Happy Birthday....many happy returns of the day.

Go to:

"ARIZONA CACTUS SALES"
"RSI GROWERS"
"SHOAL CREEK SUCCULENTS"
"GREAT PETALUMA DESERT"
"ARID LANDS NURSERY"
"GRIGSBY CACTUS GARDENS"

These nurseries will get you started. Enjoy the shopping trip.

Frank

Mesa Garden sells collections of stuff (as well as specifics of course) for good prices that would probably suit you perfectly

Here is a link that might be useful: Mesagarden

HAPPY B-DAY!

Check out "Miles 2 Go"

Glenn

Here is a link that might be useful: Miles 2 Go

Happy birthday! Say, I know of a nice online site that is a HUGE distributer of great quality succulents. They are a wholesale distributer, but they have no problems with a small order. I have purchased a couple specimens from them and all are terrific (Stenocactus multicostatus and Echinopsis aurea)! Unfortunately, I think at the moment their online store is closed for maintenance. It's been that way for a year, so I suppose they are just re-stocking. Here's another site that has a ton of options plus non-succulents. They also offer Whitesloanea crassa specimens! To give you an idea of it's value, its description reads, "If you just won the lottery, this is the plant for you!"

www.csucculent.com

and

www.cactuslimon.com

http://starr-nursery.com/

Greg Starr's got some delightful plants.

Thanks guys! I have about 500 to spend (including shipping) so i think im gonna get a whitsloanea crassa!

Yikes , A passle of thorny dudes.

Lithops is a good place for opuntia, also Aridlands, Riogrande cactus,Cold Hardy cactus, Intermountain cactus, And aloe studies

http://www.lithops.net/Opuntia.htm
http://www.aridlands.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=25
http://www.riogrande-cacti.com/
http://www.coldhardycactus.com/index.htm
http://www.intermountaincactus.com/Intermountain_Cactus/Home.html
http://www.aloestudies.org/index.html

M,

I hope you have a good greenhouse for the Whitesloanea in the winter.

I have a good green house yeah ... but i have to divide between two other sisters ... i still have alot of space for things though ... but i think this year some things are gonna have to stay outside due to a very fast growing collection! Shouldnt worry to much about the things outside because where i live i dont think ive ever seen it get under 40

"Thanks guys! I have about 500 to spend (including shipping) so i think im gonna get a whitsloanea crassa!"

You're brave.

ITs only like 37 dollars on cactus limon so why not try?

I say if your ok with spending the money.........GO FOR IT!

You know if you are already worry about running out of room maybe you could take some of that money to make some cold frames for some of your more cold hardy plants. That way you could free up more room in the green house for the more sensitive plants. Just a thought.

Glenn

That would be a wonderful plan but ... my backyard is kinda running out of room ... can you explain a cold frame?

Only 37? Just bear in mind that once those Somalian lumps go bad, they go bad quickly.

A cold frame is a small transparent enclosure that keeps wind and rain off plants while allowing light in and insulating them a little from the extremes of cold. Cold frames are used for overwintering, or when transitioning a plant from dormancy to full growth. The latter option is more useful in northern climes. Winters are dark and too cold and damp to leave a lot of succulents in an unheated greenhouse, and having somewhere light but protected to put them as soon as possible in the year is very useful.

If they're in the right place, they can also be used as mini greenhouses during the warmer months. Leave the lid off and make sure you know what the maximum possible temperature inside will be. A small space like a cold frame will turn into an oven if exposed to direct sun while insufficiently ventilated (think of how hot a car can get).

Microthrix
What zone do you live in? I only ask because it will be easier to access how useful one of these would be for you. I thought I read somewhere you were where you had pretty mild winters.

As sutremaine pointed out you will want to make sure you have good ventilation if you do live in such an area. Here where I live I used one this last winter to over winter part of my collection. We had a very mild winter most days the top was open to some degree, depending on temp and rain. The couple of times we got close to freezing I just closed it up and covered it with some heavy blankets. My collection was very small last winter too so a 8 x 4 foot area was big enough for almost all of my plants. It is about 2 feet deep. One long side was against the house and one short side was against the garage. So there was some protection there also.

I put a link below that will explain how to build one.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cold Frame Construction

Only 37? Just bear in mind that once those Somalian lumps go bad, they go bad quickly.

A cold frame is a small transparent enclosure that keeps wind and rain off plants while allowing light in and insulating them a little from the extremes of cold. Cold frames are used for overwintering, or when transitioning a plant from dormancy to full growth. The latter option is more useful in northern climes. Winters are dark and too cold and damp to leave a lot of succulents in an unheated greenhouse, and having somewhere light but protected to put them as soon as possible in the year is very useful.

If they're in the right place, they can also be used as mini greenhouses during the warmer months. Leave the lid off and make sure you know what the maximum possible temperature inside will be. A small space like a cold frame will turn into an oven if exposed to direct sun while insufficiently ventilated (think of how hot a car can get).

^Whoops, backed up to a 'post message' page.

Yeah only 37 ! Ive seen them other places for 100 + and when i saw that i was in awe! I live in southern california (dont know the zone) near riverside

Don't forget www.coronacactus.com!
Great plants - really healthy and well-grown.
Also Plants for the Southwest (www.lithops.net).

Microthrix,
It looks loke your zone is 9-10. So a light weight cold frame may work well for you as long as you have plenty of ventilation. From what I can tell by doing some searching online at your averages it looks like temp is not your issue, rain would be the biggest problem in the winter. Please remember I don't know exactly what it is like in your area and just looking at averages online.

If I was you I would find some Cactus people in your area and ask what they do in the winter.

Glenn

Zeck, I don't wan't to discourage your dreams but I think it may be wise to order a selection of Asclepiads to work with for a while until you get the hang of it. I've probably killed more of them than anything else. Had mostly bitter luck with them from seed too. Once you feel like you're not going to kill them, then drop the $37 with confidence. I've just started to feel semi-confident with them after 5 years.

Does that genus include stapelias ? If so i have plenty of those and have quite got the hang of it as well as a few huernia ... is a whitesloanea harder to care for than those?

I'm not sure about Whitesloania, never had one. Stapelia gigantea and the like are very easy, considered beginner's plants. I have a Huernia that hasn't given me any trouble. I bought a couple of Stapelia variegatas years ago and am still working with offshoots of it, killed that plant more times than I can tell you. There's another Stapeliad I have that is smaller in diameter and less spiky, not sure of the name. I've had the same kind of luck with this one. A couple of plants has turned into 10 just by salvaging failing pots.
I have quite a few Asclepiads when I take count and almost every species has given me some trouble. I just think you could get more variety for your money and have the chance to experiment before you start caring for rare species. There are a few that I would order first, just for the flowers.

I say if you are excited about the w. crassa and it works with the budget you have, you should go for it. In the end, it's only $37, which may be a lot for a plant in general, but isn't a lot for nearly anything else. Treat yourself!

Hi everybody
Does anyone have any books on designing cactus gardens that they can share? I love them but want to do something special in putting them together. I have about 60 different ones right now.

Look up Debra Baldwin's titles on that very subject.

It might turn out that you have the knack for keeping Whitesloaneas alive, but it's a lot of money to pay just to find out that you can't. If you go for that one first and not an easier one and it does die, you'll also never know whether it's just that species or Asclepiads as a whole that give you trouble.

As a cactus example (I own a grand total of one Asclepiad, and it's a small Stapelia flavirostris that I've only had for a couple of weeks), Uebelmannias are a tricky genus within the 'tropical climate' category, one which gives some growers extreme trouble and others none at all. Uebelmannias are rot-prone but love water and need to be kept a little damp over winter so that they don't lose their roots, and they like a temperature of about 15C even in winter. I bought a pair pretty early into my cactus collecting after doing a lot of reading and also before buying any other tropicals, even the far easier Melocactus genus, and they're still alive and I know they kept their roots over winter because they're in (sheathed) transparent pots. They haven't grown much since I got them though. Britain is a cold dark place for a tropical cactus, and I've been deliberately holding back on the fertiliser while I learn how they function.

So... you could make it work for you, but do your homework first and be aware of the reputation of your chosen plant, and also prepare for disappointment (U. pectinifera: still alive. U. buiningii: all withered away before I could get them established. Will try again this year). What were you planning on growing the Whitesloanea in?

I was planing on growing it in a pot ... with a green house in the winter ...

Zeck,
I believe sutremaine is asking what soil mix you plan on putting it in

Glenn

Ohh yeah i kinda didnt know what he was talking about , lol ... does it need any kind of specific mix? Because for my cactus soil i get cheap soil from lowes or homedepot throw in a bunch of prelite and rocks and a bit of food ... should that be fine?

Rocks? I think Sustremaine echoed my concerns perfectly.
Asclepiads are, in my experience, the most sensitive to bad soil.
You seem like the kind of person who's going to do what they want to do anyway. 37 bucks isn't much in the grande scheme but I really don't like killing plants. Somalian lump is a good description for a touchy family of plants.
People give good advice here but if you're looking for encouragement to do what you were already planning to do, well, people are also very kind here so you can get that too. Growing these plants is a long term endeavor so it's okay to take it slow and learn. I know you're not new to plants judging by what I've seen of your collection, but it's just smart to learn a genus before you adopt the holy grail of the family.
Most plants in this family are very uncommon anyway and, like I said before, some have flowers that will knock your socks off!

Didn't mean to sound rude. If your heart is set on this plant, go for it.
Just as an example, I'm a Mesemb guy, that's my thing. I've become pretty good at it and they get a completely different regimen than the rest of my plants. I have maybe 300 different species and cultivars.
The point is, I still don't have a Muiria hortensae and I'm not that anxious to get one(or two) because I don't want to disrespect the effort that went into growing it by killing it. I will have them one day and I would grow them from seed if I could find it but, to me, its kind of like buying a Ferrari for your first vehicle.

I never even got the feeling you were rude in any of that :P so since i DO have my heart set on this plant what would be the perfect soil for it?

I dont consider myself an expert on these yet but I use my grittiest mix for this family. I sift (with a wire strainer) all the fines out of that cheap bagged stuff you mentioned then add in about 50% volcanic pumice and Napa floor dry (both also sifted). I also like to add back in some fines because when I'm done the mix seems too sharp. I use coco peat because it doesn't become hydrophobic. I use just a little for regular mix, and a little more for Mesembs. I'm not sure yet if I've mastered my soil but things are looking good lately.
Soil, you will find, is a subject that really gets people going around here. We all do it a bit differently. To me it's about getting the right texture with whatever suitable materials you can find.

Not rocks but they are labeled pebbles ... i really dont even know where to go to get other things like this fancy volcanic pumice and napa dry floor ... but the mix i use is doing fine for my cacti now

Zeck,

Search for "Al's Gritty Mix". You should find a ton of reading on the subject.

Napa floor dry is calcined diatomaceous earth. It is sold at Napa Auto parts store so that is where the name comes from. You can also use Turface, it can be hard to find and that is why some choose the napa floor dry. Also if there is a feed store close by you, check into chicken grit. It is used to help chickens be able to digest their food. It is granite, it is normally pretty cheap like 6 bucks for a 50 pound bag.

Has hanzrobo pointed out soil mixes bring up alot of opinions but most agree it needs to drain fast and that peat should be avoided.

I am currently composting cow manure with coir, then mixing it with the gritty mix. I wont know how well this works for a few years, but so far it is looking good.

I know everything seems to be doing fine right now, so why change anything? I think the difference would be seen over several growing seasons. So really we are talking long term (5, 10, 20 years) not just a season or two. Make sense?

I think it is great for such a young person to have such an interest in anything other then music and video games so that is why I said go for it. My thought process was at the very least you would learn something new.

Glenn

Here is a link that might be useful: Turface Locator

"I was planing on growing it in a pot ... with a green house in the winter ..."
"Because for my cactus soil i get cheap soil from lowes or homedepot throw in a bunch of prelite and rocks and a bit of food ... should that be fine?"

Yeah, you definitely need to do some reading. : p

Perlite and rocks will improve a fine soggy soil simply by leaving less space in the pot for water to occupy, but it's only marginally better than deliberately underpotting the plant. Long story short, any potting medium that forces a plant to drink or drown is bad, and most succulents will end up drowning. Might I ask which sorts of cactus you have at the moment? Some of them take bad soil better than others.

I would recommend reading through as many of the 'gritty mix' topics as possible (more than once, and at intervals. There's a lot to take in), and also the one about growing trees in containers. The latter is less immediately applicable because cacti don't need aggressive rootwork to survive in a container, but it does explain the importance of roots to a plant's overall health. If a plant has weak roots, it's less able to deal with environmental stresses and pests. If one of these stressors finally overwhelms the plant, the blame will fall there and not with the plant itself even if it was the only one for miles around that succumbed.

The tyoes of cacti i have is ... alot of different types ... melocactus lobivia parodia ... an aztekium ... ive had cacti for about 5 years and this mix has been doing good thus far although it could use alittle tweats here and there ... i should do alot more reading (planning on tonight) but the thing is ... the supplies are very limited where i live ... even tough my family isnt poor the city is and no one wants to put their stores here -_- so the closest good store for things, even an animal feed store is like 30 - 60 minutes away ... except for a lowes and a homedepot but as i found out, they have very limited supplies

So I rolled to this thread because I thought I saw a new comment, only to see Zech's from May - did a most recent comment get deleted?