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.

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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.

Unfortunately it is a less rare phenomenon than one might think. The flower itself, the maximum expression of the plant, its instrument for reproducing and safeguarding the species, can transform itself into its executioner. With cacti, plants that require seasonal rest corresponding to the winter months, the flower can sometimes be fatal. It obviously only happens with those species that flower in mid-winter, therefore a small minority compared to all cacti. But it is often precisely from there, from that flower that blooms in November, December or January, that the rot is triggered and which, if neglected or not seen, can lead the specimen to death. This is what happened to two of my Ferocactus latispinus in recent days. Or rather, in the past few weeks, except that the damage has become apparent recently. And now it was too late to intervene and save the plants.

In this article we look into this phenomenon and see what can be done to prevent it or, at least, be able to intervene before the rot passes from the flower to the plant. (…)

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L'articolo Be careful of winter blooms: rot can start from here. Here are the species at risk proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

Living tangles of incredibly intricate spines, “globes” wrapped in beautiful, deep yellow spines. This is how Ferocactus johnstonianus could be defined, perhaps hastily but at the same time realistically. We are talking about one of the most appreciated and sought after species among enthusiasts of the Ferocactus genus throughout the world. These are relatively uncommon and poorly propagated plants, not easily available on the market. They also do not grow quickly, and perhaps these are some of the factors that contribute to fueling the charm of johnstonianus. In these days of repotting I have had the opportunity to focus on some specimens of this species that I received a few years ago from my friend Francesco Soldi, a highly experienced italian grower especially with regards to the Ferocactus genus, although today he is concentrating on the Echinocactus genus and in particular on the horizonthalonius species. Well, the plants I got from him a few years ago initially grew very slowly – mostly my fault, because I put off repotting for a long time and used an excessively poor substrate – but in the last two years, also thanks to a slightly richer substrate, have recovered and today they are well characterized and proportioned and are starting to show their full potential.

In this article here is an in-depth look at this splendid species. (…)

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L'articolo Johnstonianus, the most beautiful and sought after species of the entire Ferocactus genus 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. (…)

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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.

When they say that a picture is better than words. In this case, there are three photos, but the concept doesn’t change, and the difference between a cactus grown in a “natural” (or “wild”) way and one with a “garden-style”, based on basic notions and beliefs is quite evident. The plants I’m writing about are Ferocactus latispinus obtained from a 2012 sowing of mine. From that same planting, I’ve got at least forty plants. Over the years, I have given away some of them, but most are still with me and are growing beautifully. It’s important to point out that these are plants born from seeds contained in a single fruit (gift of a dear friend), sown the same day and grown over the years in the same conditions, i.e. in my greenhouse, in standard soil (pumice, lapilli and peat in equal parts), watered and fertilized with the same frequency. This is to say that the starting conditions, including the genetics and the grower’s hand, are the same. And yet, as you can see from the photo above, where the three plants (three at random of the twenty-five or so that I have kept for myself) are side by side, they show remarkable differences, at least to the discerning eye and the grower with a minimum of experience.

So let’s see, in this article, how and why different cultivation regimens, assumed as a whole and not just limited to the soil, affect so much the final result and really make the difference between a cactus grown and cultivated in any garden or generic nursery and a cactus grown by an enthusiast or an expert. (…)

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L'articolo How a cactus changes depending on the type of cultivation: the difference made by soil and exposure proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

Temperatures are still above the seasonal averages, but summer has faded and autumn is on its way. Like every year, at the end of September I started preparing my greenhouse for the cold months. Nothing major, just some cleaning work, moving plants from outside to inside, a check on the heating system and two coats of copper oxychloride on plants a preventive measure. The plants themselves will do the rest, dehydrating following the suspension of watering from mid-September (from now on I will water just a few leafy succulents and, sporadically, Copiapoa and Eriosyce until the end of October) and starting to produce their natural “antifreeze” within the plant tissue of stems.

This is a good time to check the state of health of the plants and, in my case, to “draw some sums” on the results of the Spartan cultivation to which I subjected several specimens, as I explain in the following article. (…)

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L'articolo Spartan cultivation in full sun, and the results can be seen: healthy plants and robust thorns proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

Ferocactus thrive in the southern United States, especially California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas, Utah, New Mexico. Some species grow in Mexico, especially in the Baja California peninsula. In this second photographic contribution by Ben Grillo, a cactus lover who lives in Oceanside, California, we can observe how Ferocactus acanthodes grows in nature, one of the most interesting and variable species among those belonging to the Ferocactus genus. The photos were taken by Ben in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, a protected area located in Southern California.

For more information on the Anza-Borrego park and Ben Grillo you can read the first photographic contribution at this link.

As can be seen from the images below, Ferocactus grow in clayey and stony soils, relatively poor, and in full exposure to direct sun, i.e. not sheltered by rocks or other plants. In one shot we can see a dead specimen and in another shot a large specimen collapsed to the ground. In other images, some Ferocactus living in ravines among the rocks. If you are interested in learning more about the distribution of cacti and succulent plants in nature and knowing from which part of the world this or that plant comes, this post may be useful, with maps of the distribution of succulents in the various continents.

Ben Grillo’s reportage will end with the next post, dedicated to Agaves and other succulents and to splendid views of the Anza-Borrego state park.

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All photographs courtesy of Ben Grillo

L'articolo From the Anza-Borrego park in California, stunning photos of Ferocactus in their habitat proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.

Based on the experiences of some growers, plants of the genus Ferocactus seem to appreciate the addition of calcareous material in the substrate. Above all, the thorns would benefit from it, which would be significantly strengthened compared to those of specimens grown in more “traditional” soils, for example the classic pumice, lapillus, peat mix in equal parts. Based on this consideration, I wanted to make an experiment with some of my sowings of Ferocactus acanthodes (seeds obtained from a dried fruit taken from an adult plant during a trip to Arizona) and Ferocactus latispinus. The acanthodes were born in 2013, while the latispinus are from 2010. Except for the seedling soil, which was based on peat, pumice and gravel, these plants grew up in the traditional compost with 30% fine peat and the rest pumice and lapillus in equal parts. I generally use this mix when I want to help seedlings develop more quickly, and then pass them into what I consider my “standard potting soil” made of sandy clay, pumice, gravel and 10% peat.

In the following article we see exactly what my experiment consists of, what type of soil I decided to use and above all we see the results with the photos taken two years after the test. (…)

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L'articolo Strengthening the thorns of cacti: a small experiment with some Ferocactus sowings proviene da Il fiore tra le spine.