Piante grasse cactus spine

Tag: curiosity

Seramis, an alternative material for growing cacti and succulent plants: pros and cons

Recently, on the social channels connected to the site, I published a short video in which I repot an Astrophytum asterias in a substrate composed solely of Seramis. Following that video, many asked me for information on this particular material with its characteristic orange colour, in fact little used in the cultivation of succulents and not easily available in small nurseries. I have had the opportunity to use Seramis in the past in the cultivation of some cactaceae and my experience has been decidedly positive (although, as a porous inert material, in my opinion pumice remains the best material ever) and it is also for this reason that I recently employed it for the Astrophytum subject of the video (video that you can also find at the end of this article).

Answering many questions received in recent weeks, let’s see in the following article what exactly Seramis is, what are the strengths and weaknesses of this material and what can be its use with succulents and, in particular, with cacti. (…)

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Here is the story of an Echinocactus grusonii born to lose but alive to win!

Would you throw away that specimen of Echinocactus grusonii you see in the photo above? Obviously the answer is no. Indeed, with such perfect thorns it would be a crime to let such a plant die. Nevertheless, a few years ago, when that plant was still a few months old seedling, I was about to throw it away! No, I hadn’t suddenly gone crazy, simply this plant, around 2015, was just one of the many grusonii seedlings obtained with a particularly lucky sowing (that is, characterized by high germination). What you see in the picture was the only seedling born from that sowing to have reached the stage of the first repotting in pitiful conditions, to the point that, convinced that it would not even pass the first repotting, I intended to throw it together with the sowing soil. Today, almost ten years later, that malformed, underdeveloped and sickly-looking seedling has become exactly as you see it in the photo I took a few days ago.

Here, in the following article, is the story of this plant, a plant that has been able to teach me an important lesson: never judge a book by its cover. In life as well as when dealing with Nature. (…)

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Her Majesty the Copiapoa: a series of exclusive photos enhances the beauty of this extraordinary cactus

The gray stem, the black thorns, the compact and perfect shape in its “simplicity” make the Copiapoa, in particular of the species of the cinerea group, a real masterpiece of Nature. Among cactus enthusiasts these plants represent a real jewel, to the point that, unfortunately, around and to the detriment of the Copiapoa a black market has been created for years that moves millions of dollars all over the world. A market that involves the extirpation of specimens in habitat – in spite of the laws for the protection of the species – subsequently destined for illicit trafficking, with serious damage to the environment and for the entire Copiapoa genus. More reason, when buying a specimen of this cacti it is essential to rely on specialized nurserymen, avoid online auctions and, above all, observe the plant carefully. The expert eye almost always knows how to distinguish the specimen grown from seed and the one taken from the wild.

And if it is true that the Copiapoa grown in their habitat have colors and thorns capable of fascinating even those who are not fond of cacti, it is equally true that with correct cultivation even specimens obtained from seeds can become splendid and incredibly attractive plants. Just to enhance the beauty of the stems and thorns of these plants, I have elaborated some photos of my specimens, cutting them out and making them stand out against a black background. The results are exceptional, as shown in the gallery contained in the following article. (…).

Continue reading “Her Majesty the Copiapoa: a series of exclusive photos enhances the beauty of this extraordinary cactus”

Severely dehydrated Astrophytum asterias: here’s a rescue attempt with… hydroculture!

Hydroculture and succulent plants sound, in some ways, like a conceptual oxymoron. Plants that have naturally evolved to cope with drought, rainfall concentrated in short periods of the year; plants that grow in extremely dry soils, in short, how can they get along with hydroculture? In other words, how can they be grown with a technique that requires the roots to be in constant contact with water? The answer is simple: they can’t. However … however in certain cases and following precise precautions, the constant contact of the roots of a succulent plant with water can be used to save that plant. Even if that plant is a succulent. And that’s exactly what I’m trying to do these days to save two Astrophytum asterias of my sowing in conditions of extreme dehydration, on the verge of dying of thirst (which would be very strange for a cacti!). But let’s go step by step and see exactly what happened to these two plants and how (and why) I’m trying to save them through a kind of “temporary hydroculture”.

I explain everything with lots of photos in the following article, which I consider – in fact – the description of an experiment that is perhaps risky and certainly unorthodox but at the same time not devoid of logic. (…)

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New cactus species discovered: “Copiapoa invisibilis”! Exceptional photos of a plant… that no longer exists

For the avoidance of doubt: the title is ironic and here we are talking about rot, unfortunately. No new Copiapoa has been discovered, neither the one you see in this photo and in the other incredible images within this article. Simply, this is what remains of one of my Copiapoa cinerea that rotted this winter without me even realizing it. What we see now is nothing but the armor of thorns that the plant has left me. The quills are so compact and close together that they perfectly maintain the shape of the plant (complete with a dry flower at the apex). The stem simply no longer exists. It has rotted and “evaporated”, disappeared.

Here is what happened and, above all, here are the exceptional photos of this plant, whose fate, moreover, from time to time also touches the specimens in habitat, as I happened to see in some online photos and once, directly, with a young specimen of Ferocactus during a trip to Mexico. (…)

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