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Throw Your Cacti-Caution to the Wind!

4/23/2014

 
At about this time last year, I was reluctantly admitting that I was starting to like cacti.  I've come to like them even more over the past 361 days, and currently, several of mine are even in flower.  There's nothing quite like a cactus blossom.  E.g., on Friday, I woke up to this:
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...Which, okay, even if you're not a cacti person, you have to admit is pretty gorgeous.

A year ago, I blanched every time someone lumped these spiny critters in with my plump, beloved echeverias or haworthias.  Now I'm practically a cactus
proselyte.  If you're feeling cacti-curious, but aren't quite ready to convert, here are some varieties that might push you over the edge.  (I've erred on the less spiny side, since many succ-ers have expressed the crazy desire not to be impaled on their own plants.)

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MAMMILARIA PLUMOSA

This is about as close as a cactus could possibly get to a down pillow.  Yes, there are occasionally a few small spines under all that fluff, but in general, mammilaria plumosa (and mammilaria theresae, another feathery favorite) are every bit as soft to handle as they look like they would be.  Just try not to make s'mores with them--I'm not sure how well that would work.
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CEREUS FORBESII VAR. SPIRALFORME

Cereus forbesii var. spiralforme is one of few columnar cacti that naturally grow in a spiral shape as they mature.  Yes, this thing looks pokey--which is part of the reason I don't have one.  They can also be hard to find--which is the other part of the reason.  Still, this would be a very cool addition to any collection.  I'm being totally cereus, folks.  (Har, har.)
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ASTROPHYTUMS (ASTERIAS OR SUPER KABUTO)

Astrophytums are cool.  They're small, generally spineless cacti that sometimes have little tufts of soft down at regular intervals, like the one pictured here.  They also come with lots of different patterns, the flashiest being the super kabuto variety (pictured).  I recommend starting with astrophytum asterias; they're easy to find, relatively inexpensive, and require little or no special care.
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REBUTIA HELIOSA (OR REBUTIA ALBIFLORA x HELIOSA)

I have a soft spot for these because the pictured rebutia albiflora x heliosa was one of my first cacti.  The plant looked so soft that I couldn't resist touching it, and it didn't impale me.  Love at first squeeze!
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OPUNTIA GOSSELINIANA (VIOLET PRICKLY PEAR)

Unlike some of the other cacti I'm featuring here, these guys will spike you as easily as most other opuntia do.  But don't you think that the amazing violet color makes up for it?  I've been wanting to get my (gloved) hands on this one for a while.  I've also seen a similar (maybe the same?) kind called a "Santa Rita" cactus or an Opuntia Santa Rita.
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LOPHOCEREUS SCHOTTII VAR. MONSTROSE

Also called the "totem pole cactus," lophocereus schottii var. monstrose is one of the most sculptural columnars out there.  They're sometimes bumpy (as seen in this picture) and sometimes less bumpy, but never spiny.  I've seen them up to 5-6 feet tall, but they're equally stunning just hanging out in a pot with other cacti or succulents.  The bright blue-green hue is gorgeous, too.
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ECHINOCEREUS RIGIDISSIMUS VAR. RUBISPINUS

Ah, another one of the first cacti I ever bought.  Candy of Sweetstuff's Sassy Succulents advises to watch out for mealybugs on these, because once they get 'em, they're hard to get rid of.  So far, my luck has been good, and this gorgeous, bright pink gem of a plant has been happy in both shade and sun.  If you pick it up from the sides, it's not very pokey, either!
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ORTEGOCACTUS MCDOUGALLI

The picture doesn't do this thing justice.  Ortegocactus McDougalli features a brilliant lime-green body with black spines, and the contrast between them is breathtaking.  In my experience, a hard plant to find.
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MYRTILLOCACTUS GEOMETRIZANS CRISTATA

Myrtillocactus geometrizans crests are just ridiculous.  Look at this picture.  I mean, seriously.  How can you unilaterally reject cacti when this nearly spineless beauty is one of them?  You can't, right?  These only have two Achilles' heels: some susceptibility to scale, and a high price tag (the asking price for the one pictured was over $200!), though you can find teensy specimens sometimes. 
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EPITHELANTHA MICROMERIS

Epithelantha micromeris (a.k.a. "button cactus") is a deceptively diminutive little species--easily overlooked, but once you notice it, you can't not notice it.  The soft exterior and wonderful purples and greens under the light dusting of cactus fluff make it a great addition to any pot.  I've had mine (pictured) for about six months, and it's done fine indoors and outdoors.
What kinds of cacti should be added to this must-love list?  Are any of you readers still cacti-reluctant?  (I'm talking to you, Mom!)  ;)

A sign that I might be going crazy

4/18/2014

 
Do your succulents ever speak to you?  I woke up this morning, and this semp shouted, "Greetings, Earthling!  Take me to your leader!"
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Gems from the Cactus & Succulent Society of San Jose's Show and Sale!

4/8/2014

 
On Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending the Cactus & Succulent Society of San Jose's annual show and sale.  I went last year and enjoyed it, and the difference between how much I saw/knew/understood this year vs. last year was huge, which was kind of gratifying.  I may or may not have stood around allowing people to solicit me for advice.  It may or may not have made me want to write a book about succulents and/or transform into Debra Lee Baldwin.  Just sayin'. 
To give you a sense of what the show was like, here's a photo of one of the sale tables, which represents probably about 1/20 of what was for sale.  I was sorely tempted to buy a tacitus bellus (you can see four of them in the bottom half of this picture--they look kind of like echeveria with pointy leaves), but resisted the purchase in my partly-successful effort to stay within the budget I set for myself before going.

The show featured maybe 12-15 vendors, and instead of having each vendor paid separately, you could just choose all the plants you wanted, then pay for everything at the end.  Almost everything was well-labeled, and the whole setup was easy and convenient.  Yay!
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If memory serves, last year's sale favored cacti over succs, but this year's wares were fairly evenly divided between cacti and other succulents.  Plus, I like cacti more than I used to, particularly rebutias, of which there were plenty.  One vendor had air plants, and there were some "meh" plastic pots.  That was my only real disappointment--I wanted to pick up some cool pots, and this wasn't the place to do it.
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To the right, you can see a sulcorebutia arenacea I purchased and planted it in a bonsai pot I had laying around.  My girlfriend doesn't like the arrangement, because she says the pebbles on the right look "messy" and the large rock on the upper left competes with the plant (I agree with the second point, but it's meant to do so and I think it's amusing).  What are your thoughts on this one, dear succ-ers?  Help settle our domestic debate!
Of course, this just meant that there was more money left in my budget for plants, so I can't really complain, can I?  Among the awesome new additions to my collection were a crassula marchandii (yeah, I already have some, but still--you never know when you might want to make some cuttings), a sulcorebutia rauschii special clone with white flowers, a euphorbia symmetrica, an interesting pink-blue echeveria, a small lime-green haworthia truncata, and my favorite find of all: a six-inch agave "Joe Hoak" (pictured left) for only $6!  It made me glad I didn't spend the $13 to pick up the one on eBay I've been contemplating.
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Anyhow, without further ado, here are some photos of my favorite eye candy from Saturday's show!  Some of these won prizes, and others did not, but they all caught my eye.  Enjoy!
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Creative Top Dressings to Showcase Your Succs!

4/1/2014

 
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Pebbles, sand, and rocks are all common "top dressings"--that is, materials spread on top of the exposed soil in a potted plant.  In addition to making an arrangement more colorful and decorative, top dressings have the practical effect of making plants easier to water, keeping moisture in, and preventing leaves from touching wet soil, which can lead to rot.

But conventional top dressings can go for as much as $5-$15 for a tiny bag!  So in this post I thought I'd share some of the top dressing "hacks" I've discovered through other succ-ers' recommendations, as well as my own experimentation. 

The first place to look is in your very own kitchen!  Small objects with interesting textures make the best soil covers.  As you can see in the picture to the left, I've combined raw peanuts with an aloe seedling.  Be sure to use unsalted peanuts, since salt will change the ph level in the soil and can actually kill a plant.

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In addition to peanuts, I've experimented with wasabi peas (successful, and makes for some fabulous color combinations--just be sure to get the msg-free kind, which you can find at Trader Joe's), water chestnuts (which look cool but tend to decompose within a few weeks), M&Ms (yellow ones look especially nice, and the candy shell keeps the M&Ms in tact, so no worries about melting), and chia seeds (which were fabulous until the second watering, when the seeds began to sprout).

As you can see in the picture to the right, larger items can work as well--the key is to make them bold and bright.  For this composition, I've chosen kumquats.  I made this back in October because I thought the bright orange gave the aeoniums an autumnal feel.  The kumquats don't decompose because being placed directly on soil causes them to "chlorophate," meaning that they retain their shape, smell, and color.

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You might recognize this next plant from my last post, where I mentioned that it was labeled as "Euphorbia sp."  I've come to suspect that this was a mislabeling, since it does not seem to contain the trademark milky white "sap" for which euphorbias are known.

In any case, though, it's a lovely plant, and I think it's made even lovelier by the addition of discarded pharmaceutical pills.  Because I didn't know if the chemicals would harm the plants, I didn't place the pills directly on the soil.  Instead, I first sprinkled a layer of conventional jade pebbles.  Then I scattered random expired pills on top of the pebbles.  The result may not be for everyone, but I think it's both colorful and whimsical!

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I know this next suggestion is going to be a little environmentally controversial, but I'm going to put it out there anyway: plastic wrap.  Not saran wrap--I'm not suggesting you go out and buy plastic specifically for top dressing; that would be wasteful.  Instead, whenever you order anything from Amazon, just save the plastic insulation that comes with it. 

And I know what you're thinking: but I'm supposed to recycle!  Yes, sure, I know.  But you can think of this as a form of recycling.  The only caveat I should mention is that water runs off of the plastic, so to water plants with plastic top dressing, just lift up the plastic, water, and put the plastic back on.

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This last one is going to strike you as a little weird, and perhaps even a little gross, but hear me out, succ-ers--not only does this work, but it's good for your plants.  If you have a dog or a cat and feed them hard kibble, take just a small handful and spread it atop the soil of any potted plant.  It has kind of a cool texture, and an effect similar to lava rock--but I haven't gotten to the best part yet.

Most high-quality dry pet food is supplemented with vitamins and minerals to keep our furry friends healthy.  Water helps these vitamins and minerals act as fertilizer.

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After multiple waterings, the kibble will begin to soften and decompose.  It may look a little gross at first, but over time and multiple waterings, it will turn lighter in color and form an attractive "crust" over the top.

The picture to the left is the same plant and the same kibble top dressing from the picture above, taken after six weeks of once-weekly waterings.  To achieve the clay-brown hue you see in this composition, I prefer to use Iams.  If available, choose a low-sodium variety with mineral supplements.  (It's healthier for your pets, too!)

So what do you think, succ-ers?  Have you ever tried any of these creative top dressings?  Maybe you have some suggestions of your own?  Did you read this all the way through without remembering that it's April Fool's Day?  Haha!!  Gotcha!

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