal, funnel-shaped flowers.
Soil: basic mix.
Location: grow in full or filtered light all year round. They
Temperature: they tolerate lows around 5-7°C (41-45°F) in a dry environment. Some species need to be grown outdoors against a south-facing wall in order to flower well.
Water: Unlike many cacti, some Trichocereus species respond very well to regular feeding and watering. T. pachanoi and T. peruvianus can both be given regular feeds throughout the growing season, and can be watered daily during the hottest parts of the Summer. Bear in mind though, that if kept damp through cold periods, they will invariably suffer. They should be watered only occasionally during the Spring and Autumn, unless it is unusually warm, and not watered at all during the winter months. Being wet during the winter will cause them to split as they expand with excess water, and they may rot and quickly die. In temperate zones, winter protection will probably be needed. This may involve bringing the plants indoors, but protection from the rain in the form of a makeshift roof or other cover should suffice.
Cultivation tips: easy; propagate from seed or cuttings.

Stetsonia coryne

2010-02-13T17:10:00.009+01:00

Jan 2009

kind donation to the bebacacti project by J. (three specimens)

July 2011 (18,19,21 cm)

July 2011

New spines

Stetsonia coryne is the only species in this genus. It is a branching cactus which can grow up to 9m tall and each columnar stems can reach10 cm in diameter

Info:

Common name: Argentine toothpick

Origin: North West Argentina

Flower: Nocturnal, in summer. Produces edible fruits (cooked)

Cultivation: A moderately fast grower, coryne should be watered regularly throughout the summer for best growth.

Propagation: by seeds
Minimum temperature: 0 degrees

Rebutia krainziana

2010-02-13T16:59:00.008+01:00

Dec 2008

Aug 2009

May 2010

June 2011

Info:

Common name: Gay Crown

Origin: unknown, probably horticultural

Frost tolerance: Hardy down to -4°C.

Flowers: It is usually one of the earliest rebutias to flower in spring. A larger crop of flowers, 3.5 cm wide, develops from the base of each head, resulting in a superb display in mid season. The "normal" form has bright orange-red flowers

Spines: Small, snow-white, very thin, very short, and soft

Cultivation: Full sun to light shade. Water regularly in summer but do not over-water. Keep dry in winter. Repotting will increase the number and size of stems, and will increase the number of flowers produced. Repot yearly until it reaches about 100 mm in size, then every two or three years will suffice. Repotting is best done at the end of winter, but it can be done at other time, too. Do not water for a couple of weeks after repotting, in order to reduce risk of root rot via broken roots.

Rebutia Intro

2010-02-13T16:07:00.008+01:00

Rebutia, Sulcorebutia, and Weingartia have been merged to form the presently recognised genus of Rebutia. From a collector’s point of view, they are all very similar and originate from the same general geographic area (Bolivia and Northern Argentina) and have similar cultivation.

They grow in mountainous country on the eastern side of the Andes Mountains at altitudes of between 1500-4000m AMSL, a situation which subjects plants to a wide diurnal temperature range and fierce sunlight high in ultra-violet rays.

Plants are described as small globular cacti, many of which form large clusters. It would appear that in cultivation they grow larger and cluster more vigorously than in habitat.

There is a variety of body forms and spination. Plant body characteristics can be from densely spined to the less densely spined and warty tubercled. The crowns tend to be devoid of spines and wool. The spines are usually soft to the touch—not your classical vicious cactus. The sap is never milky. Most of my Rebutias show a tendency towards being short columnar plants. This may be due to a reduction in light intensity requirements. Rebutias across the board have flowers which are relatively large in relation to their bodies. Flowers are borne low down on the body and are in the brilliant red, orange, or yellow range. However, there are some which are white or near-white (R.leucahtema and R.heloisa var narvaecensis [syn espinosae]). Flower width is in the 1.5-4cm range.

According to most writers, cultivation is easy and the genus is recommended for beginners.

The recommended growing conditions are a gritty, porous mix with a pH slightly on the acidic side. Strong light is essential. Plants will accept heavy watering during warm weather but do allow the pot to dry out between waterings. Remember that the most common cause of trouble with growing Rebutia is overwatering. In habitat they grow on steeply sloping ground where water rarely stands for any length of time. Rebutia will take low temperatures when dry and do require a winter rest period.

It is better that they are repotted regularly (particularly when the plants are young). Repotting will increase the number and size of stems and will increase the number of flowers produced. Half pots (where the width is greater than the depth) are recommended.

Propagation is by seed or vegetative methods.

Rebutia heliosa

2010-02-13T16:07:00.006+01:00

Apr 2009

Aug 2009

Nov 2009

This plant are rot prone and mine died for this very reason. :-(

Pilocereus gounellei

2010-02-11T23:07:00.005+01:00

oct 2007

This is one of my UK cactus. Given to me by Adrian after a photo shoot.

July 2010

Info:

Recommended Temperature Zone: USDA: 10-12
Frost Tolerance: Will take very little frost before growing tips of the stems are damaged

Minimum Avg. Temperature: 12°C

Sun Exposure: Bright shade to full sun

Origin: Brazil (Minas Gerais, Bahia)

Growth Habits: Tree cactus, up to 14 feet tall (4 m)

Watering Needs: Regular water and fertilizer from late spring to early fall. Light watering in winter

Pilocereus chrysostele

2010-02-11T20:47:00.015+01:00

Oct 2007

This is one of my UK cactus. Given to me by Adrian after a photo shoot.

Aug 2008

I decided to divide the clumpy cactus and repot it in separate pots which proved to make the single plants better. I noticed new growth and the body wasn't shrivelled anymore.

Feb 2010

Unfortunately after a while I noticed the tip becoming dry and eventually died so I cut it off and new stems started from the cut point.

March 2011

Info:

Recommended Temperature Zone: USDA: 10-12
Origin: Northeastern Brazil
Frost Tolerance: Will take very little frost before growing tips of the stems are damaged
Minimum Avg. Temperature: 12°C

Sun Exposure: Bright shade to full sun

Origin: Northeastern Brazil

Cultivation: Regular water and fertilizer from late spring to early fall. Light watering in winter. Shrubby cactus, up to 10 feet tall (3 m)

Pilocereus Intro

2010-02-11T20:46:00.007+01:00

Pilocereus (= Pilosocereus)

Pilosocereus is a genus of around 50 species of columnar cactis that spreads from Mexico and West Indies down to northern South America. They are mostly large columnar cacti. The name Pilosocereus comes from the Latine for 'hairy Cereus'.

Upon maturity they develop a dense growth of hair-like spines at the flowering zone which is known as a pseudocephalum which only superficially resembles a cephalum. As many other Cereus related cacti, Pilosocereus have large, light colored, heavily scented, funnel shaped flowers that open at night and stay open for less than 24 hours.

Pilosocereus are generally not frost resistant, and should be protected. If one of your specimen is outside and a light frost might occur, the usual way to protect it is to stick a polystyrene cup at the top of each stem. This added protection is enough to avoid damage to the frost tender growing point, and it can be left for several weeks without any damage to the tree.

Most Pilosocereus come from an area that has a marked dry season from November to May, and a wet season from May to October. In cultivation, they will generally enjoy regular watering and fertilizing in late spring to early autumn, in the summer they require very warm and humid conditions, ample water and constant soil moisture. Even in the winter these species should be kept slightly moist by giving only a small amount of water regularly. The winter temperature should be kept warm, ideally between 57F and 68F with the night temperature not falling below 10-12C. The colder night temperatures will not be tolerated.

They require a free draining soil of moderate fertility and should be slightly acidic.

They can grow quite rapidly if fed well, often growing twelve inches in a single season. You do not need to only use the low-nitrogen cactus fertilizers, a standard flower fertilizer or general purpose nutrient salt can be used intermittently.

Parodia magnifica

2010-02-10T18:20:00.004+01:00

Oct 2007

Feb 2010

I don't think that the plant grew in these past two years but lately it started deteriorating. It became yellow and started shrinking. I therefore inspected the roots and found that they were all dead. The bottom of the plant and the pups were soft to the touch but I couldn't detect any rot, with relief. So I cut the dead roots and allowed them to heal for few days before repotting the plant in new compost. I hope I will be able to save it.

Jan 2010

This is a new specimen. Its colour is a nice bluish-green while compared to the other one which is light green. I have just come across an article which explained that Parodia Magnifica will loose its bluish cast if watered from the top. I am not sure whether the light green was bluish green when I bought it, as I certainly watered it from the top, or if it was just a different variety.

Info:

Common name: Baloon cactus, as the plant is generally spherical and can shrink and expand in volume. As the plant increases in size, it frequently throws offsets around its base and can develop a short columnar form.

Origin: Southern Brazil and Uruguay

Frost tolerance: -7. The habitat where this plant come from can become very cold during the winter nights, often it will fall to just above freezing without harming the plants as it is also very dry.

Flowers: funnel-shaped bright yellow, 5cm in diameter, bloom mainly in Spring even if there could be some occurence in Autumn.

Spines: The flexible spines are distributed along the edge of each rib. As the plants age, the aureoles seem to merge

Cultivation: The plants grow in vegetative cover in their wild habitat and need some protection from full sun when outside in the summer. They can take a good deal of water while actively growing, but should be kept dry (only periodically mist on warmer days in late winter) during cool months or they have a tendency to soften and rot. They lose some roots during the winter, and water resumption should be phased in to lessen shock.

Parodia Intro

2010-02-10T11:54:00.004+01:00

They have a distribution of Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina & Bolivia.

The plants themselves are small, round to later cylindrical plants with distinct ribs. Flowers are from the apex of the plant, usually funnel shaped and often self fertile, and are produced freely in Spring and Summer. They can bloom just 2-3 years after sowing.

Some may be synonymous with Echinocactus, Wigginsia, Malacocarpus, Brasilicactus.
Eriocactus, Malacocarpus and Notocactus are now within this genus.

Regardless of the generic name they remain some of the easiest cacti to grow, and therefore make a great plant for beginners. Most should be shaded from strong sunlight for at least part of the day and given plenty of water in the growing season (the soil should never dry out completely) as they are hungry plants. Regular feeding will produce the

best results in a soil which is slightly acidic.In winter a minimum temperature of 6C is recommended and water must be sprayed occasionally but never poured over the soil or the roots may rot.

Seed raising is straightforward if the young plants are kept moist for the first few months.

Pachycereus pringlei

2010-02-09T21:28:00.010+01:00

Jan 2010

kind donation to the bebacacti project by J.

Aug 2010

Showing fast growing

Oct 2010

Red new spines in growing period

Info:

Common name: Cardón, Elephant cactus, Mexican giant cactus

Origin: Central Baja California

Frost Tolerance: Young specimens should be kept above 0°C, grown specimens resist to -4°C for a short time. I also read it is NOT frost resistant so better not to risk it.

Sun Exposure: Light shade when young, full sun later

Growth Habits: Up to 12m tall, 10 to 17 ribs; large areoles, often confluent, with brown felt; 1-3 centrals; 7-10 radials; number and size vary with the age of the plant.

Watering Needs: Little to moderate water when established

Propagation: Seeds (cuttings are difficult to root)