Cacti & Succulents Latest Topics

Frithia pulchra

Tue, 27 Jun 2023 15:12:01 +0000

First flower of this year. Frithia pulchra, the 'fairy elephant's feet', gosh, you have to love it just for that name!

Not as short lived as Lithops flowers are, nearly closes every evening and needs full sun to open well.

Lithops cf. werneri

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 14:02:08 +0000

Found a few years ago among a 'lithops-mix' at a hardware store, this one is one of the offspring from the first flowers of the rare Lithops cf. werneri. It took them three years.

A little surprise at this time of the year. 🙂 Tiny, but not as tiny as recorded for growing in nature.

Lithops verruculosa

Wed, 26 Jul 2023 17:42:32 +0000

Lucky me! Today I found an unexpected, as always not tagged but unmistaken, Lithops verruculosa. Two pots with two bodies each, already in their new, bigger pot.

My old friend, who inspired me my nickname...

Wed, 28 May 2014 20:28:58 +0000

I grow this one since about 16 - 17 years.

Lophophora Williamsii

edit: Thought i was still with my ancient nickname, as i'm on an other forum, but here my title makes no sense ...

For the two Lithops fans

Sun, 04 Sep 2022 17:20:08 +0000

Lithops pseudotruncatella ssp. groendrayensis. L. pseudotruncatella is the earliest Lithops to flower for me.

And with flowers open

A different clone with no markings

A few Lithops seedlings

Sat, 03 Sep 2022 15:21:19 +0000

Some of my seedlings. This shows a fair example but by no means all, of the diversity of markings that occur in the genus.

Conophytum albiflorum

Thu, 18 Aug 2022 11:06:35 +0000

My first Cono flower of the year.

For scale it's in a 6cm pot.

Huge eh?

My little cactus in flower

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 08:19:27 +0000

Hi guys,

I have this cactus for 12 years, but when I was given to me it had already 10 years.

Some pics:

enjoy

Cheers

Natale.

Delosperma flower and visitor

Sat, 23 Jul 2022 18:21:28 +0000

A Hoverfly posing on a Delosperma. I don't regard these pollinators as prey for the carnivores.

This one was a real poser though.

Stomatium

Sun, 12 Jun 2022 19:04:20 +0000

This is Stomatium loganii it's a plant that doesn't stop giving. The flowers open in the evening. These photos were taken at around 7pm.

Sceletium tortuosum

Thu, 02 Jun 2022 14:20:10 +0000

Some, especially those who visit my forum, will know that I started a collection of Mesembs some years ago. It comprises mainly Lithops and Conophytum with a mixture of other Mesembs thrown in for good measure. Oh there's an area of Euphorbia just for something different.

It was a matter of growing something different without compromising the rainwater supply. Some Lithops and Conophytum have not had a drop yet this year. You can also get a great amount of plants in a small area.

This is one of the other Mesembs, Sceletium tortuosum which has provided a fantastic display for a long time.

The plant also, reputedly, has medicinal qualities.

Quote

Sceletium tortuosum being sold commercially in Cape Town, South Africa in March 2014. The Sceletium is ground up into a brown powder and typically ingested orally.

S. tortuosum is traditionally used to fight stress and depression, relieve pain and alleviate hunger.

S. tortuosum has been studied to alleviate excessive nocturnal barking in dogs and excessive nocturnal meowing in cats, both diagnosed with dementia.

Reusing soil

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 09:28:36 +0000

I have been wondering if I can reuse soil for my succulents. Seems to be that as long as I add some cacti and succulent fertiliser to it, should be ok to re use. Also seems to me that I could use my old carnivorous plant mix for succulents if I add fertiliser. Can anyone tell me if I'm correct?

Huernia zebrina Any tips to keeping it alive?

Thu, 17 Dec 2020 11:47:05 +0000

I have over the years tried growing Huernia zebrina successfully but all end up rotting! My last attempt lasted a year grew and them rotted again. It was grown in a small pot with a mix of peat and over 50% or more of perlite. It was very free draining. I watered it roughly every 3 weeks in summer. And about 5 weeks or more in winter. It was on a sunny kitchen windowsill. Though attempts growing in my warm greenhouse over the years went the same way. I got it through last autumn/winter 2019/20 successfully and it had grown at its tip. But went downhill in October this year. Where am I going wrong?

Lithops - where can I buy them in the UK?

Tue, 16 Apr 2019 22:21:40 +0000

Years ago, there were loads of cactus nurseries up and down the UK that sold Lithops. I have recently decided to start growing them again, but i'm finding it very difficult indeed to find anyone in the Uk that has a decent selection for sale. Abbey Brook Cacti in Matlock sys it holds the National Collection - I went up there the other day and the place is falling to bits, and there were only about ten different species of Lithops on offer. Southfield Nurseries in Bourne also used to sell Lithops, but theres no mention of them at all on their website?

Whats going on?

Looking for Ceropegia cuttings

Sat, 18 Jan 2020 19:28:13 +0000

Hi all,

I'm looking for some where buy Ceropegia cuttings that are not C. Woodii. I've bought some from Paul Shirely in the Nederlands but the postage is prohibitive. Does anyone know of anywhere in the UK?

dorstenia

Sun, 06 Jan 2019 11:00:03 +0000

Bonjour

do you grow this genus dorstenia ?

jeff

ID?

Sun, 01 Sep 2019 23:57:57 +0000

Hi , can anyone ID this fierce looking monster? There where a couple in Gib botanical gardens but no labels. Never seen one with spines down the back of the 'leaves' as well as the edges before!

Help please with diagnosing problem and identification

Thu, 08 Aug 2019 10:18:52 +0000

Hello everyone, sorry for the long post, but I would be grateful for some help regarding two of my plants. I have attached pictures of them both along with a close up of the problems. I've never had any issues with my succulents and cacti but this has happened the last few weeks. Also it would be great if someone can ID these for me as I'm very 'green' when it comes to cacti, so I apologize for being ignorant by not naming both plants. As you can see the succulent has browning and some holes in the new leaves, and the cactus has recently got a whiteish hard growth on the stems. Any help and advice will be appreciated, thank you.

Esther.

New cacti. Advice, please

Sat, 27 Jul 2019 15:37:43 +0000

Following the really helpful advice on here I've just bought a few cacti from my local garden centre. Just under £24 for all of them.

Some are rattling about in their pots. I know watering too much isn't a good idea, but what should I do with them now to keep them healthy, please?

Hopefully you cactus experts will know what these are. If you don't, then I can let you know. Odd names cacti!!

Thanks.

Guy

Winter hardy cacti query

Sun, 14 Jul 2019 13:12:01 +0000

My new(ish) greenhouse has some space for a few cacti.

The greenhouse is frost free, with a heater keeping the temperature to above 4°C in the winter.

The cacti in my local gardening centre all say 'keep above 10°C', when they say anything!

What can you suggest, please?

Thanks.

Guy

Spectacular!

Thu, 11 Jul 2019 22:05:06 +0000

I repotted my selenicerios grandiflora into a ten inch pot this year and it has rewarded me with eight flowers opening together.

My Cacti...

Wed, 06 Mar 2019 20:59:33 +0000

I need some ID on these, I only know the first one is MAMMILARIA ELONGATA I think :-/

Much appreciated guy's.

Echinopsis 'Tango'

Sat, 21 Jul 2018 11:59:16 +0000

Echinopsis 'Tango' a plant I bought a good few years ago at Abbey Brook nursery and flowers reliably.

Selenecerius grandiflora

Fri, 29 Jun 2018 15:39:02 +0000

Last night my selenecerius grandiflora flowered, a truly magnificent flower 11 inches across. It flowers most years, but last year I missed it as each flower only lasts one night, being at its best around midnight. Truly stunning, but my wife complains that, at six metres long it dominates the room. I say it's a talking point.

Identification

Mon, 07 May 2018 20:35:48 +0000

Hello, could someone help me identify my cacti and succulent plant please?

Thanks in advance!