Slowing of the season

[fanaticactus]

As my energies turn toward repotting all the cacti I can, the blooming season (which was not great this year) is about over it appears. Yesterday I was surprised to find this E. crispa (Neoporteria carrizalensis) had one more flower (bisected by a spine!) left in it. It had a late start this summer due to a near-fatal winter, then a bout with mealies and a substrate that got very hard-packed. In just a few weeks it has been showing its appreciation for the new pot, no mealies and a much lighter, pumice-based mixture.

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This E. taltalensis ssp paucicostata is getting its act together once more, and a possible couple of fruit developing as well.

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This species of Mamm. currently has just one flower, but more buds are showing. Is this a camptotricha? I was thinking it was a longimamma, but that species' flowers are yellow.

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My E. leucanthus is going crazy with multiple branches beginning at all growing ends--again, as probably a "thank-you" for a larger pot and much lighter pumice mix. I also attribute the multiple growths to a likely damage or drying up to the branch ends. There is yet another branch not in this photo doing the same thing.

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As I remember, this Echinopsis/Lobivia hybrid (?) was a late bloomer last year, too.

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Its first flower a couple of weeks ago did not open fully so I got no photos. Had it been at its best, it would have looked like this (from last year),

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yet I see two more buds, so...

[iann]

I'm losing light fast, and the nights are chilly.

M. camptotricha certainly. I like the stripy flowers from Chile

[fanaticactus]

Thanks, Ian. Ah, yes. I also bemoan the rapid loss of daylight and the inevitable threat of an early fall (though it can be beautiful around here) and the onslaught of what they say will be another severe winter. I am definitely a summer person.

[fanaticactus]

Well, that didn't take very long! I've had so many Eriosyces bloom in September and October, I'm wondering if that's the normal time for flowers in this climate.

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[fanaticactus]

The first bud on the hybrid tried to open today, but it was cooler and there were only a few moments of bright sun. However, I could still appreciate the gorgeous colors.

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The surprise of the season is this species of Eriosyce I nursed back to health from this condition:

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A few days ago I noticed the bright pink beginnings of some buds; I count 7 of them. In this photo there are 5. Can you find them all?

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This one shows all 7; one is very faint. I'd be foolish to believe all 7 will develop into flowers, but I'm hoping for one or two before it gets too cool.

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Last night and this morning we had a very strong cold front come through--no precipitation but gusty gale-force winds. This was the biggest victim. However, I was relieved to find it had not split anywhere on the body because it was only about a foot tall when I bought it. I uprighted it and carried it into the shed, where it will rest safely until the evenings warm up a bit more and it can go outside again for maybe a couple more weeks.

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[fanaticactus]

The nursed-back-to-health Eriosyce species (above) keeps preparing its buds to open. This will be a real reward for me it they succeed in opening.

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The Lobivia hybrid "Rose Quartz" (I think) finally opened up recently, so I can supplement last year's photo with one of how it actually fared this late summer/early fall.

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And my M. karwinskiana that was obviously dividing dichotomously by early July has surprised me with some flowers, which I never saw coming. I guess the buds were immersed in the wool.

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. Although this is a succulent (Haworthia maughanii) which I bought only because of its interesting leaves, I felt I had to show it as an example of what can happen to some plants if they're neglected. The whole plant is just a mound of foliage 5" in diameter but right now it has 9 flower stalks, 3 of which are 15-16" tall. The flowers are really nothing--extremely insignificant--but this happens when I absolutely neglect it. I've had it about 5-6 years, water it when I think of it (maybe twice a month) and set in outdoors when it gets into the upper 50s on a stand in a semi-shady spot on the patio.

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[iann]

This is the normal time for Eriosyce subgenus Neoporteria to flower, or at least some of them. They will continue to flower all winter so long as they get sufficient sun and a little water. They don't need great heat to open, just a little time. Once they open they will stay open day and night for a week or two. Keep an eye on it and you might even spot more than one flower per areole, something that is rare in cacti.

I'm not sure what species it is, presumably some type of E. subgibbosa. Most of the autumn-flowering ones got split out into E. clavata (with subspecies) but yours doesn't look like that.

[jp29]

Of course, my big flowering season is just beginning. Starting now with Arrojadoa dinae and culminating at Christmas when Micranthocereus densiflorus is in full bloom. I will post lots of photos.

Arrojadoa dinae:

[K.W.]

Good morning James,

just today I thought - have long read anything from you.
And a few minutes later, your contribution with these wonderful flowers images.

Thank you !!!

(I need to build a warm-house.)


Best wishes

K.W.

[jp29]

Good morning James,

just today I thought - have long read anything from you.
And a few minutes later, your contribution with these wonderful flowers images.

Thank you !!!

(I need to build a warm-house.)


Best wishes

K.W.

Good afternoon to you, K.W.

Thank you in turn. I do hope that you build a "warm house". I can imagine what a stunning photographic array of plants and flowers you would reward us with!

[fanaticactus]

The first of several (I hope) to open on what we're assuming is an Eriosyce subgibbosa (former Neoporteria), brought back from damage by either rot or snail damage at the soil line. Some of the 11 buds are now shrinking as strength goes into the larger buds.

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[DaveW]

Neoporterias are largely over here as we approach winter, apart from Neoporteria wagenknechtii just starting to flower which blooms late on for me, so is obviously a short day length plant. It is also one with the smallest flowers in the Neoporterias.

Edit: Two N. villosa's are budding too. It has recently been proved N. wagenknechtii is more closely related to the small flowered N. villosa, rather than the larger flowered N. subgibbosa Fred Kattermann reduced it under.

I think N. senilis has probably the largest Neoporteria flower.

[Steve Johnson]

I'll put in a plug for Eriosyce senilis, which is my favorite Neoporteria. Lovely plant with gorgeous flowers, and I know spring is on the way when I see buds in early February followed by blooms in March. It's the only cactus in my collection that gets full-on deep soaks in winter to keep it plump and happy. Once a month during wintertime seems about right, although freezing temps mean death to the plant if there's moisture in the mix. Luckily I don't have that problem, but this is an FYI for growers who can't heat their greenhouses when cold weather gets into the danger zone for winter watering of the species.

[fanaticactus]

We're experiencing abnormally warm weather this week (with an actual touch of humidity yesterday and today) right now (4:30 PM) it's 79F & yesterday it reached 80F. It's been so warm in the GH--upper 80's--and I hadn't watered my collection since mid-September, I decided to water everything this afternoon. It will be warm for several more days and nights, so a lightly wet substrate should be OK. By the way, if you growers in the Northeast haven't yet used a majority of pumice and coir as your soil mix, I highly and enthusiastically recommend it after trying unsuccessfully so many other mixes of coarse sand, DE, perlite with some soil. The cacti are showing their appreciation by looking much healthier, plumper, taller, greener and some new flowers. Seeing how quickly the water pours through the pots makes me feel quite a bit more secure about not having the soil still damp if the temperature suddenly drops inside the GH and the heater isn't set high enough. These are in bloom today. Even though they began a few weeks ago, it's still nice to see them continue in mid-October. The E. subgibbosa is apparently at its maximum

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The ring of flowers on theM. karwinskiana is almost complete now.

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The M. polythele inermis is still active.

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...as is the M. camptotricha

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Here are also some seedlings which are now probably 8 or 9 months along now. I can't judge if they're about the right size for that age or not, since I've rarely grown from seed and never these. The first are E. mirablis about 0.25" tall (the white is light reflection from the shiny skin--NOT mealies!). The second are E. fendleri (thanks to Maja) about 0.5" tall.

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[iann]

The seedlings look a bit small for that age. Maybe they could have grown faster with more sun. Echinocereus at that stage will do well with at least some sun. Too late now, but certainly next year.