Great to see that Ario flowering in your yard.
Mark
My Cacti 2014
Re: My Cacti 2014
Hello Mark,
last year the plant produced two blossoms of a darker pink color. Perhaps the sunburn reduced its capability to do as well this year.
I did look for seeds in the crown of my plant, but nothing was found. It also does not look like it will flower again this year.
So the only hope I do have is for the Ferocactus latispinus plant, which does have a few large flower buds. Let's hope, that the temperature will not drop too low within the next three weeks or so. The cactus has flowered in the past, but never before the end of November.
Harald
last year the plant produced two blossoms of a darker pink color. Perhaps the sunburn reduced its capability to do as well this year.
I did look for seeds in the crown of my plant, but nothing was found. It also does not look like it will flower again this year.
So the only hope I do have is for the Ferocactus latispinus plant, which does have a few large flower buds. Let's hope, that the temperature will not drop too low within the next three weeks or so. The cactus has flowered in the past, but never before the end of November.
Harald
Re: My Cacti 2014
Beautiful colors and cacti wish i lived somewhere where i could grow them outside
Re: My Cacti 2014
Thank you very much for your comment, KittieKat. I do indeed consider myself blessed to be living in a region of the U.S. where it is possible to grow so many kinds of cacti outdoors. 
Harald
Harald
Re: My Cacti 2014
hello Harald,
I live near downtown San Antonio. I just started growing cacti, but have been scared to plant my A. asterias in the ground. Your garden looks great btw!
I will be trying new species of echinocereus in the ground soon and maybe so Astrophytums.
I live near downtown San Antonio. I just started growing cacti, but have been scared to plant my A. asterias in the ground. Your garden looks great btw!
I will be trying new species of echinocereus in the ground soon and maybe so Astrophytums.
'The skeletons of the plants are for me as important as the flowers.'
instagram: @oakbeard
instagram: @oakbeard
Re: My Cacti 2014
Hello luigonz,
thank you for your response about my outdoor cacti. While the climate in your area is milder overall than what we experience here, you do have other problems to deal with, e.g. higher humidity and much more rainfall. I have not had any problems with the Astrophytum asterias hybrids. Even when we did experience a record freeze - with the temperature remaining at and below the freezing point for 72 hours - I left both of my plants in the ground. I did, however, use a layer of plastic material, that is sold for gardeners in order to keep the moisture in and the weeds from growing.
It is kind of brownish in color and does allow air to pass through.
In your area, in order to be successful growing cacti, you need a very coarse soil. You can amend whatever you do have now by adding and mixing in gravel and coarse sand. In addition, I would plant the cacti on a slope or even a little man-made hill. This allows for better drainage. You may even have to go to the extreme that some cactus growers are forced to do, because it does rain and snow way too much there for cacti to survive.
They do build an overhang or roof-like structure to keep the precipitation out.
Another thing is of course, to select cacti that do not succumb easily to wet soil. I would try Cereus peruvianus and Echinopsis pachanoi.
Harald
thank you for your response about my outdoor cacti. While the climate in your area is milder overall than what we experience here, you do have other problems to deal with, e.g. higher humidity and much more rainfall. I have not had any problems with the Astrophytum asterias hybrids. Even when we did experience a record freeze - with the temperature remaining at and below the freezing point for 72 hours - I left both of my plants in the ground. I did, however, use a layer of plastic material, that is sold for gardeners in order to keep the moisture in and the weeds from growing.
It is kind of brownish in color and does allow air to pass through.
In your area, in order to be successful growing cacti, you need a very coarse soil. You can amend whatever you do have now by adding and mixing in gravel and coarse sand. In addition, I would plant the cacti on a slope or even a little man-made hill. This allows for better drainage. You may even have to go to the extreme that some cactus growers are forced to do, because it does rain and snow way too much there for cacti to survive.
They do build an overhang or roof-like structure to keep the precipitation out.
Another thing is of course, to select cacti that do not succumb easily to wet soil. I would try Cereus peruvianus and Echinopsis pachanoi.
Harald