Feather Cactus

Okay, to try to get it right I am rewriting this entry. Although I am still unsure due to the various pictures I have seen, I believe that this really might be a Mammallaria plumosa or Feather Cactus. There must be several forms of cactus with the same name or everyone is as confused as I am! Anyway, let's go with Feather Cactus! It is a native of northern Mexico and can tolerate temperatures as low as 20 degrees F. But, it prefers temperatures no lower than 50 degrees F. AND, it is suggested that this cactus not become terribly dry in the winter as in the summer.

This cactus produces white flowers and mine gave me several a couple of months ago in the spring. I had kept it indoors for the winter and watered it every two weeks. They like a lot of light and the southern exposure of my winter window garden was apparently enough to make it happy. I have it inside at this time after placing it outside until it got up to 100 degrees. I brought several of the cacti in because of the rising temperatures and they have all breathed a sigh of relief! You see, not all cacti love to be sizzling hot and bone dry!

Argentine Giant Non-Bloom

Well, I promised to show you the spectacular blooms of the Argentine when they happened. I showed you the picutures of the buds and I waited ... and waited ... and waited. The buds showed no sign of growing until about a week ago. "Finally," I thought. Then, one of the buds grew and I thought it would bloom any night at that time.

This is how far the bloom got when it was looking normal. Then, just as it should have been opening, everything that you see that is white turned black. The tip of the bud was fused together and I couldn't coax it open even with force. I don't know what really happened. Maybe it stayed a bud too long. ...Or, maybe it was using all of its energy for the two pups I found today. One is pictured below. The other is the same size nearby. Blooms ... pups ... blooms ... pups! I like them both!!

Rainbow Cactus

The Rainbow Cactus is officially called an Echinocereus rigidissimus v. rubrispinus ... another mouthful! This cactus will slowly form a clump and will probably flower while still small. In the spring, the Rainbow Cactus produces a ring of pink flowers on the crown of the stem which will be followed by green berries. I wintered this cactus outside in the ground. It did fine as it likes a long dry winter dormancy. I re-potted it when the weather warmed up as I felt I needed more control over its care.

Old Man Cactus

So, this is the real Old Man Cactus! He is from Mexico and his official name is Cephalocereus senilis. Another common name for him is Bunny Cactus; I guess because of the soft outer growth. Growing in the wild, this cactus can reach fifty feet tall .... Can you imagine?? But, in cultivation, it may reach ten feet in a very very long time. There are spines underneath all that fluff. It will rarely branch. And, old plants will produce cream colored or pink flowers which bloom at night. They say that the "fluff" can be washed and combed if you feel it's necessary! The care for this plant stresses the importance of NOT overwatering it! It needs almost no water during the dormant winter months and very little during the growing season. Dry weather is good for him.

Cactus Babyland

Well, here they are! Some of them, anyway! The ferocactus seeds that I germinated a few weeks ago are growing. I was able to eventually take off the plastic wrap covering the seedlings and I water them with mist every day. If I miss a day, I lose a few of them! But there are plenty to lose!!! I'll need to keep this up for a year or two before I can transplant them into their own pots. Hopefully, by then, I won't need too many pots!

The following are my baby cacti! I may need to wait a little longer before identifying them clearly. But, I'm thinking that this one, to the left, may be an Echinopsis mamillosa f. kermesina. At least, I hope so because, if it is, it will produce very large flowers. It will stay fairly small. I need to keep it out of the cold as it shrivels quickly in cold temperatures.

I love this one and I think I almost lost it. Several weeks ago, it shrivelled and I thought it was a goner. I may have watered it too much. But, I didn't give up. I set it outside and became very careful about the amount of water I gave it. It still didn't perk up. So, I brought it back in and began spraying it instead of watering it. Voila! It came back and is beautiful again. Now, if I only knew what it was! Maybe it is a Coryphantha clava or Coryphantha delaetiana which should produce yellow flowers with age.

This one I know for sure! To the left is an Astro- phytum asterias or a Silver Dollar Cactus. Being a kin to my Bishop's Cap Cactus, it is spineless. Unlike the Bishop's Cap, it is very sensitive to being overwatered. After about five years, it should produce red flowers. It becomes flatter during the winter dormancy.

These twins gave me a scare earlier this year when I set them outside. I soon watered them and then we had a very cold night. These plants shrivelled and turned red. I thought they were soon to die but, again, I persevered! Eventually, when it started getting hotter, I brought them inside again and began spraying them instead of watering them. Encore, voila!! They perked back up and here we have healthy plants again. What are they? Well, I was told they were a rare white version of the echinocactus (like the Golden Barrel species). So far, I haven't found a picture on the internet to back that up.

Next, I have a Ferocactus emoryi, I think. I guess it's possible that this is a baby Red Barrel (or Fire Barrel) or Ferocactus cylindraceus but I tend to think it is the former. At any rate, I like it. It is colorful and stays pretty happy with regular cactus care.

Last, but not least, is the leuch- tenbergia principis. There is only one species in this genus. It is very slow growing and is related to the ferocactus. It has a nickname of agave cactus because the full-grown plant appears in the shape of an agave but with spines and flowers and fruits after around eight years. When it gets a little older, it will be able to acclimate to the winter temperatures.

Golden Barrel Cactus & Thimble Cactus

The Golden Barrel Cactus is officially an Echinocactus grusonii, or ... some people call it a mother-in-law's seat! My Golden Barrel is almost 14 inches in diameter. When I planted it three years ago, I believe it was only about 10 or 12 inches. When it reaches 15 inches, it should start to bloom yellow flowers followed by seedpods but since mine isn't in full sun, it might not.

The Golden Barrel is beautiful to look at with its long yellow spines and geometric shape. I have mine planted in a location where light moisture is constant; therefore, I water it only for fertilizing purposes which is maybe twice a year. In the winter, I hope and pray that it doesn't get any extra water and keep it warm on those nights that it gets below freezing. As a result, there are a few brown places on the cactus that have been caused from the water/cold conditions but all-in-all I think it looks pretty good.

The Mam- millaria saboae f. haudeana is more easily named the Thimble Cactus. This is one of my newest additions and the cactus, itself, is fairly new to the cactus market. It is supposed to produce large dark pink flowers. It grows slowly into a clump and will have to be brought inside for the winter unless it is kept very dry during the cold months. The small offsets which form the clumps can easily fall off. I have removed several of these offsets to try and start them in another container.

The Skinny Oreocereus

What a mouthful! This is an Oreocereus pseudofossulatus. I think I'll call it the skinny oreocereus! This plant branches out and forms a small "bush." It grows fast and will produce red/purple flowers after 10-15 years. It has wispy wool and strong spines. I have treated it as needing normal cactus watering and I have it in a pot outside. It wintered indoors. With the exception of a bare spot at the base of the plant, it is doing fine. It was included in the cactus garden that I mentioned I bought 3 years ago. I separated it on its own last year.

Hi! It's me. GG. The Las Vegas Cockapoo. I have to show everyone out there my new "do." My Mom finally gave the evil lady with the clippers the go-ahead to "take it all off!" Well, my Mom showed a little mercy and told the lady to leave about an inch all over. ... Actually, I kind of like it. Ever since I came home from the groomer 3 days ago, my Mom and Dad haven't been able to keep their hands off me. I like that even though I try not to show it. I really just like my tummy rubbed but I'll take a little back and ear massage as a good substitute. Oh, and I have to admit that this "do" is a lot cooler than the last one.

Old Man of the Andes

This is my Old Man of the Andes or Oreocereus celsianus. Let's just call it the Old Man! (Oops! I can't! There's another one of that name.) It hasn't grown much from when I bought it about 2 years ago but the book says it can reach ten feet tall and four inches in diameter. That's probably if you plant it in the ground in a sunny spot. I did plant it in the ground for last winter. It did fine, kind of dormant. But, I was a little worried when it didn't perk up with the warmer weather so I transplanted it back into a nice pot.

It needs very little water and full sun but, here in Las Vegas, full sun in the heat of the day is too much. So, I have it where I keep all of my potted cacti outside during the summer. It gets a few hours of sun in the morning and a little in the evening but not in the middle of the day. If the heat reaches over 110-115 degrees F, I will probably bring most of the cacti inside. There is no need to stress them out that much. Even though cacti have a reputation of being a hardy desert plant, there are species that take a lot of heat and there are species that don't like it so much. The "desert" part of their existence just means that they can survive without water for some time. It doesn't mean that they prefer that!

GG's Favorite Lookout

As the original Las Vegas Cockapoo, it is my job to oversee the goings on of the household. Sometimes this requires a bird's eye view. (Ooo, did someone mention birds?) No, well, anyway, as I was saying, sometimes I can't keep up with the comings and goings and busying around that my Mom and Dad are up to; especially if they are going up and down and up and down the steps. (Ha! Bet you are surprised I knew what to do with a semi-colon, huh?) When that starts happening, (the up and down part), I just lie at the top of the steps and watch. After all, that is part of my main job, to watch. The other part of my job is to basically be cute.... I got that covered. I think I'm ready for a job expansion.

Bishop's Cap

This plant is an Astrophytum myriostigma or commonly known as a Bishop's Cap Cactus. It is unique in its shape and doesn't get much bigger than a melon. The white speckles are actually its spines which are quite "user-friendly."

Someday, I hope, this cactus will produce large yellow blooms that are around 2.5" in diameter and that last 2-3 days. I have two of these. The one above has been in a pot all winter and still looks plump. I watered it about once every two weeks during the winter inside the house. Now, I need to water it about once a week while the pot spends the summer outside.

My other plant spent the winter outside in the ground. I think it is doing well but I transplanted it into a pot recently anyway. Our temperatures were mild last winter, dipping below freezing only a handful of times. This plant flattened out a bit with the cold temperatures but has since recovered somewhat. Its red color is normal for the outside treatment of cold then hot environment.