Cactus lovers/growers?

[Trek420]

I think there is way more and better info on cacti and succulents on the internet than in books. The people on the cactus forum moan about the dearth of good books to ge had. I've found lots of great and informative websites though.

Then you'd better write one! You gals have got some incredible photos already.

[Fredwina]

Fredwina,
Is that the view from your prison cell window?
(just kidding, I lived many years in PR and got used to all the essential "rejas" over every door and window there)

Actually, it's parkling lot for the train station in Upland. You can see the tracks if you look close.
And a question from Cacti newbie:
They're currently sitting inside on my window sill. would they do better outside? I'm worried about birds decding they look yummy...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

And a question from Cacti newbie:
They're currently sitting inside on my window sill. would they do better outside? I'm worried about birds decding they look yummy...

Depends on how important it is to you to have them inside for your decor.
If they get a LOT of sun on the windowsill they should be ok. They do need several hours of sun every day, or they will grow spindly. I don't think birds would want to eat them, but then I don't know what kind of odd birds you might have there! If you don't care whether they are in or out, then they would love the additional sun of outside I would think....but give them a couple weeks of gradual change to the full sun- they can burn if they've been inside for weeks and are then suddenly thrust out into the blasting sun.

[Aggie_Ama]

Goats will eat them! I was out riding today and saw a goat chomping away on a cactus like the one CyclChyk posted.

[Aggie_Ama]

My Agave is growing like crazy and it has a pup! We added little pot feet (they're frogs) to promote drainage and the agave is really happy. I want to dig out the little pup and nuture it to be a present for my mother in law. I am also going to have to start looking for another pot, I don't want to plant it in the yard because this is not the house we plan on living in forever and I have become very attached to my agave.

Lisa- Do you know how to grow an succulent or a resource for it?

Here is an updated photo (you can also see my Zinnias are popping!):

[Fredwina]

I had to repot some plants, and one appears to be dying

any ideas?
Btw, I've got some. apologies for my el cheapo camera:

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Fredwina,
Some possibile causes?:
Did you use a potting soil made for cacti?- often those have way too much peat moss in them and it prevents the soil from getting wet at all. Most cactus growers mix regular potting soil and some sort of sand or tiny gravel about 1/2 and 1/2- that mixture works well.
Also, if you have just repotted, the plants will be under stress and should not be in the blasting sun all day for a while. Cactus need to adjust gradually from indoors to out in the full sun. Too sudden a change can actually burn them.
Don't let them get water more than once every week or two...they rot easily in soil that is not allowed to dry out between waterings.

[Trek420]

Today I planted a foxglove. a stevia, and some portuluca which seem like a succulent that blooms in many colors, also two fuchias in front.

I continued my fierce battle with agapanthus (sp?) a plant that does nothing for me but house snails. That will protect the rosemary and princess bush in front.

Alas I can't remove my neighbors agapanthus but at least can yank mine from my front yard. I'll buy the snails on the neighbors plant a cheap beer to swim in ;-)

I created a couple of "planter towers" in the patio; small container goes in bare spot in medium container goes in bare spot in big container. Thought I had no room in back on the tiered planter stands but...

now I need more plants

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Aggie-Ama- I love the way your agave and its pot echo the same blue-green color. And what a pretty patio!

Trek- a picture of your "plant tower"?...
Portulaca is wonderful- it is indeed like a succulent. It asks for so little and blooms so enthusiastically under the most dismal blastingly hot conditions.
Everyone had it in their patios in Puerto Rico.

Here is a picture of a funny little cactus of mine called "Medieval Castle" (Cereus peruvianus monstrosa). It's one of the family of "monstrosa" cacti so called because they grow very irregular somewhat deformed growths-- like monstrosities.
This one has red fur-like spines all over it that get into your skin like nasty fiberglass if you are not careful. The red fur is quite pretty but in this photo the backlit sun sort of hides it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I had some "Baby Toes" succulent on a windowsill for months. It didn't seem to be very happy. After a while it wilted and looked like it was dying and/or rotting. I put it outside on the hot sunny porch, figuring it could either die or perk up there.
After a couple of weeks I saw new tiny "toes" growing up as the old toes shriveled away. Then I saw a bud! Here is a picture of the bud on the day before it bloomed, and then two pix of the flower open. I was amazed!
There is another bud growing too. I guess it likes the hot porch.

[lyca]

Wow!!!!!!! Those are so pretty!!

[carpaltunnel]

I have a Euphorbia Obesa that was 7 years old when I pursuaded a greenhouse owner to sell it to me 17 years ago. He raised it from seed and was quite fond of it and its siblings.
Here's a link to an article and picture. I don't have a picture of mine.
http://www.plantzafrica.com/plantefg/euphorbobesa.htm

At the same time I bought one of those little cactus gardens with several tiny plants in one pot. There were probably 8 little cacti in a 8" pot.

Over the years I have had to move several of them to larger pots. One of them is nearly five feet tall now. (My husband wanted to throw it away until he saw the price of a smaller one for sale in a greenhouse.) Another is huge and round, and I just bought an antique dishpan to repot it in. A few of the others have stayed tiny and are still in the original pot. I don't know the names of any of them, and don't have any pictures. (I really should get a digital camera.)

I have good windows that reach to the floor, so they're happy all winter in the house. In the spring I move them outside.

I also have a Christmas Cactus that is at least 100 years old. It was given to us by my husband's uncle, who had it more than 40 years. He received it in trust from an "old lady" who had it many years and had received it from someone before that. Some families can trace their old christmas cacti back for generations but ours has changed families when the owners couldn't find a relative to take it. I do have pictures of it, but not digital. It blooms with hundreds of flowers every winter, and again in the late winter/early spring.

Well, enough about my flowers. Get me going and you'll be sorry!

[Aggie_Ama]

Lisa- I love that plant!! Does it have a name other than it's description?

My Agave had a pup which I am carefully growing into a birthday present for my Mother-in-law. It had taken off when I moved it to the hot August sun, but after over 2" of rain the past two days I had to move it to the shaded patio.

On another note, my poor flower bed is draining poorly. The Zinnias closest to the agave flooded out and look horrible. Anyone know a resource for building it up? Our shrubs are also turning yellow. You would think a husband who works at a nursery would know what we need to do, but he doesn't.

[coyote]

Our shrubs are also turning yellow.

If the shrubs are evergreens, or the soil is poor, they may need nitrogen. I like the pellets that you can just scatter on the ground around the plants. For the flowerbed, is it possible dig a little trench to let the water drain off? It may not be a permenant solution but you may want to wait till the soil dries out....dry soil is not as heavy to work with as moist soil.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Lisa- I love that plant!! Does it have a name other than it's description?

It's Latin name is Fenestraria. It's a pretty commonly sold succulent.