Saguaro seedlings (Carnegiea gigantea)

Yo! Back again with another Blog. This time about the most famous cactus in the world, the one that looks like a candle and appears in many western movies, THE cactus that people see in their imagination when they hear the word cactus; the Saguaro, which is actually the Native American name. Carnegiea gigantea is what botanists call this plant. Gigantea should ring your bell and tell you that this friend can get huge! Right... But it will take at least 100 years till it reaches its giant-like height.

Seriously, if you see those giants in their natural habitat, it's kind of impressive. The oldest plants are probably about 250 years old, but we can't be 100% sure. They can reach up to 18 metres in height and many people assume that this is the largest cactus in the world. And that's something I'm not quite sure about. Pachycereus pringlei also gets kind of big and many botanists can probably name you a couple of other giants that might win this match (Brasiliopuntia brasiliensis for example).

Anyway, C. gigantea flowers at the age of 30. Their white flowers open at night and it are mainly insects and bats that take care of the pollination part. You can find them in Arizona (the Saguaro blossom is the state's Wildflower) and California, but you'll also see a couple of them in Mexico. Their first branch may appear when they're around 75 years old.

I won't copy-paste images that I've found on Google, so I'll just post a link to Cactiguide.com where you can find enough cool pics. CLICK HERE

Ow... Another thing... Of course I'm growing this plant! It wasn't my meaning to just write something about this species. This Blog is actually about the progress from the seed till they've reached the age of 1 year and 3 months.

Saguaro seedling

From the start

The photo above is taken earlier this week, but I'll show you the progress from the start. On the right side-bar of this Blog already was an album showing all these photos, but this plant is Blog-worthy. So... Tadaaaa! Here they are:

6 days after they've been sown.

They didn't show any problem with germination at all. If I remember well, 17 popped up within 2 weeks. Nothing to complain about when you've sown 20!

I always use any type of plastic container or bucket I can find that has a lid, mostly ice-cream-buckets. Then I just make some holes in the bottom, so that the water can easily escape (we don't want a swimming pool).

The soil I use consists of 50% Cocopeat, 30% Perlite and 20% fine gravel. I'm planning to change my mixture in the future; instead of 30% perlite, I'll use 20% Turface and 10% Perlite. I've had some good experience with a random seed-mixture which I've sown at the same time and it went surprisingly well.

1,5 month old.

Between the age of 2 and 3 weeks their spines appeared and they started to look like cacti.

2 months old.

After 2 months it's time to give them some fresh air. I do this by opening the lids a bit and then after each week I open them a bit more. This way they can slowly get used to a dryer air. 3 weeks later I remove the lids completely.

2 months and 1 week old.

Just a close-up... Check out the 'leafs' on the sides that are slowly disappearing.

3 months old.

4 months old.

5 months old.

6 months old.

7 months old.

1 year old.

 1 year and 3 months old

And here are the photo's that I've taken this week, 1 year and 3 months after I've sown them:

1 year and 3 months.

Now this is what they look like right now. Of course I've chosen the biggest and prettiest one when I took the photos. =P What can I tell about them? I've re-potted them for the first time when they've reached the age of 1 year. Something that I won't do again, because they turned a little greyish within a week and it took them a couple of months to look healthy again. Right now they do look happy and they're all growing again. Check out these close-ups:

1 year and 3 months.

1 year and 3 months (the same plant, but taken from above)

Double-headed Saguaro

Saguaro double-headed, 1 year and 3 months old.

My double-headed Carnegiea gigantea. I guess this is something rare, because I can't find another one like this on the web. It's some sort of rare, mutant growing form that happens once in a while. And... It's growing healthy! I wonder what it'll look like in the future.

Saguaro double-headed, photo taken from above.

The cool thing about this double-headed cactus is that Saguaros, like I've written above, only get their first branches at the age of 75. This little fellow already has his 'branch'. I mean... Okay, it's a second head, but I don't complain. It'll be probably great to see this one grow up healthy.

Last year in the Rotterdam Zoo

Yup, that's me next to a 'small' cactus comparing it to what it will become one day. Can you imagine that there are giants around that are almost 10 times bigger than this one?

Well... You're at the end of this article now. I hope to write more about Carnegiea gigantea later, but it will probably take a while, because they're slow growers... Till next Blog!

Echinopsis subdenudata, flowering again

Hello again! Today's Blog is a short one and it's about one single plant; the Echinopsis subdenudata, a common plant which you can find in most stores that sell cacti (at least here in Holland). Why and why now?! Well... This night on of my plants has flowered for the second time this year and... Well... Judge for yourself, but I think it's pretty! This is one of the plants that I haven't bought because I thought it was extremely beautiful. This is actually my wife's choice when we've bought some cacti in Amsterdam. And right now I'm happy that I've bought it, because it's one of the more pretty plants I have! I've written a Blog about it before, last year, when it was also flowering. Check it out over HERE!

Echinopsis subdenudata, flowering

Now let's give you a short description of this one... Like all the other Echinopsis species, E. Subdenudata is also from South America. Their natural habitat is the Tarija Department in Bolivia, but you'll also find them elsewhere (also in Paraguay for example). Their short stems can reach a hight of 8 cm and up to 12 cm in width. They have woolly areoles that only contain spines at young plants, older plants are completely spineless. As you can see on the photo, the flower reaches a size, bigger than the entire cactus. E. subdenudata is a popular cactus, because it flowers easily (and at an early age).

I have my own theory about this 'easy' flowering thing... A lot of North American cacti never flower in our living rooms. They need a cold place during the winter, just like in their natural habitat. They need a winter-temperature of around 10 to 15 degrees Celsius and human beings prefer a warmer place in the winter to watch television...

There are many South American species, on the other hand, that aren't used to cold winters. They like a winter-temperature around 20 degrees Celsius, just like us! And.... This was my theory... Hey! I'm not a pro and I'm always open for critics.

 Echinopsis subdenudata

Another little thing of great importance is that some cacti need more sun than others, which is a serious thing to think about. With less sun than the plant actually needs, it'll grow, but it'll grow less well. It won't be 'happy' (wait! Now I look like a plant-hugger! I don't do that... Cacti have spines and... Well... Ok! My Peyotes don't... But I also don't hug them! ). Try to grow 2 similar plants under different conditions and you'll see what I mean.

What more can I say? Echinopsis subdenudata flowers at night. Too bad... But! In the morning you'll still be able to see them (which is the reason why these photos are kind of dark). And... You'll also smell them.

Time for my Gandalf-pipe, some German aromatic tobacco and a beer! Can't wait to see the Hobbit! Yeah... Nothing to do with the rest of this Blog, but I'm almost done, reading the book and up till now (haven't read the last 4 books of LotR), I like this story more than Lord of the Rings! All those pipe-smoking dwarfs in Bilbo's little hobbit-hole. Fantastic! Ok... I'm flying from subject to subject again. Time for a good smoke... Have a nice weekend!

Gandalf pipe

By the way, something completely different now; if you have the time, listen to THIS interview with Daniel Quinn. Answering questions about world's problems in few time is kind of hard, I imagine, but he's doing a great job! Cheers!

Selenicereus, a beautiful plague

Today I'm going to write about the Selenicereus cactus, a species named after Selene, the Greek Goddess of the moon. This sprawling cactus can be found in parts of the Caribbean and Central America in it's 'junglish' type of habitat. In cultivation, this family can be kept much more moist than 'normal' cacti and there's another thing; they can't stand cold and like to grow in half-shadowed places.

The Selenicereus family is really huge! I'm not sure about the exact number, but I guess there are around thirty subspecies (without counting all the varieties). And don't worry. I won't name them all here, but if you would like to have an impression, check THIS page on Cactiguide.com. I'll just write a little bit about the following subspecies; S. grandiflorus, S. pteranthus and S. hondurensis. All three of them are close related but the equality of S. grandiflorus and S. pteranthus is bigger.

When flowering, all the members have large white flowers that only open in the late evening, just for a couple of hours, close around midnight and die-off in the morning. They'll leave a strong odour that smells more or less like vanilla. A couple of them are named 'Queen of the night' because of this, but the most famous member is Selenicereus grandiflorus.

 

Selenicereus grandiflorus

Famous as she is, she's also kind of rare in cultivation. There are a lot of hybrids and wrong identified species sold under this name. I do hope to possess the true S. Grandiflorus, but who knows?! 

S. grandiflorus can be described as a sprawling and climbing plant with a diameter of +/- 3 centimetre and soft/hairy spines with the size of 1 to 4 millimetre. The flowers can reach a size of 25 cm and when opened entirely, up to 30cm in width.

Another short note; the flowers and younger parts were once used as a medicine because they're supposed to contain cardiac glycosides, which may be in a treatment of congestive heart failure and cardiac arrhythmia.

Selenicereus grandiflorus, taken from the WWW



What more to say about this 'Queen of the night'? She's sprawling and Climbing. Her branches can reach a length of +/- 5 metre and she really goes everywhere where you don't want her to go! It's hard to keep her under control, but who am I to tell you to keep this plant only in a greenhouse and not in your living room?! She needs space... A lot of space! And slowly (relatively, but comparing to other cacti you can call it quick!) she'll turn your place into a jungle. Another interesting thing to tell you is that this plant has aerial roots all over which will turn into normal roots at the moment they find a place to root.

Now let me show you today's state of my S. grandiflorus seedlings.

Selenicereus grandiflorus, 3 months old

I've sown them at April the 1st, this year, which means that on the photo above, they have an age of 3 months. If you're interested in their entire progress from seed till what they're right now, you can visit their album over HERE.

Selenicereus pteranthus

Now I have another story for you. I'm not sure if I should be proud or ashamed of it (those damn moral dilemmas! Different in every culture and even for every single person, religious or not. Shut up! No philosophy right now.).

One day... I was at a 'place' where they had a desert-garden inside. Very nice and a lot of cacti around. So there was this huge sprawling Selenicereus pteranthus on the floor, which looked like a real plague. I was kind of fascinated by it and not planning to do anything, but then I saw one little piece laying broken-off on the floor and thought... Hmm...  That looks like a ready-to-go cutting! Should it be a problem if I? Uhhmmmm....

Selenicereus pteranthus

So this is the cutting I've 'lent'. Don't worry. I won't steal your furniture when you invite me to your birthday party! Please continue reading this article and you'll start to think of me as a nice guy again. I'll make this moral issue straight at the end of this article.

I've just checked the day when I've s... burrowed this cutting and found out that it was less than a year ago. After being potted, this cutting first developed its aerial roots into normal roots, a process that took a couple of months. Than it started to grow and... grow and grow!

Selenicereus pteranthus, Echinopsis subdenudata and Weberbauerocereus johnsonii.

 The photo above was taken in may 2012, so not that long ago. Now look at what it has turned into!

Selenicereus pteranthus

 Keep in mind that on this last photo, the huge branch on top has a length of 55cm and an average diameter of 1,5cm. By the way, this photo was taken today, July the 7th, 2012, which means that this plant has grown almost 30cm in less than two months. Ouch! The parts of this plant will become 3 to 5 centimetre in diameter, will have around 5 ribs and spines that are more conical with an average length of 3 to 4 millimetre.

A lot of people only grow this specie to graft on it. (Cactiguide's article on grafting, for those who don't have a clue of what grafting is) I understand why... It's thin, comparing to other cacti and it's a quick grower, so it will have a nice effect on the cactus you're grafting on top of it. Who knows I'll try it out one day, but the main reason why I grow this plant is because I think it's pretty and funny at the same time. Also chaotic. Yeah, Chaotic! That's a great word for this plant. Chaos can be beautiful (in my opinion) and to be honest (and I suggest you to do the same), who are we to decide what chaos is? Just because we don't understand something doesn't mean that it doesn't contain a plan and isn't organized. Anyway, this plant might give the impression of chaos and it will be chaotic for you! Another train of thoughts here...

 Selenicereus hondurensis

A little similar in its way of growing, but with a different appearance. This cousin of the ones I've named above has a more hairy look. I couldn't find much information about this one and the only description I can give is based on one photo in black and white and that's it:

Selenicereus hondurensis, image-link from desert-tropicals.com

I can't tell much more about S. hondurensis than you can see here. I guess it has more ribs than the ones I've named above and have a more hairy appearance. More about it later, because guess what? I'm growing this one!

Selenicereus hondurensis, 3 months old

Have a nice day!

And then I have a message for those who are close to me. Be prepared, because one day you'll receive one as a present!

Ow! I've promised to tell about how I'm going to make things straight with the garden where I've burrowed a broken-off part Selenicereus pteranthus... Well... My S. pteranthus will grow really big within some years. Next time when I go there, I'll bring a cutting of this plant and drop it at the same spot where I've taken my cutting. My soul will be cleansed!

Have a nice day and don't forget to come back here once in a while!

Balcony-Greenhouse and some other stuff...

Reading my Blog again?! Ok... It's your time! =)

Last week I was looking at my cacti-collection and thinking; 'My preciousssss!!! Cool stuff I have over here. Lots of Peyote, some others that won't get too big and then I have this one that will get huge and... Oewww.... That one will be a problem too and those three will also be at least three metres in height! Hmmm....'.

And then my wife came in and started to talk about that exact same room where I have a large number of plants waiting to grow up. 'Honey? This is actually a big room, ah? It will be an awesome room for a kid to grow up in!' And she's right and we both really would love to have children one day.... Ahhhh... God dammit! Screw it! Of course I'll have to make place for that! And when I start to think about our own little creation that contains a part Stan and a part of my lovely wife.... Well.. That makes me happy!

But still I had that huge dilemma; 'Where?!'. And then, brilliant as I am (puke!), I've found this temporary solution:

Tiny greenhouse for my balcony

I have two well sized balconies and won't this make a nice little place to for little Stan Jr.? It won't be too cold in the winter and this way, I can keep the room for my cacti and everyone will be happy!

Of course I'm talking crap again... I'll use this in combination with this:

A heating cable

For all the cacti that won't be in the living room. Enough place for the upcoming years, till I have my own greenhouse. And to be honest... I realize that I should stop sowing giant species and should focus more on the smaller ones. Right now I'm planning grow more of the Lophophora (Peyote) family. You know, for that great Peyote-party when I turn 80! Blablabla....

Ah! Another thing! Last week I've received a little present from ADBLPS. I've send them an email, saying that me and a friend of mine were looking for some seeds of the Machaerocereus eruca for a long time, but that we couldn't find it nowhere. Then the kind man of ADBLPS told me that he had 10 seeds left from last year and that he could send them if I wanted. For free! Now that's nice! So not long ago I've received a letter from France, containing the following:

Machaerocereus eruca seeds

Now what can I say about this cactus? In their habitat they're called 'Creeping Devil'!  Enough reason to grow some! Cool name, ah?!

Machaerocereus eruca

This is a crawling cactus, well, it's not actually crawling, but because of the roots that die off at one side and the new born roots on the other side, this specie seems to be moving. And why is it called Devil? I'll just guess and say that some farmers stepped on it with their bare feet and cursed it to hell! In my opinion this is a very beautiful specie that deserves a place in my collection. My own little Satan!

I've already written above that I'm planning to sow smaller plants in the future. The following species are on my 'Wanted-list':

• Aztekium hintonii;
• Eriosyce occulta;
• Lophophora williamsii v Cedral SLP;
• Lophophora alberto-vojtechii SLP;
• Lophophora fricii, El Amparo.

 More about this later! Got to go! BYE!