Echinocereus viridiflorus v. cylindricus, SB 378, Brewster County, Texas, USA

Echinocereus viridiflorus v. cylindricus, with field number SB 378, collected by Steve Brack in Brewster County, Texas, USA. If planted in a fast draining soil and kept rather dry during humid or rather cold nights (less than 10℃), it should present no significant problems in cultivation. Ventilation and a cold rest period during the winter months are also necessary.

Astrophytum myriostigma cv. Fukuryu

Astrophytum myriostigma cv. Fukuryu bursting with seeds. Most probably the father is a Astrophytum capricorne. Next season offsprings shoud be fun and that's alright since I do love foldings and spines. And experienced cactus collectors told me that that astrophytum offsprings resemble more the genetics of their father.

 This is how the flowers of the same Fukuryu cultivar look like...

Echinocactus grusonii, GM 1216

I like to keep track of the plants I am growing. Knowing the exact species denominations and the original habitat of of your plants is essential in the attempt to keep them alive and happy.

This one is a seedling of Echinocactus grusonii I bought two years ago and slowly acclimatized to thrive outdoor. The long spines are an adaptation to the large quantities of UV it received during the summer. In the dry and cold rest periods, it turns a bit purple.

Field number : GM 1216

Collector : Grzegorz Matuszewski

Locality : Mexicó : Zacatecas (San Juan Capistrano, 1100 m)

I encourage you all to buy only cacti with a field number attached. You'll not only know the name of your plant, but also the specific climate where it came to evolve for so many thousands years.

Ferocactus and the snow

An early November snow caught some of my ferocacti outside. Night temperatures dropped to -5℃. While most ferocacti species withstand even lower temperatures for short periods of time in their natural habitat, the high humidity levels they encountered in this case may create some problems. Being outside, the ventilation was more than sufficient and now they seem alright in their dry, cold and bright winter rest.
Species involved were Ferocactus stainesii var. pilosus, Ferocactus rectispinus, Ferocactus glaucescens, Ferocactus wislizenii, Ferocactus pottsii, Ferocactus latispinus and Ferocactus gracilis. As some of these species thrive in the central and southern parts of Mexico where winters are mild and snow very unusual, it is questionable whether they can survive in this harsh climate. I am curious myself tbh and the answer is five months or so ahead...

Notocactus scopa

Notocactus scopa is the first cactus I bought and grew successfully. It is an appropriate cactus for beginners as it tolerates well a lot of inherent mistakes of an enthusiast cactus rookie grower.

For three years, I had it in almost pure coco choir soil mix with some perlite, sand and wormcompost additions and it still managed to survive and flower. It seems to like bright light, but will tolerate indirect sunlight or even some shadow during the hot summer afternoons. A winter rest at a minimum of 5-7℃ will encourage the plant to flower in the next season. Watering and fertilization should be rather infrequent. My neglect in these matters probably kept it alive for so long.

I do not know if this plant is frost resistant. This winter it is resting at negative temperatures - for relatively short periods. So I'll have the answer the next spring.
Update: I should mention these photos are from 2014. The very last one is from 2017.

 

Frailea asterioides var. harmoniana, KH 604

Fraileas are relatively easy to grow cacti. They need a porous, fast draining soil and enjoy quite frequent waterings during the growing season. When temperature drops, keep dry and at positive Celsius temperatures.

This particular specimen was collected in 1998 by Bruno Knutti and Christian Hefti in a locality North-West of Mario Rubio, on Ruta 31, Salto Uruguay. I grew it hard, outdoors, with lots of sun and hot temperatures during summer, and it could probably tolerate some frost during the rest season. However, I keep it at around 10 degrees Celsius, completely dry.

Lophophora fricii

Lophophora fricii - here in flower - is relatively easy to grow. It prefers a slightly basic soil with almost mineral content but it may accommodate, as in this case, some worm compost and even coco coir. Say 20% of the total soil mix. Another addition was perlite... too bad it tends to rise up at the surface when watering is done from above.

By the way, watering is sparse. Say twice a month when the weather is fine - that is over 28 degrees Celsius - and no high atmospheric humidity is encountered. Too much water will make it burst. It can take quite a lot of sun and cold if grown hard.

My understanding of the concept of hard growing will be explained later on.