A little rain

[iann]

The heatwave broke for a few days but then the monsoon moved back in. I gave some of my plants a wash to hold them through the heat. Echinocactus polycephalus spines feel lovely when they're wet, like velvet.

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[Eutow_Intermedium]

It's been super hard for me being a gardener and allotment holder to keep all my crops alive in this heat. As fast as I watered my plants the 30 odd degree heat would dy the ground out again. Worst hit was the Pumpkins, squashes and corgettes. They were dropping fruits in the heat. I'm glad there has been some relief. The said plants have finaly produced enough leafage now to shield the ground , so they dont need watering so much and can romp away finaly.

I have'nt had one of these plants mtself , but I must say the bright pink/red agrees with me. And being a ferocactus it is living up to it's name of being ferocious. Does this plant have wavy ribs , or is that just because it has been so dry ?

[iann]

The ribs are pretty straight when the plant is full. It is now about at the end of the hot dry period and is pretty wrinkled. It will fatten up a little between now and winter, then really fatten up at the end of winter.

[iann]

Plumped up slightly from the rain. Ribs less wavy now:

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And A fully plump ssp xeranthemoides, straight ribs, straight spines

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[daiv]

Interesting. I would expect that after a long winter dormancy, but not in mid summer. Something tells me I would quickly kill this species if I grew it. You completely hold out water on hot days?

[iann]

Interesting. I would expect that after a long winter dormancy, but not in mid summer. Something tells me I would quickly kill this species if I grew it. You completely hold out water on hot days?

It stays dry for a period in late spring and early summer, regardless of temperature. If the weather is warm then it needs to dry out fast, but can suck up a little water over a day or so. It can stay wet when nights are cooler and days are not 16 hours of baking heat, but it seems to respond best when days are at least moderately warm. Or maybe it is just the sun it needs, which always leads to heat in the greenhouse.

I did lose one E. parryi seedling this summer. Generally this species seems more tolerant of summer water, so maybe it was just a freak accident.

[Heather]

That is a really lovely plant, Iann.