Without dwelling too much on the broad field of plant classification (here, if you want, you will find an article dedicated to this topic) and taking it for granted that the term “succulent plants” refers both to cacti and to many other succulent botanical families whose specimens have a different appearance from any other cactus, we are addressing a very “heartfelt” topic among novice growers. Even the grower who boasts a good knowledge of a given family, however, may find the following article useful, which recommends succulent plants (belonging to various botanical families) that are less demanding, more robust and simple to grow and therefore more suitable for those who are only now approaching the world of succulents. (…)

Premise

With a minimum of initial documentation and experience it is possible to grow all succulents without particular difficulties. Striking down to the essentials, the main cultivation elements to take into consideration are the substrates, watering, exposure and temperatures. In many cases these elements may be common to different types of succulents, for example the substrates, which for succulents must always be very draining, rich in inert materials and able to dry quickly. Other cultivation factors, however, can vary enormously from family to family but also from genus to genus. Some examples: cacti tolerate the cold well, while succulents originating from Madagascar or some African areas (e.g. Adenium, Uncarina, Pachypodium) cannot resist temperatures below 15-16 Celsius degrees. In the same Cactaceae family we find genera that are very resistant to cold (Echinopsis, Pediocactus, Opuntia) and genera that do not tolerate low temperatures (epiphytic cacti such as Epiphyllum, Schlumbergera, Rhipsalis or Melocactus and Discocactus).

This is why, for those who are only now approaching the cultivation of succulents, it is important to know which plants to start with in order to accumulate experience and best cultivate the newly purchased plants. The discussion, as mentioned, applies as much to cacti as to all other succulent families, since an enthusiast can be an expert in cacti and approach other families for the first time, such as Crassulaceae, Aizoaceae, Apocynaceae, Euphorbiaceae, etc.

Cactus

Let’s start with cacti. The first genera recommended to those who have no experience with these plants are undoubtedly Echinopsis, Gymnocalycium, Rebutia, Parodia (=Notocactus), Opuntia, Ferocactus. Be careful, there are many other cacti that are easy to grow but if you have to suggest some kind, you can’t go wrong with these. These are genera that group together very robust species, with few demands, capable of tolerating many cultivation errors and at the same time easily giving abundant and splendid blooms.

Attention: in some cases by clicking on the genus you will be directed to the downloadable PDF cultivation sheet of that same genus: a useful and detailed tool (4 pages) to deepen your knowledge of those plants.

Echinopsis are very common plants, extremely robust and able to tolerate the cold very well. They are therefore ideal for those who do not have a greenhouse or winter shelter (cold environment, necessary to encourage flowering). Echinopsis can spend the winter outdoors, often even in damp soil, although it is advisable to place them under a shed or porch. In spring and summer they produce showy flowers with a large corolla and long calyx.

Gymnocalycium are plants of South American origin (Argentina). They are easy to grow, tolerate the cold well (not frost: it is best that they do not go below 5 Celsius degrees and always in dry soil) and have growth rates that are not particularly slow. Furthermore, the genus brings together a large number of very different species and even just by cultivating Gymnocalycium it is possible to set up a very respectable collection. They flower in spring and summer already 4 or 5 years after sowing.

Other cacti recommended for those with little experience are the Rebutia. These are plants of South American origin, generally globose and with a tendency to cluster. Cultivation is very simple and their strong point are the flowers. In spring, these cacti produce an impressive quantity of medium-sized flowers of various colors depending on the species.

Parodia (once classified as Notocactus) are robust and very easy to grow cacti. They are satisfied with little care, have growth rates that are not excessively slow and produce beautiful blooms at the apex during the summer. Depending on the species, the flowers can be yellow, purple, red, orange. Even the thorns are variable from species to species and you can go from plants with slender and thin thorns to plants with very respectable thorns (P. maassii, P. buiningii).

Opuntias are bombproof cacti. They grow quickly, tolerate intense cold, multiply extremely easily by cutting and in many countries they can grow in the open ground, even exposed to bad weather during the winter. They can reach large dimensions (especially if grown in open ground) and produce beautiful flowers with colors ranging from pink to red, from yellow to orange.

Finally, for lovers of thorns, the first genus to recommend is Ferocactus. These are very robust cacti, always equipped with notable thorns, easy to grow, as long as they are guaranteed plenty of light, and grow relatively quickly. Some species flower relatively early (F. macrodiscus, F. schwarzii), others require at least a dozen years to produce the first flowers. Many species of Ferocactus can reach considerable dimensions even if grown in pots. However, those who have little experience with cacti should avoid starting with Ferocactus johnstonianus and Ferocactus lindsayi: two slightly more demanding and slow-growing species.

Crassulaceae

If you’re not particularly fond of thorns, the Crassulaceae family offers a wide variety of succulent genera and species. This family includes genera such as Aeonium, Adromischus, Crassula, Echeveria, Kalanchoe, Graptopetalum, Pachyphytum and the immortals Sedum and Sempervivum. Recommending a genus or a single species is almost superfluous: all Crassulaceae are easy to grow, very decorative, resistant and have good tolerance to cold. Having to indicate a couple of plants of this family, we can mention the very widespread Crassula ovata, called “jade tree”, with a small tree shape and oval, fleshy and bright green leaves. Another very interesting genus from an aesthetic point of view and easy to grow is that of Echeveria: plants of Mexican origin, very robust and with a characteristic rosette shape. Thanks to the high number of species and the many crossings carried out over the years, an infinite variety of Echeveria is available, with colored leaves that can range from blue to red.

Euphorbia

The Euphorbia family is very vast and includes very different genera. You can go from plants with a rounded stem without thorns, such as E. obesa, to plants with a columnar, curled shape, with leaves and thorns. Overall, the cultivation of Euphorbia is simple, but there is no shortage of species that require some experience. To begin with, E. resinifera, a very resistant and adaptable plant, E. enopla and E. obesa, beautiful and with an epidermis characterized by fascinating striations, can be indicated.

Agaves

It’s hard to go wrong with Agaves. These are very robust succulents, extremely adaptable and very easy to grow. In reality, they can almost be ignored completely: if placed in draining soil they are satisfied with rainwater, they resist intense sun and cold very well, to the point that in many regions they are grown in the open ground. They have rather rapid growth rates and many species can reach considerable sizes within a few years, particularly if kept in open ground.

Aloe

Even Aloes, in some ways similar to Agaves, are succulent plants suitable for those who are approaching the world of succulents and do not yet have much experience. Compared to Agaves, however, Aloes (succulent plants of African origin) tolerate intense cold less and should be kept at minimum temperatures no lower than 6-7 degrees. To begin with, you can start from the common but always elegant Aloe vera, a robust and relatively fast growing plant. Other very widespread and easy to grow species are Aloe arborescens and Aloe variegata, very easy to propagate and very generous with blooms.

Hoya

Finally, a succulent plant belonging to the Asclepiadaceae family. Hoya has seen its popularity grow among green enthusiasts in recent years. Aesthetically it has little in common with other succulents, but it is still a very decorative plant, also suitable for home cultivation and capable of producing beautiful cluster blooms. The star-shaped flowers are very particular, they have fleshy and smooth petals to the point that the Hoya themselves are also known as “porcelain flower” or “wax flower”. The plant produces long stems from which thick and fleshy leaves are formed, ranging in color from dark green to bright green, up to green streaked with yellow. Cultivation is simple and growth is relatively fast. Furthermore, Hoya also tolerate relatively low temperatures well, around 10 Celsius degrees.

 SUBSCRIBE TO THE SITE  – If you liked this article, subscribe to the site to have unlimited access to all the contents for one year or three months depending on the formula you choose. Here you will find terms and conditions.

 SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER  – If you want to receive the free newsletter every time new content is published, fill in the fields at this link!

Correlated articles

• Recognising succulents plants and cactus
• How to grow succulents
• Most frequent questions and doubts
• All cultivation cards in pdf
• Distribution of cacti and succulents: maps

© The texts, videos, photos and graphic elaborations of the site “Il fiore tra le spine” are original material and are covered by copyright. It’s forbidden to reproduce them in any way.

L'articolo Succulent plants, a small guide for those approaching this world: the simplest species to grow proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

Full sun? But what do you want to know, the window on the landing is enough! Substrate? I buy it ready at the supermarket, it’s perfect. The pots? The smaller the better: never leave more than half a centimeter between the plant and the edge of the pot… And so on, by dint of amenities, false beliefs, hearsay phrases that rapidly becomes dogma because… because it was said by that guy on Facebook and it’s immediately clear that he’s someone who knows about it because his videos has the right lights and Kubrick seems to have done the editing for him. Joking aside, how much nonsense do we still have to hear today about the cultivation of cacti? How many improvised “influencers” ride the crest of social media driven by the Mistral of likes (yes, likes, which in jargon are called “the metrics of vanity”…) and, supported by legions of followers and big thumbs up, they deliver lessons and conferences winking from the monitors, revealing “5 fantastic tricks you don’t know about cacti” or “how to go from seed to flowering plant in 35 seconds”. Or, with an attitude halfway between the conspiratorial and the revealer of esoteric secrets, they promise to teach you everything, absolutely everything about the cultivation of these splendid plants. Then, perhaps, you dig a little and discover that the influencer on duty has been growing cacti for 2 or 3 years – a gift from grandmother -, keeps them next to the PC or television (“you know, they absorb magnetic rays”), he can’t distinguish a Rebutia from a Begonia and has never bothered to leaf through any book on cacti and succulents. There are also influencers for plants, right? No. There are likeable and well-prepared characters, there are pretty faces who know something, but there is also a lot of “fluff” (forgive the old reporter’s term). So much wrong information, so much confusion and so much unpreparedness.

So, without any desire to offer you “The Word” with this article, here is a handbook, a list of ten things you need to know (or you should already know!) if you really want to cultivate your cacti in the best possible way. Without tricks or deceptions: here we are at the fundamentals, come on. But without these you go nowhere. And I am convinced that even those who, scrolling through the 10 points will say “ah yes, I know” ten times, will find in this handbook a useful tool for reviewing, asking themselves a few more questions and pushing themselves to improve. And rest assured, what follows does not come from the web, but from 30 years of experience in the field, of experiments and failures, from discussions with growers and scholars far more expert than me and from reading a few dozen manuals in Italian, English, French, Spanish (and also German, although in that case, I confess, I limited myself to photographs and captions, not knowing the Teutonic language!) (…)

Per proseguire nella lettura dell'articolo Accedi o Abbonati
To continue reading the article LogIn or Subscribe

L'articolo How to grow cactus: the handbook with the 10 things you absolutely need to know to avoid mistakes proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

Would you throw away that specimen of Echinocactus grusonii you see in the photo above? Obviously the answer is no. Indeed, with such perfect thorns it would be a crime to let such a plant die. Nevertheless, a few years ago, when that plant was still a few months old seedling, I was about to throw it away! No, I hadn’t suddenly gone crazy, simply this plant, around 2015, was just one of the many grusonii seedlings obtained with a particularly lucky sowing (that is, characterized by high germination). What you see in the picture was the only seedling born from that sowing to have reached the stage of the first repotting in pitiful conditions, to the point that, convinced that it would not even pass the first repotting, I intended to throw it together with the sowing soil. Today, almost ten years later, that malformed, underdeveloped and sickly-looking seedling has become exactly as you see it in the photo I took a few days ago.

Here, in the following article, is the story of this plant, a plant that has been able to teach me an important lesson: never judge a book by its cover. In life as well as when dealing with Nature. (…)

Per proseguire nella lettura dell'articolo Accedi o Abbonati
To continue reading the article LogIn or Subscribe

L'articolo Here is the story of an Echinocactus grusonii born to lose but alive to win! proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

For the avoidance of doubt: the title is ironic and here we are talking about rot, unfortunately. No new Copiapoa has been discovered, neither the one you see in this photo and in the other incredible images within this article. Simply, this is what remains of one of my Copiapoa cinerea that rotted this winter without me even realizing it. What we see now is nothing but the armor of thorns that the plant has left me. The quills are so compact and close together that they perfectly maintain the shape of the plant (complete with a dry flower at the apex). The stem simply no longer exists. It has rotted and “evaporated”, disappeared.

Here is what happened and, above all, here are the exceptional photos of this plant, whose fate, moreover, from time to time also touches the specimens in habitat, as I happened to see in some online photos and once, directly, with a young specimen of Ferocactus during a trip to Mexico. (…)

Per proseguire nella lettura dell'articolo Accedi o Abbonati
To continue reading the article LogIn or Subscribe

L'articolo New cactus species discovered: “Copiapoa invisibilis”! Exceptional photos of a plant… that no longer exists proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

Just as we find a wide variability of shapes and colors in the leaves of botanical species in general, which can be flat, fleshy, needle-shaped, ovate, heart-shaped, lanceolate, etc., we find the same variety in the thorns of cacti. Over the millennia, evolution has led to a remarkable range of shapes and colors, with spines that can have a papery or elastic and very fine consistency or, again, appear rigid, squat and short, long and broad, flat or tapered, sharp, hooked, black, gray, white, red, yellow. In general we can say that cacti are the only plants to have thorns, since in other specimens of the botanical world it is not entirely correct to speak of real thorns. Let’s think of the common roses: what we call thorns are actually excrescences that are produced along the stems, alternating with the leaves, which cacti do not have. So what exactly are thorns and how did cacti come to evolve with these “weapons” along the stem? What is the function of the spines in cacti? Why are some pointed while others are hooked? And why are there also cacti that have no thorns at all?

We will answer all these questions in the following article. (…)

Per proseguire nella lettura dell'articolo Accedi o Abbonati
To continue reading the article LogIn or Subscribe

L'articolo The thorns of cacti: what they are for and why these plants have abandoned their leaves proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

Unlike what usually happens with cacti, Mammillaria luethyi was first observed by a researcher not in its habitat but in a… coffee can. Weird? Wait until you read the whole story, then. Yes, because the discovery of this species of Mammillaria is relatively recent (half of the Fifties of the twentieth century) and still today we cannot certainly define it as a widespread plant in cultivation or regularly available on the market. Nevertheless, it’s one of the most fascinating species among Mammillaria, one of the most intriguing and undoubtedly the one having the showiest flowering, and at the same time delicate and charming. As a counterbalance to these qualities, there are some difficulties in cultivation and the tendency of the root to rot: these aspects, in addition to the slowness in growth, make M. luethyi reserved for pure enthusiasts and experienced cactophiles, although with not a few difficulties.

The following article was published in Volume 61, Issue 2 (May 2021) of the Journal of The Mammillaria Society. Thanks to the editors for their welcome publication. (…)

Per proseguire nella lettura dell'articolo Accedi o Abbonati
To continue reading the article LogIn or Subscribe

L'articolo Mammillaria luethyi, the incredible story of its discovery in the Fifties and tips for growing it proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

]]> https://www.ilfioretralespine.it/en/mammillaria-luethyi-story/feed/ 0 https://www.ilfioretralespine.it/en/repotting-cacti-winter/ https://www.ilfioretralespine.it/en/repotting-cacti-winter/#respond Sun, 26 Jan 2020 17:49:24 +0000 https://ilfioretralespine.it/?p=15751 Given that it is possible to repot cacti and succulent plants in almost all months of the year, for more than fifteen years I have been carrying out this operation during the winter, between December and February. If necessary, for example in the case of a suffering plant or a new purchase, I repot even … Continue reading "Repotting cacti in winter: here’s why and what are the advantages of this choice"

L'articolo Repotting cacti in winter: here’s why and what are the advantages of this choice proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

]]> Given that it is possible to repot cacti and succulent plants in almost all months of the year, for more than fifteen years I have been carrying out this operation during the winter, between December and February. If necessary, for example in the case of a suffering plant or a new purchase, I repot even in spring or in the middle of summer. I almost never repot in autumn, because in this period the plants begin to slow down their growth to start the winter stasis and I prefer to avoid “disturbing” this natural process, since repotting is always a small trauma for a plant.

We look at the benefits of repotting cacti and succulents over the winter in the article that follows. (…)

Repot in winter: the advantages

By repotting in winter, the plants are completely still (except for those that grow even in the cold like Pediocactus and some Escobaria, for example) and the soil is completely dry and it is easy to clean the roots well, where needed. If the soil in which the plant is found is already correct and if I have decided to use the same type of soil for that plant, I simply shake the earth a little to free some roots and check that the root system is in good condition and does not contain parasites. It is essential that the new substrate is dry or, at most, slightly damp. Another important aspect deriving from the choice of the winter months for repotting is in fact this: until the end of March the plants will not receive water and the roots will have plenty of time to heal. Some injury to the secondary roots is almost inevitable during repotting and, in the event of a change of substrate with thorough cleaning of the root system (for example if the plant was in peat) it can easily happen to break or injure even the primary roots. Similarly, in the event of a total change of soil or a suffering plant, it may be necessary to drastically shorten the roots by cutting them. For all these reasons, winter repotting is preferable. This is a guideline, not a rule, though. In fact, cacti and succulents in general can be easily repotted even when they are in full vegetation, as well as when they are in bloom. In these cases, however, it is important to repot in dry soil and wait at least two or three weeks before watering, keeping the plant in a bright place but not in direct sunlight.

Wait or repot immediately?

Many wonder if it is necessary, once a plant has been flared (in winter or in summer, the substance does not change), to leave it bare root for some time or if it can be repotted immediately. Let’s say that leaving the plant with the roots in the air, in a place sheltered from direct light, is certainly a good precaution. In this way we will be sure that any injuries or cuts to the roots will heal perfectly. From what I’ve learned, though, this step isn’t always necessary. If the plant is healthy and if the fleshy roots have not been injured or cut, you can repot immediately: time to remove the old substrate, check that there are no parasites among the roots, and repot in the new substrate. For years I have only allowed plants to dry for a few days in the case the root system has been affected by rot (in this case I also treat it with a powder fungicide) or those plants with major lesions to the primary roots or taproot.

Some examples

In recent weeks, as for years now, I have been dedicating myself to repotting my plants, in particular to repotting some of my sowings from 2017. These are mainly Gymnocalycium (spegazzinii and ferox), Lobivia ferox, Thelocactus lloydii. To these are added some of my sowings of Ferocactus latispinus already of a fair size, since these are plants born in 2010. All the plants are in perfect condition: the roots are healthy and well developed and the plants are robust and well formed. For my convenience and to help the growth of still young plants a little, for repotting I used a standard soil based on pumice, lapillus and peat in equal parts, to which I added 5% of fine sand.

In these photos, here are some steps of the repotting procedures during winter. To learn more about the topic, you can consult the section “Repotting“. If you want to know more about soils and materials for making the various substrates, you can instead consult the “Substrates” section.

 SUBSCRIBE TO THE SITE  – If you liked this article, subscribe to the site to have access to all the contents for one year or three months depending on the formula you choose. Here you will find terms and conditions.

 SUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER  – If you want to receive the free newsletter every time new content is published, fill in the fields at this link!

© The texts, videos, photos and graphic elaborations of the site “Il fiore tra le spine” are original material and are covered by copyright. It’s forbidden to reproduce them in any way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Correlated articles

All articles on sowing cactus and succulents
When to pricking out cactus seedlings
Seasonal care for cactus and succulents
Cactus cultivation cards

L'articolo Repotting cacti in winter: here’s why and what are the advantages of this choice proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

]]> https://www.ilfioretralespine.it/en/repotting-cacti-winter/feed/ 0 https://www.ilfioretralespine.it/en/classification-identification/ https://www.ilfioretralespine.it/en/classification-identification/#respond Mon, 19 Aug 2019 08:38:58 +0000 https://ilfioretralespine.it/?p=6036 Giving a succulent plant a scientific name, in other words correctly identifying a succulent plant, is far from simple. The classification, in general, the so-called taxonomy, is the prerogative of researchers, scholars, true enthusiasts and, in some cases, real maniacs of order. In that boundless land that is the classification of plants – and in … Continue reading "Recognising succulent plants and cactus: a guide to identification and correct classification"

L'articolo Recognising succulent plants and cactus: a guide to identification and correct classification proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

]]>

Giving a succulent plant a scientific name, in other words correctly identifying a succulent plant, is far from simple. The classification, in general, the so-called taxonomy, is the prerogative of researchers, scholars, true enthusiasts and, in some cases, real maniacs of order. In that boundless land that is the classification of plants – and in the specific case of succulents – there is often great confusion, to the point that it is not uncommon to see the continuous re-denomination of the same plant, first included in one genus, then placed in another, then moved to another one. Some plants are classified in one way by some researchers and differently by others; some tend to simplify and reduce the number of genera, while others are inclined to divide plants as much as possible, according to their peculiarities, into several genera, species, subspecies, forms and varieties. Diatribes between authors and researchers about the classification of this or that plant are the order of the day. Thus, the common grower and the ‘collector’ of succulents are forced to rely on plant tags or try to classify them by comparing the specimen with pictures found on the Internet or in books.

In the following article, we see how to find your way and what you need to know to begin to identify and classify succulent plants. We also learn how to distinguish a cactus from any other succulent plant and how to identify the best-known succulent families. (…)

Per proseguire nella lettura dell'articolo Accedi o Abbonati
To continue reading the article LogIn or Subscribe

L'articolo Recognising succulent plants and cactus: a guide to identification and correct classification proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

]]> https://www.ilfioretralespine.it/en/classification-identification/feed/ 0 https://www.ilfioretralespine.it/en/distribution-cacti/ https://www.ilfioretralespine.it/en/distribution-cacti/#respond Mon, 19 Feb 2018 10:46:55 +0000 https://ilfioretralespine.it/?p=6133 Have you always wondered what part of the world your cactus or succulent plant comes from? From the Americas or maybe from Asia? From Africa or Europe? The topic of succulent plant distribution is vast and very intricate. However, to begin to simplify, we can say that all cacti are native to the Americas, while … Continue reading "The distribution of cacti and succulents in the world: maps with the states where they grow"

L'articolo The distribution of cacti and succulents in the world: maps with the states where they grow proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

]]>

Have you always wondered what part of the world your cactus or succulent plant comes from? From the Americas or maybe from Asia? From Africa or Europe? The topic of succulent plant distribution is vast and very intricate. However, to begin to simplify, we can say that all cacti are native to the Americas, while succulent plants in general (i.e. non-cactaceous succulents) come from different parts of the world.

In this article and in the two large maps attached, we see how cacti and non-cacti succulents are distributed around the world. We see in particular from which geographical areas the succulents originally evolved. (…)

Per proseguire nella lettura dell'articolo Accedi o Abbonati
To continue reading the article LogIn or Subscribe

L'articolo The distribution of cacti and succulents in the world: maps with the states where they grow proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

]]> https://www.ilfioretralespine.it/en/distribution-cacti/feed/ 0