The cactus flower extravaganza in my friend Justin's East Bay garden continues below. Click here to see part 1, Astrophytum to Lobivia.
At the bottom of this post, Justin shares some growing tips, including soil, watering, and fertilization.
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| Notocactus magnificus |
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Notocactus ottonis
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| Notocactus schlosseri |
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| Notocactus schlosseri |
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Notocactus tabularis
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| Echinocactus grusonii, Mammillaria mystax, Notocactus uebelmannianus |
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| Notocactus uebelmannianus |
Obregonia
The genus
Obregonia has only one species,
Obregonia denegrii, aka the artichoke cactus. It’s one of the most unique-looking cacti and easy to recognize.
Wikipedia aptly describes it an “inverted green pine cone with a woolly center.”
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| Obregonia denegrii |
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| Obregonia denegrii |
Parodia
In the broader sense, Parodia includes Notocactus (see above). All are native to the uplands of Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, and Uruguay.
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| Parodia microsperma |
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| Parodia microsperma |
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| Parodia microsperma |
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Parodia microsperma
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| Parodia microsperma |
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Parodia microsperma (formerly P. sanguiniflora)
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Rebutia, Sulcorebutia
Now included in Echinopsis, but generally still labeled as Rebutia or Sulcorebutia in nurseries, plant shows, and collections. These small cacti from Bolivia and Argentina are prized for their large and colorful flowers.
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| Rebutia or Sulcorebutia sp. |
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| Sulcerobutia sp. |
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Sulcorebutia sp.
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Stenocactus
A small genus of cacti from Mexico with thin and often wavy ribs. Now includes the species formerly in Echinofossulocactus.
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| Stenocactus multicostatus |
Tephrocactus
Tephrocactus are easy to recognize by their round or cylindrical stem segments and papery spines (or no spines at all). The segments break off easily and root readily. Like all other members of the subfamily Opuntioideae, Tephrocactus have glochids, so careful when handling. Large and showy flowers.
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| Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus |
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| Tephrocactus articulatus var. papyracanthus |
Thelocactus
Native to southern Texas and northern and central Mexico, Thelocactus are popular because of their beautiful flowers.
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| Thelocactus bicolor aka glory of Texas |
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| Thelocactus bicolor |
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| Thelocactus bicolor |
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| Thelocactus bicolor |
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| Thelocactus hexaedrophorus |
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Thelocactus hexaedrophorus
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Thelocactus panarottoanus
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| Thelocactus setispinus |
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| Thelocactus setispinus |
Tunilla
A small genus of opuntia relatives from Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. Uncommon in cultivation.
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| Tunilla soehrensii |
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| Tunilla soehrensii |
Cactus growing tips from Justin and Gerhard
In general, cacti are easy to grow and require little care beyond occasional watering—as long as you lay the right groundwork. It all starts with...
Soil
The most important thing about soil is that it's well draining. Sandy loam work best. An easy way to check your native soil is to take a handful of wet soil and try to make a ball. If it falls apart, you're good; if it holds together, you need to amend it with inorganic matter such as pumice, small pea gravel, lava fines, etc.
For in-ground plantings, the best solution by far is to make mounds of premixed succulent soil right on top of your native soil. Justin uses Bancroft Bedding Blend from
Contra Costa Top Soil in Martinez. Check your local rock yard to see if they have any succulent blends; if not, start with a general-purpose garden soil and work in inorganic materials like the examples mentioned above.
Fertilizer
Succulents aren't heavy feeders and plants in the ground typically don't need much extra fertilization. Justin adds
bone meal to the soil when he creates new mounds or pots up new plants. Cactus receive a dose of
bloom fertilizer 1 or 2 times a year.
Watering
When possible, keep cacti as dry as you can in the winter—cover with a tarp during heavy rains or move pots under eaves, onto a covered porch, etc.—or give them a resting period (no watering) before the winter rains.
A simple rule of thumb: Water consistently when hot. Don't water at all when cold.
Cold hardiness
Some cacti are hardy down to 0°F or even below, others barely tolerate temperatures in the low 40°F. It's impossible to make general statements about cold hardiness, so you need to do some Googling about each species (if you're lucky, your plant came with that kind of info on a tag or label).
Enjoy what you already have, add to your collection whenever you can, and have fun. Consider joining a local
cactus and succulent society to hang out with like-minded people and learn new things.
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Justin's garden must be quite a sight with all the cacti blooming. The colours are so brilliant. I guess when you are a small plant in a wide open desert you need those gaudy brilliant colours to attract attention. Thanks for this great tour.
ReplyDeleteLots of beautiful things happening in Justin's garden. There's something about the bright jewel-like colours of cacti in bloom; you rarely see those colours in other flowers. Thelocactus bicolor looks like exploding fireworks - wowee! Thanks for the tips re cacti care.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed your colourful, photo intensive post. Quite a contrast to see those cactus with crowns of flowers
ReplyDeleteSo many flowers! Wowsa. Now I am especially bummed that my Obregonia denegrii turned to mush.
ReplyDeleteSo now I’m having a major attack of “cactus intoxication”. Main symptom is uncontrollable desire to buy more plantsš
ReplyDelete