CactiGuide.com

Before I leave on 2 weeks' vacation, I'd like to start this year's thread on my experiences way up here on the 45th parallel. First off, let me say that I let my Rebutias, Sulcos, Corys/Escobars, Echinocers and most Mamms on the unheated porch, where it got down to 31F with no water at all, for Jan-Mar. They did not freeze to death and some have the most early and numerous buds I've ever seen. Here are the most recent photos I'll post before leaving.
Lepismium monocanthum - almost every branch is like this. This is the only one that's actually blooming right now. It needs no special care and it gets better every year.Gymno bruchii - I count 8 buds so far; they're not all in this photo. There are six. Can you find the sixth? (Hint: it's a bit out of focus because it's not near the center.)And what's with this Echinocer. pulchellus ssp sharpii? It has several light green "warts" around the middle. Are they the beginnings of buds?Mediolobivia eos Thelo. bicolorCopiapoa grandiflora showing some Spring growthNew branch budsEchinocer. leucanthusRebutia sp with slowly growing budsSclero/Glanduli. uncinatus wrightii

Dave - With your pulchellus v. sharpii -- I hope that's a blossom bud, because I have 5 like that on my E. reichenb.! Were those all "over-winter's" in Vermont & had you hauled them up from NY?
Peter

if I had to guess without having one of that particular Echinocereus that those are probably buds that are going to break through the epidermis.

Peter (#1): All of them pictured here I had left in VT except the Rebutia, which I think I bought during the winter down in NY. PTCG: It's possible they're buds, but last year the flowers I had were produced at the very ends of the stems, which I think is normal for this sp. You can't see it clearly in the first photo, but the second one shows the tip of a stem with a bud which broke off when I dropped it.

My first post got cut short for some reason; I couldn't fit more in the space allowed. Is there a character limit? Anyway, here are the last of my new growths. A Gymno sp (maybe a short-spined baldianum?) My Sulco- sp Another Rebutia sp (I think this is my orange-flowered one)This is unlabeled but I think it's some sort ofLobivia, a first-timerHere's an Echinocer that most of you have ID'd as viridiflorus; this will be its first blooming, and it looks like it will explode! I've counted 9 buds (I don't think it's even three inches tall yet!)--hope I'm not away when the show's on.Finally here's the one cactus I've grown from seed saved from the fruit. Probably an O.ficus-indica. The top pads froze on the porch this winter, so I had to amputate. Glad to see it's still basically healthy. The first photo shows how it was last fall.

That Glandulicactus really cought my eye. I had one too, but died this winter. Still have the label here with me to cry over it from time to time. I be damned if I won't get me another one soon.

nice plants, the buds look promising!

Dave, pretty sure that's a baldianum. Got one on the porch (bought last Fall) looking exactly the same! Very exciting about blossoms! Realizing how great it is to have all our more southern members giving us the heads up on what to expect when we're new or have new plants! Makes the Patience part a little less demanding You must be getting that wonderful warm southern rain we got overnight. Grass is so-o-o-o green even with early a.m. lingering gray! Get the shorts & sunglasses out -- need to a do a litte "deck" time !
Peter

Good stuff, Dave!
Definetely buds on E. pulchellus. It looks right for ssp. sharpii. White flowers will confirm.

Wonderful plants - great collection! Especially love the Lepismium!

I think its going to be a bumper year

Great stuff

hoteidoc wrote:Dave, pretty sure that's a baldianum.

Ditto, have the same.

Great looking plants! Really like that lepismium.

Beautiful plants!

peterb

That's surely something in the E. viridiflorus group. Maybe the flowers will narrow down the name some more. E. davisii is always the first for me, but that's meaningless if you just have the one. E. davisii is flowering today and buds are just starting on straight E. viridiflorus which lives outside.