Piante grasse cactus spine

Tag: cactus

How to cultivate Melocactus, cacti that with age put on… the hat (“cephalium”)!

In the great botanical family of the Cactaceae the Melocactus represent a small “case apart”. In fact, these are cacti with a traditional globular shape tending towards a shorter cylinder as they age, but they have a peculiarity: over the years they “put on their hats”. In other words, the apex of these plants stops growing and a sort of “headdress” takes shape in its place, made up of a compact fluff mixed with thick and very thin thorns, usually red but sometimes white. This is the cephalium and this is where the flowers and fruits will come from. In a very bizarre way, over time it is only the cephalium that grows in height, so much so that the stems remain the same size, while the “hat” stretches towards the sky, giving these plants a truly unique appearance. The “however” of this story lies in the ease with which these cacti lose their roots and, even if they have not been affected by rot or parasites, they start to die. In other words, a  Melocactus  in full health often begins to slowly deteriorate and die, perhaps even taking two years, just because the root system has gone haywire and the plant has not been able to produce a new one.

Those who have been cultivating cacti for some time know it well:  Melocactus  are as fascinating as they are “capricious” and you have to come to terms with it. In this article we deepen the knowledge with this genus, in particular from the point of view of the needs, so as to grow robust specimens and limit losses as much as possible. (…)

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Her Majesty the Copiapoa: a series of exclusive photos enhances the beauty of this extraordinary cactus

The gray stem, the black thorns, the compact and perfect shape in its “simplicity” make the Copiapoa, in particular of the species of the cinerea group, a real masterpiece of Nature. Among cactus enthusiasts these plants represent a real jewel, to the point that, unfortunately, around and to the detriment of the Copiapoa a black market has been created for years that moves millions of dollars all over the world. A market that involves the extirpation of specimens in habitat – in spite of the laws for the protection of the species – subsequently destined for illicit trafficking, with serious damage to the environment and for the entire Copiapoa genus. More reason, when buying a specimen of this cacti it is essential to rely on specialized nurserymen, avoid online auctions and, above all, observe the plant carefully. The expert eye almost always knows how to distinguish the specimen grown from seed and the one taken from the wild.

And if it is true that the Copiapoa grown in their habitat have colors and thorns capable of fascinating even those who are not fond of cacti, it is equally true that with correct cultivation even specimens obtained from seeds can become splendid and incredibly attractive plants. Just to enhance the beauty of the stems and thorns of these plants, I have elaborated some photos of my specimens, cutting them out and making them stand out against a black background. The results are exceptional, as shown in the gallery contained in the following article. (…).

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Severely dehydrated Astrophytum asterias: here’s a rescue attempt with… hydroculture!

Hydroculture and succulent plants sound, in some ways, like a conceptual oxymoron. Plants that have naturally evolved to cope with drought, rainfall concentrated in short periods of the year; plants that grow in extremely dry soils, in short, how can they get along with hydroculture? In other words, how can they be grown with a technique that requires the roots to be in constant contact with water? The answer is simple: they can’t. However … however in certain cases and following precise precautions, the constant contact of the roots of a succulent plant with water can be used to save that plant. Even if that plant is a succulent. And that’s exactly what I’m trying to do these days to save two Astrophytum asterias of my sowing in conditions of extreme dehydration, on the verge of dying of thirst (which would be very strange for a cacti!). But let’s go step by step and see exactly what happened to these two plants and how (and why) I’m trying to save them through a kind of “temporary hydroculture”.

I explain everything with lots of photos in the following article, which I consider – in fact – the description of an experiment that is perhaps risky and certainly unorthodox but at the same time not devoid of logic. (…)

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Echinopsis Haku-jo, the cactus with mysterious origins: it does not exist in nature but it’s very popular on the market

It’s a bit like that shy and reserved distant relative: everyone in the family knows he exists, but little or nothing is known about him, or his history. Those who grow cacti and succulent plants, those who are used to attending market-exhibitions of succulent plants, those who hang out in well-stocked nurseries, have certainly observed more than one specimen. Many enthusiasts have one or more specimens in their cacti collection. Yet, very little is known about this Echinopsis Haku-jo. In the many texts dedicated to cacti (not only in Italian) the plant often appears in photographs but the information is always scarce; online there are only brief synthetic cards, almost always accompanying the specimens for sale. For the rest, nothing. The history of this cultivar (a plant that does not exist in nature but obtained through hybridization and crossbreeding by man) remains shrouded in mystery.

In this article I try to summarize what I have learned in years of cultivation and what I have managed to learn about this intriguing Echinopsis cultivar, whose flowering is among the most bizarre in the whole family of cacti (…).

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Summer is at the end of the line: until when can we water cacti and succulent plants?

The topic is a classic and the question is among the most frequently asked among cactus and succulent growers: until when can I water my plants? In other words, given that – as even less expert growers know – it is advisable to keep cacti cold and dry during the winter months until they can be watered, when exactly should we stop watering? And again: should watering be suspended completely or will it just have to be reduced? Are there cacti that can or should also be watered in autumn and winter? Are there any non-cacti succulent plants, especially those with leaves, which need to be watered even in the winter months, otherwise the branches and leaves will wither? It is clear that part of the answer to these questions can vary according to the place where we grow plants (there is a big difference, just to give an example in the Northern hemisphere, between Sicily and Great Britain, Spain or Germany), but in principle it can be said that there are many fixed points that every grower must know and respect in order for his succulents to grow healthy and robust and to flower profusely. Above all, there are some fixed points that must be respected to avoid, quite simply, rotting our cacti and succulent plants during the winter or early spring.

And since the period in which most of the cacti and succulents will go into vegetative stasis is approaching, it is advisable to deepen these fixed points and learn to at least distinguish the macro-water needs of the various families of succulents. This is exactly what we will do in the following article (…)

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