anyone grow cacti in the uk?

[Evoluzione]

You're correct, thats the name of the tall one, I remember now. I'm wondering what i'll do with it in the future as it's growing into the pitched roof space now, i'm thinking of approaching a local butterfly house to see if they'll take it.
Not so right on the flowering one mind, it's in full bloom today although I think you're right about the species.

I used to know a lot more, but although i've hung onto them (i've got more) other things have taken over.
I remember there were some called Lithops (living stones) and a strange one (Stapelia?) Which smelled of rotting meat and flowered at night. If I wasn't on my phone i'd put together a better reply.
Yes I get the Fastshow quote too

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

I've repotted two bad boys this morning, with minimal blood loss...

My Ferocactus:




And my Echinocactus grusonii, grown from the same packet of mixed cactus seed as the Ferocactus about 6 or 7 years ago:

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

Evoluzione said:

it's in full bloom today although I think you're right about the species.

Beautiful! It would have opened last night, possibly quite late so you may have missed it opening. Sometimes they're spent by the morning, but they often hang on into the following day, especially if shaded like yours is. 48 hours is about the longest I've seen one keep going. Enjoy it while it lasts, which sadly won't be long!

Donating your Pachypodium to a butterfly house is a great idea! I've tried to reassure Mrs Oxgreen that my columnar cacti will probably only reach 30 or 40 feet, but if anything she looked even more worried.

[Evoluzione]

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

Evoluzione said:

it's in full bloom today although I think you're right about the species.

Beautiful! It would have opened last night, possibly quite late so you may have missed it opening. Sometimes they're spent by the morning, but they often hang on into the following day, especially if shaded like yours is. 48 hours is about the longest I've seen one keep going. Enjoy it while it lasts, which sadly won't be long!

Donating your Pachypodium to a butterfly house is a great idea! I've tried to reassure Mrs Oxgreen that my columnar cacti will probably only reach 30 or 40 feet, but if anything she looked even more worried.

It's a Lamerei btw, I'm remembering now. I'd like to snap a bit off and start again, but it will spoil it. Not only does it sulk in Winter it hates being over watered too, the leaves tell you everything and go yellow or black spots if it gets too much.
The flowering one is Echinopsis subdenudata.

Some lovely examples you have there too, thanks for helping identify mine.

[Evoluzione]

Wiccan of Darkness said:

I have a variety, a lot of saguaro and various others, they always flower for me. I should try and find a way of posting up some pics.

Use the link at the top of your reply post, just make sure you've used your phone camera the right way up otherwise it will display them like mine. I took them off, saved them on my laptop, opened them up and turned them around before saving again - it actually just ignored that and posted them back up as they originally were!

[Dr Mike Oxgreen]

This year my Ferocactus decided to flower for the first time, at about 7 years old from seed. I had hoped that I might be able to pin down the exact species, but lots of Ferocactus species look quite similar, most with yellow/orange/red flowers, and with lots of subspecies and lots of variability within each species. It’s possibly gracilis or latispinus...

Edited to add: A bit more research done, and I think I’ve settled on an identification. It looks like Ferocactus wislizeni...

Edited by Dr Mike Oxgreen on Wednesday 12th September 09:14

[oblio]

Dr Mike Oxgreen said:

This year my Ferocactus decided to flower for the first time, at about 7 years old from seed. I had hoped that I might be able to pin down the exact species, but lots of Ferocactus species look quite similar, most with yellow/orange/red flowers, and with lots of subspecies and lots of variability within each species. It’s possibly gracilis or latispinus...

I bet you have been waiting YEARS for a thread like this to come along

Great info

[Evoluzione]

As per my previous posts i'd forgotten a lot about cactus and neglected them a bit too. Look at the state of my poor Echinopsis:



Compared to how it is now bottom right.

I had a poke around the BCCS forum and FB page; http://forum.bcss.org.uk/index.php (it's down atm), relearned and found out some new things. I've repotted them all in a more suitable growing medium and they're looking a lot better, I bought some new ones too. Places like general garden centres and specialist cactus growers are the obvious ones, but you can also get bargains at Wilkinsons, Ikea and Ebay. The more commercialised non specialised your source is the more likely they'll be neglected, in the wrong compost and either with no label, a vague name, wrong name or one to watch out for if you're new to them is fake flowers stuck into them! They can all be saved and nurtured back to good health though.
Expecting a good show of flowers from these three this year and the Astrophytum Ornatum is growing rapidly.





The Notocactus on the left had a load of offshoots which I've cut off and potted on, the problem is all the root mass is now to one side so needs a much wider pot for it to sit upright.