The spring show: mostly cacti
When you grow cacti indoors, you are almost never get flowers and that's a pity. I used to be a serial cactus killer in the past but I'm getting better at it and really enjoying the show. In the past, I mostly overwatered my cacti but I've learned not to kill them with kindness. Also, that there are many species that prefer to live in the shade and that watering plants when it's hot at night tends to cause them to rot
An Easter cactus, part of the Rhipsalideae family. These are often confused with Christmas cacti, which are Schlumbergera (below)
Because they are in the Southern hemisphere, they flower in June and October respectively, rather than December and April, that they are named for in the Northern hemisphere
Gymnocalycium Bruchii
Peanut cactus going mad with flowers
One or other Rebutia species
My immortal Mammillaria. I've had this cactus about 13 years and it survived all kinds of abuse and just does its thing year after year.
Lovely Turbinicarpus schwarzii flowers nonstop in spring and summer
I have more buds that I'm waiting for, which I'll show as I get another round of flowers
Somehow I am managing not to kill the Pleiospilos nelii and watering it just enough over winter for it to flower for me
I've always grown succulents indoors and enjoyed their interesting forms but getting flowers out of them is one of the great things about finally having my own outdoor garden area
Cacti truly have some of the most beautiful flowers. Here in Arizona, we get to enjoy the show twice a year in the spring and the fall and some even bloom more often than that.
I'm always amazed by what they produce, they must be so interesting to see in habitat
Very beautiful blooms, especially the holiday cacti. Those are one of my favorites and also the only ones I've ever gotten to bloom indoors. Some are failing on me right now though.
Do they have fungi? They are quite susceptible and you need to make sure that they get good airflow as these species normally grow on trees
I don't know if they have fungi...
But I did know that they are epiphytes, hehe!
Nice spikey plants, I love cacti. 👍
The ferocious thorns and tender flowers are endlessly interesting
You sure seem to have growing cacti down, as I've never seen so many beautiful flowers on so many different species.
Thank you! With cacti, the secret is to find their goldilocks spot for sunlight and forget about them :)
Awesome photographs! And what a wonderful collection. I have inherited my grandparents' what I presume is the Easter cactus. We call them litroos. I am sure you are familiar with the name! I am not sure if they are part of the succulent family, rather a vygie, the delosperma cooperi. But it is flowering so nicely now. I am sharing an image below:
Vygies definitely are! I'm busy getting a whole lot of these shrubby kinds for my garden because they can handle the sun and heat
I was in Kleinmond the weekend, and so many people's gardens are blooming with the shrubby and groundcover vygies. It was truly a spectrum of wonderful colors in this little coastal town. Good luck with them! I will watch your progress posts on them.
Super! Congratulations!
Didn't expect that you have so many cacti :-)
I don't have turbinicarpus schwarzii :-( but I really like them.
They aren't common and they are expensive. I was lucky, the person who sold me this had no idea what it was worth and neither did I when I got it. If I ever get seeds, I will send you some
Thanks a lot! :-)
Wow, these flowers are unreal!! I had no idea cacti were doing this.
They are and you don't know unless they grow outside. Very few will flower indoors, they need to feel seasonal temperature changes
This is a very nice assortment you have, and you are skilled with caring for these cacti.
The second photo down, on the right hand side looks very similar to the succulent I have, but I think yours is a different breed, the more lavender colored ones, very pretty.
The immortal Mammillaria is stunning, I really this one.
Your post gave me cravings, I need some new succulents now :D
These all look fantastic , very nice job with your plants, thank you for sharing!
Thank you! Spreading the succulent cravings is my aim: me growing cacti again was caused by some people on steem a couple of years ago - I had stopped with cacti and was only growing succulents
The succulent you're talking about is a hybrid of Echeveria and Graptopetalum, your Graptosedum is a hybrid of Graptopetalum and Sedum, the intergeneric hybrids do make interesting plants.
Try the immortal Mammillaria, it is Mammillaria crinita subspecies wildii, they are easy and will flower growing indoors whereas many other cacti won't. Just be prepared to get welding gloves, it has little fishhook spines and is difficult to handle. Or, put it in a flattish, wide pot and let it grow into it
I'm surprised I didn't bump into you back on steem, and if I did and forgot, please forgive my stoner memory, sometimes I forget things.
Thank you for the in depth insight with my succulent! I've done a bit of research on it and never made the discovery that it was hybrid. I'm grateful to know that now.
I'll look around and see how easily I can obtain the immortal Mammillaria, I'll get gloves and will also be prepared to keep my cat Covid away from it. I'll probably have to mount it up high.
Put it in a large pot he can't knock over and you are good. The cactus itself is cat-proof
I need to figure out how to transplant our small succulent from our former outdoor garden on the deck to indoors to see if I can keep it alive over the winter. The thing has really grown a lot during the summer I was surprised! We got it pretty small but it’s triples in size and grown some arms and stuff. Pretty cool! I don’t know if it will flower though, I’m not well versed in succulent stuff.
Some awesome flowers and cacti you have here!
Thank you!
Post the plant in Succulent Growers and you'll get plenty of suggestions from me and maybe some others will chime in too
Oh I so love cacti! All of your plants are gorgeous, I especially love that peanut cactus, the red blooms ahh! The only cacti I have is my great grandma's Christmas Cactus, it blooms every year around the end of November, and it sits perched on the edge of my bathtub surround in my coolish bathroom out of direct sun. I'm pretty sure it's well over 30 years old, as it has been in my possession for about 15, lol! I love the almost neglect part of cacti care, it makes me feel good about myself almost daily lol!'
Thanks for sharing all of your lovely cacti photos, they made my day!
Thank you.
Most people have this idea that christmas cactus need sun whereas you have the right strategy. Neglect is best :)