North-central Californian grower

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BarryRice
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North-central Californian grower

Post by BarryRice »

Hey all

I've been growing cacti for just a few years. My demands--that they can grow easily, with the only climate manipulation being shade cloth and protection from winter frosts and rains.

Also, they should flower well, and have no glochids!

Below you can see the large plants I grow.
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My smaller plants live under a sloping cover I made to provide shade from the sun, and winter rains.
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The last few years my primary source of failure has been rot, so I'm trying a pure mineral mix with fertilizer and acidified water. I'll see how things go this year!
I'll grow it as long as it doesn't have glochids. Gaudy flowers a plus.
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Minime8484
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Re: North-central Californian grower

Post by Minime8484 »

Really nice collection of plants there - and many are already in bloom so must be happy!!
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majcka
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Re: North-central Californian grower

Post by majcka »

I think that is what Tony meant when says:

"Forget the dog...Beware of the plants!!!"

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Maja

Strange is fun, cacti are funnier!
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Arjen
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Re: North-central Californian grower

Post by Arjen »

great looking collection!
With apologies to the late Professor C. D. Darlington the following misquotation springs to
mind ‘cactus taxonomy is the pursuit of the impossible by the incompetent’ - Fearn & Pearcy, Rebutia (1981)
Joel143
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Re: North-central Californian grower

Post by Joel143 »

Very nice collection. I'm a sucker for larger cacti and for columnars...may I ask what is the single columnar in the light brown pot in the first pic? Its next to what looks like a small Pachycereus pringlei .
promethean_spark
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Re: North-central Californian grower

Post by promethean_spark »

I have similar rules. Just say no to melocactus. ;)

To prevent rot I use mainly Turface MVP as my substrate. It's about $13 for a 50lb bag at Ewing irrigation in Dublin, and I see they have a shop in Vacaville that should be convenient to you. You probably would want to call to make sure they have it first. That stuff makes most rot-prone cacti easy.

There's a CSSSJ show/sale in the southbay in a Month, which is a great opportunity to see well grown plants and purchase rarer types.
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cactushobbyman
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Re: North-central Californian grower

Post by cactushobbyman »

promethean_spark wrote:I have similar rules. Just say no to melocactus. ;)

To prevent rot I use mainly Turface MVP as my substrate. It's about $13 for a 50lb bag at Ewing irrigation in Dublin, and I see they have a shop in Vacaville that should be convenient to you. You probably would want to call to make sure they have it first. That stuff makes most rot-prone cacti easy.

There's a CSSSJ show/sale in the southbay in a Month, which is a great opportunity to see well grown plants and purchase rarer types.
Sunol to Dublin, that's not a short drive either. :)
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BarryRice
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Re: North-central Californian grower

Post by BarryRice »

Thanks for the kind comments.

@joel143--that's Echinopsis chiloensis.

@promethean_spark--got a link for the show? I'll see if I can find it myself.
I'll grow it as long as it doesn't have glochids. Gaudy flowers a plus.
fanaticactus
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Re: North-central Californian grower

Post by fanaticactus »

For "just a few years" it looks like you're doing an excellent job raising a sizable collection. You appear to have quite an effective and efficient setup there. Keep posting photos throughout the year.
Catch a falling star--but don't try it with a cactus!
promethean_spark
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Re: North-central Californian grower

Post by promethean_spark »

http://www.csssj.org/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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RichR
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Re: North-central Californian grower

Post by RichR »

Very nice plants. I like the cover you made for them. North Central California seems like a great place to grow cacti.
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*Barracuda_52*
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Re: North-central Californian grower

Post by *Barracuda_52* »

:D Very nice thats a AWSOME collection you have.. They all look great!! =D>
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BarryRice
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Re: North-central Californian grower

Post by BarryRice »

Thanks all, for the kind words.

I'm a little mean to the plants---during cold winter nights I cover the plants, and provide a small heater with a thermostat, so the temperature does not drop below about 5C (41 F). I understand this might be a bit on the chilly side, but I do want to keep an eye on the power bill. If that's not warm enough, then I won't grow the plants. (Or actually, they will die on me.)

I may not make it to the San Jose Cactus meeting, but there will be a similar one in Sacramento in May. Anyone planning on going?

Cheers
I'll grow it as long as it doesn't have glochids. Gaudy flowers a plus.
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Peterthecactusguy
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Re: North-central Californian grower

Post by Peterthecactusguy »

Barry, considering I have crappy heat in my house it has been at around 40F inside in the unheated kitchen. My plants all seemed to like it great, they all are happy and starting to grow again.
Here's to you, all you insidious creatures of green..er I mean cacti.
promethean_spark
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Re: North-central Californian grower

Post by promethean_spark »

I don't heat my GH and it gets to 28'F inside every winter. (enough to make aeoniums wilt but not die) The only cacti that have a problem with that are tropical ones like melocactus and epiphytes.
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