Piante grasse cactus spine

Tag: marl

A good cactus potting soil with materials readily available in any nursery? Here is how to do it

Surfing the Internet shows how easy it is now to find retailers of plant-growing materials. It is also true specifically for cacti and succulent plants: online, from skilled nurserymen to businesses that deal only in materials such as potting soil, pots, labels, etc., it is easy to get everything you need to grow. But what to do if we don’t want to buy online? If we need large quantities of materials, and shipping can only go up to a certain weight? If we prefer to provide directly by buying potting soil (everyone may have their reasons for this or that choice)? Do we rely on the ready-made potting soils usually offered by any well-stocked nursery or garden? Or is it better to do it ourselves, assembling the various materials as peat, pumice, and sand, based on our needs?

In this article we see how to make a proper substrate for use with any genre of cactus and, with appropriate adjustments, with succulents, in general. We will make it, and this is the point of this article, with materials that anyone can now easily find in any place (…).

Continue reading “A good cactus potting soil with materials readily available in any nursery? Here is how to do it”

Mammillaria luethyi, the incredible story of its discovery in the Fifties and tips for growing it

Unlike what usually happens with cacti, Mammillaria luethyi was first observed by a researcher not in its habitat but in a… coffee can. Weird? Wait until you read the whole story, then. Yes, because the discovery of this species of Mammillaria is relatively recent (half of the Fifties of the twentieth century) and still today we cannot certainly define it as a widespread plant in cultivation or regularly available on the market. Nevertheless, it’s one of the most fascinating species among Mammillaria, one of the most intriguing and undoubtedly the one having the showiest flowering, and at the same time delicate and charming. As a counterbalance to these qualities, there are some difficulties in cultivation and the tendency of the root to rot: these aspects, in addition to the slowness in growth, make M. luethyi reserved for pure enthusiasts and experienced cactophiles, although with not a few difficulties.

The following article was published in Volume 61, Issue 2 (May 2021) of the Journal of The Mammillaria Society. Thanks to the editors for their welcome publication. (…)

Per proseguire nella lettura dell'articolo Accedi o Abbonati
To continue reading the article LogIn or Subscribe

Marl as a substrate for cacti: is it really so good? How to use it and with which plants does it work

The use of marl as a substrate component for the cacti’s cultivation has been widespread for years, especially in Italy. Thanks to the studies and research conducted by my friend Andrea Cattabriga – grower, researcher and succulent expert at the international level. But what are we talking about, when we discuss marl? Quite simply, a greyish and highly friable rock, to the point of breaking up into flakes until it becomes powder. It’s used to create substrates for the cultivation of many cacti and some succulent plants when combined in some dosages with other materials such as quartzite, pumice, sand, gravel, lapilli, peat, field soil (clay).

In this article we explore the benefits of using marl in cactus cultivation, we see how to make a valid marl-based substrate, and we try to understand, above all, with which kinds of cacti this material can work and with which ones it should be avoided. (…)

Per proseguire nella lettura dell'articolo Accedi o Abbonati
To continue reading the article LogIn or Subscribe

Repotting cactus: the classic mix of pumice, lapillus and peat to speed up growth

I generally start repotting from mid-December onwards, to finish within the first few months of the new year. This year, considering the number of plants I sow that need repotting, I started well in advance. Despite the still high temperatures for the period, in fact, the plants are already in stasis and it is possible to proceed without problems. The repotting period is one of the most debated topics, together with the composition of the growing soils: there are those who repot only plants in vegetation, those only in spring, those during the winter and those who repot at any time of the year. Let’s say that there isn’t a fixed rule: over the years, I have repotted practically in all seasons, according to needs, and I have never encountered any problems. The important thing is to stick to that only really useful precaution which is to avoid watering immediately after repotting. It is necessary to give the damaged or cut roots time to heal in dry soil during repotting, so as to avoid the risk that they may trigger rot. The rest is a matter of choices. Personally I prefer to repot and change the soil to the plants during the winter season, or in any case when the cacti and succulents are in vegetative stasis, for example just before spring, so that several weeks elapse between repotting and the first watering. I’ve been following this “rule” for years and have never had a problem. Of course, it may happen that some plants find it difficult to restart after repotting, to the point of being stuck even for a whole year, but this can happen by repotting at any time. Let’s not forget that repotting is in any case a significant “stress” for plants. This is also why I prefer winter, when the cacti are at rest and the effects of repotting are less “traumatic”.

Let’s explore the topic of repotting and substrates for cacti, in particular the “standard” soil based on pumice, lapillus and peat in equal parts, in the following article. (…)

Per proseguire nella lettura dell'articolo Accedi o Abbonati
To continue reading the article LogIn or Subscribe

Targeted repotting: sowing identical plants in different soils to test the substrate

It’s time for… testing. Between the end of December and the end of February, as soon as I have time, I dedicate myself to repotting the plants in the greenhouse. Obviously I only repot plants in stasis, with very dry soil, postponing the change of pot to spring for the plants that I keep in vegetation in winter, perhaps outdoors (but still in pots and not in the ground, of course). Today I flared and planted about fifty plants that I obtained by sowing in natural light and heat. Some of them were born in 2014, others in 2016 (but already large enough to be repotted). It was an opportunity to start a useful test on various types of soil to understand how this affects the growth of some specific species of cacti.

Let’s see in the following article what exactly this experiment on the substrate consists of and let’s see, thanks to the photographic update two years after repotting, how the plants have grown. (…)

Per proseguire nella lettura dell'articolo Accedi o Abbonati
To continue reading the article LogIn or Subscribe
USEFUL INFO AND CONTACTS​
SECURE PAYMENTS
  • Credit card
  • Paypal
  • Stripe