Torturing cacti!

Good day to all of ya!

Here you are, on my blog and thinking: 'What the hell?! Torturing cacti?!'.

Yeah... Nothing will be always 100% like you would like it to be and this unfortunately also applies for cacti. This was hard year for me as cacti-breeder! Besides the damaged plants and a little boredom at work, life's very nice to me.

Now what do we have here...

Armored Scale-insects

Armored scale insects. Their name is cool, but they really suck, literally. These little, parasitic monsters also go by the name Diaspididae. They feed themselves on the sap that they suck out of plants and can do serious damage to their host.

Where the hell did they come from and why are they only attacking one plant? No idea, but they were spread all over my Weberbauerocereus johnsonii. I've tried to cut them out, but there were more than just a few. I could not even separate a decent cutting, so I've had to give up and trow the plant away.

Sun-burned cacti

Normally you can recognize it quite easy when your cactus (or other succulent) is getting burned. The plant will slowly start coloring red (keep in mind that some species are supposed to have that color!) and if you notice it on time, you should put it in the shade immediately. Mostly the plant will recover quickly without any damage, but sometimes you're too late.

As you can see, this Echinopsis subdenudata has some permanent damage. The plant won't die, but it ain't pretty either...

And then there is also another scenario...

I should have paid more attention to my balcony-greenhouse. During the summer it was opened day and night and when it got colder and the UV-index was below 4, I've kept it closed. I thought the summer had ended and autumn was on its way, but I was wrong... Two very pretty and sunny days melted a couple of my plants! Holy crap! Not entirely, but they do have some serious damage. Earlier this year I've had the same problem with a couple of my Saguaro seedlings:

Sun-burned Saguaro seedling

And here is the solution to this problem. As some of you know, I'm kind of addicted to IFTTT (pronounced like gift without the G) and I have already made a lot of recipes. Some (in my wife's opinion all!) of them are completely useless and others are quite handy. Check out this one:

The idea is to receive a warning when there is a possibility that my plants get burned. During the beginning of spring, for example, cacti are much more sensitive. After a long winter without much light, they suddenly get struck by stronger sun beams. Now I'll now it on time and will be able to provide some shade. Or it will warn me to open up the greenhouse again when I think summer is over and it's actually not...

I have another IFTT that warns me whenever the wind speed rises above what my green-house can handle, so that I'm on time to save my plants before some sort of storm starts raging on my balcony.

Beating up cacti

What?! No, it wasn't in purpose! Sometimes you accidentally hit or step on a cactus or let a pot fall on the floor and sometimes the guy that is supposed to replace the windows in your house brutally mutilates a Selenicereus hondurensis by closing a window! Arg! Okay, breath in, breath out. Shit happens and it's a plague anyway, but it still sucks monkey-balls when a plant gets damaged!

Smashed Selenicereus hondurensis

The End

That's about it for this blog. Let's wait and see if I can still turn them back into beautiful plants. The'll probably be alright and maybe even flower next year. In their natural habitat they're used to hard and brutal circumstances and are kind of famous for being tough bastards! Well... Next blog I'll blend in some pipes, whisky and bullshit stories again, because this blog is a little bit too serious. Of course this isn't a funny subject! Haven't you seen all the damage?! Pfffff.....

Another thing! I'm back playing Go again and I am slowly getting better and better (I can almost defeat the CPU on level 2... Damn bastard!). Of course this is the place where I'll try to convince you all to play Go and I'll probably bother some persons about my new hobby!

Check out these sites:

• App: Go Free
• Website: Fly or Die

And I wouldn't be Stan if I didn't add a real Go Board to my present-wishlist:

• Wishlist

Now go practice Go and till next Blog!

Balcony-greenhouse and more...

Hello readers of my random blog! How are you all doing?! I'm doing just fine. Actually I'm doing great and I hope you do too (depending on who you are and if I like you or not). Today was just one of those Saturdays that I've had nothing scheduled. Nothing wrong with that! I actually like it when there is finally a day in the week that I don't have to do anything. Well... That's not completely true, because these days I'm a family-man, as you might know, and there is always something I have to do. But I like it when I'm not obligated to do other things than being a family-man. I won't type down everything I have done today, because it's all quite simple and regular. It started with a cup of coffee and ended with a beer and a Country Gentleman filled with Black Vanilla.

Why writing another article for your blog when there is nothing really different to mention? Well... I have no idea! Here is a video of my Balcony-greenhouse:

Why should we always do something "special" and "different" and why do we always want others to know about it? Probably we human beings do that because it's in our nature to be accepted by the rest of the herd. Everyone wants to be different and that is what makes us all the same. Kind of ironic, ah? Why not just be happy and satisfied with the regular things we do and appreciate the simplicity? Don't get me wrong! I believe that it's useful and enriching to think outside the box and do stuff we normally don't, but what is it worth and where is our identity when we're only focusing on being different and forget to stand still and appreciate the little things? I'm dreaming away here on a philosophical wave again... You don't have to agree with me and we can still be friends! I'm just writing down  my thoughts...

Ah! Back to cacti! Here are my 2014 seedlings that I've sown in April this year:

Seedlings 2014

If you want to know what these green blobs will become, you should check THIS article. This year I'm keeping them in an aquarium, so that our dear friend Wonnebald can't pulverize my plants while stepping and jumping on them. I'll take some better photos when they're bigger and really look like cacti.

Here is a photo taken in my living room:

Cacti-bowl

This bowl looks interesting, right?! It's kind of growing out of hand! Now what do we have here? The thin, columnar cactus is a Cylindropuntia imbricata (the famous Cholla), the spineless one is my first Lophophora williamsii (Peyote), the one on the right is the famous Carnegiea gigantea (Saguaro) and the one that grows everywhere where it shouldn't grow is a Selenicereus grandiflora (Queen of the night). Now that is a handsome bowl, right?~!

And now we're going back to the balcony-greenhouse, a couple of weeks earlier:

A flowering Gymnocalycium saglionis

And that's about it for today. Take care and for the metal heads: I'm going to see Obituary tomorrow! HAH! \m/

Landelijke Cactus- en Vetplantendag bij Ubink in Kudelstaart

Hullo! Good to see you around! 

First of all, here´s a short translation of the title for the NON-Dutchers: 'National Cacti and Succulent -day at Ubink in Kudelstaart'. Ubink is a cacti-nursery in Kudelstaart:

A = Ubbink, Kudelstaart

Believe it or not, but it took me almost three hours to get there! Some bad luck combined with disorientation did the trick. ;-)

Ubink's entrance with rock-garden

I have to be honest with you all about the fact that I haven't even noticed this beautiful rock-garden at the entrance at the time of my arrival. These first photos were the ones I've took after leaving the building, but I'll add them to the beginning because... Well! It's the entrance, duh!

Ubink's rock-garden

 Now that's a nice rock-garden! Cacti outside in the Netherlands, is that even possible?! Yup, it is! But beware, because if you have a rock-garden like this, you'll have to bring all these big plants inside before the coming of winter. They're all in pots, covered by rocks and have a sublime drainage.

It is possible to have a cacti/rock-garden for the lazy gardeners among us. A lot of Opuntias and Cylindropuntias (and a couple of other species including some of Argentina) will survive a cold and wet climate like we have in the Netherlands. Good drainage is a must!

Let's enter! First of all, I would like to explain the setup. Ubink is a commercial cacti and other succulent nursery with the size of 50.000 square meters! That's huge! And because it's national cactus and succulent -day, they're open to the public and have reserved two halls for hobby cacti/succulent breeders to sell their surplus. I guess that one day I'll end up like one of them!

First I'll give you a quick impression, so that you can imagine the size of this place a little better.

That was quick, ah? Let's have a closer look. Here are some pics:

Ludwig Bercht (on the left) together with some fellow cacti-breeders, my type of people!

Earlier this year, I've ordered some seeds from Ludwig's website. Lophophora williamsii and Gymnocalycium berchtii (right, a plant that they have given his name!).

Ludwig's plants

"\]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]===========================================================]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]]================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================" Wonnebald, our cat, took control of the keyboard and this was his message, amen...

  

Lophophora williamsii

Beautiful plants! I've almost bought some of these, but decided not to. Now I'm wondering if you should have bought them or not..Hmmm....

More L. williamsii

Entering the nursery

50.000 square meters! That's a lot, you know? I was to lazy to take pictures of the whole place, so allow me to show you just a few.

These are the type of plants that you'll encounter in plant stores, mostly under a terrible condition. Here they're doing fine. In stores they give them light and water equal to the needs of each other plant they have and that just ruins a cactus!

Lophophora williamsii

These little guys cost € 1 each! That's cheap, considering that you pay at least € 6 for them at a normal store. And again I feel the cognitive dissonance... I should have bought some! 

Echinocereus grusonii

Echinocereus grusonii and Ferocactus

Echinocereus grusonii and Ferocactus

Some large Cereus

Damage assessment

Waiting bored at the bus-stop, I've decided to make another photo:

Today's damage

Winter hardy Cylindropuntia

Cylindropuntia imbricata, Fremont, Colorado

This Cholla can withstand up to -25 degrees Celsius and will survive without covering it from rain. Like with all cacti, good drainage is necessary.

The plants I've bought from Ludwig Bercht:

Gymnocalycium quehlianum var. albispinum

Gymnocalycium horstii

Gymnocalycium denudatum

 Euphorbia gorgonis

And last but not least; Euphorbia gorgonis. The Gorgons are the three daughters of the greek sea-gods Phorcys en Ceto. All three of them have living venomous snakes on their heads instead of hair. This is a succulent of the family Euphorbia.

Euphorbia gorgonis

Euphorbia gorgonis

Euphorbia gorgonis

Some literature

Cacti literature

• 'Cactussen' by W Cullman, an older book about cacti, but very informative.
• 'Wat betekent die naam', an excellent book that explains the meanings of all those botanical names.
• 'Succulenta', a number of 'Succulenta', a Dutch and Belgian magazine about cacti and other succulents.
• 'Gids voor ziekten en plagen in huis en tuin', a small book about plant diseases and products to cure them. 

The end

And that's about it. It was a good decision of me heading alone to Kudelstaart. I felt like a kid in a candy-store with all those cacti and other succulents around me for very low prices. To only thing that concerns me is space... Always space! I love our apartment and I think we'll live here for a couple of more years, so I'm stuck with two balconies for now. I'm thinking about building a greenhouse on my own. A little bit larger and stronger and with a good regulation of heat and fresh air. Right now I'm doing fine, but I can do better!

Life's still good to me and I'm living a happy one with my amazing wife and extremely well-growing son Arthur. Things are looking good and everything seems to be back on track (the birth of a child changes everything!).

The upcoming blog will be probably about a PRF-Pipe-smokers meeting at Schimmel Sigaren in Zutphen, one of the oldest and more specialized tobacco stores in Holland.

That's all folks! Till next blog!