New From So Cal

julie · Post by **julie** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 5:45 pm

Hi all,

I love cacti but am not a very good gardener

Until recently I've been planting all my spiny friends in the ground and that often works for the cactus I find in the area but lately I've been wanting more variety and to take better care of my cactus. I'm also starting to lean away from planting them in the ground since I'll be moving in 10-15 years and can't bear the thought of leaving them all behind. (Am I totally crazy for thinking like this?

) I don't know what I'm going to do about my Trichocereus terscheckii which has more than doubled in size in the last ten years since I got it.

I bought this Ferocactus herrerae several years ago and have dithered about putting it in the ground but it looks to me to be uncomfortable in the pot (5 gallon size). I think I would like to repot it in clay - do you think I should and what size pot should I get? I would have thought also by this size I would have seen flowers but so far, not a bud.

But I did get my very first bloom from an Echinopus hybrid this year. I saw a whole garden of them blooming at the Tucson Desert Museum last year and came home and ordered several of them. Since then I've really started getting more interested in collecting.

I would like to try to take better care of my spiny friends and try to coax a few more flowers from them. I'm going to be building a stand for them that I can adjust the light better and then cover them up in winter so they don't get rained on. I'm sure I'm going to have a lot of questions for everyone here

Post by **CoronaCactus** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 6:06 pm

Hi Julie, welcome!
Great plants! Personally i'd stick em in the ground, our weather here is so cacti friendly they grow so much faster. 10-15 years is plenty of time to formulate a plan to move them

Also, depending on what part of SoCal you're in, there are quite a few Cactus clubs (San Gabriel, LA, Gates (Riverside), Orange County, San Diego, Sunset, Long Beach...) You're sure to find friendly knowledgeable folks in either club.

Post by **daiv** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 6:27 pm

If you are crazy for thinking that way, then that makes me crazy too! I took all my cacti to Minnesota with me!

So welcome to the (cactus crazy) club!

Harriet · Post by **Harriet** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 7:08 pm

Nope. Not crazy! I can sympathize, I can't move because I have things in my yard, like a pup from the philodendron my father brought home from Hawaii 50 years ago, and a key lime I grew from seed (pie anyone?), not to mention all my other green children.

kevin63129 · Post by **kevin63129** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 9:27 pm

Nice plants ! Welcome to the forum.

Saguaro123 · Post by **Saguaro123** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 11:20 pm

Welcome to the forums!

What Daiv said, we were about to move so i dug up all my cacti in the ground, but then, we decided not to so my cacti just sit in the pots I planted them in.

julie · Post by **julie** » Thu Jul 02, 2009 11:32 pm

Thanks for the welcome everyone!

Oh, but now I'm back to thinking about planting my Ferocactus - which means digging out the stump and roots of a old rose tree. No more excuses for hard work, I suppose

I was just worried about digging up and transporting my cacti when moving but maybe it isn't as bad as I feared. What about my terscheckii? I had just about given up thinking I could take it with me - do you think it would survive being dug up and moved?

(BTW, my move will be to Tucson! I love saguaros and can't wait.)

Another question - there's an Opuntia hiding behind that terscheckii and it has hardly grown. I thought they were supposed to be nearly weeds? Is it too close to the other cactus? I took a cutting from it last week and once it's rooted will try it in another location. I live in Santa Clarita and cactus usually seem to like it here.

Thanks again

Post by **daiv** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 12:48 am

I had a Stenocereus stellatus that was at least that size when I moved. I actually sawed it in two. The idea was to root the top and let the bottom produce offsets.

Other complications after the move killed it off, however. But that was because I moved to Minnesota, not Arizona!

Tony · Post by **Tony** » Fri Jul 03, 2009 1:40 am

Hello Julie!

julie · Post by **julie** » Mon Jul 06, 2009 8:22 pm

Thanks again for the welcome everyone.

I'm really glad that moving cactus is possible. I've started digging a big hole for my Ferocactus herrerae and am hopeful it will like the ground better than its pot.

Ocotillo · Post by **Ocotillo** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 12:57 am

Well be careful with it. The hooks on a volley-ball size herrerae will gouge out 10 cents worth of hamburger from your hand before you can blink!

hegar · Post by **hegar** » Tue Jul 07, 2009 4:36 am

Hello Julie,
I also would suggest placing your cacti in the ground if the weather conditions at your location permit it. Some plants will respond very favorably to being outside a pot, with others you would most likely be more successful if they remained in a pot. Soil conditions, water availability, drainage, etc. all can be better regulated if the plant is in a pot, but it is also more work to take care of the plants that way.
Cacti can generally be easily dug up and moved. However, some will be reluctant to form roots once transplanted.
Also, not all Opuntias grow quickly. For example O. basilaris is a very slow grower in my opinion. I have had one pad in the ground for two or three years. It is still alive and has not done anything!

And, I also want to welcome you to the cactus and succulent forums. We can always admit some more cactus nuts.

Harald

John C · Post by **John C** » Mon Jul 13, 2009 5:31 pm

Welcome to the forums from John in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas!

sticklypear · Post by **sticklypear** » Fri Aug 28, 2009 4:04 am

just want to say welcome and wow nice plants. whats the name of the echinopsis? love that bloom.