Piante grasse cactus spine

Tag: thorns

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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Towards summer: useful tips for taking care of cacti and succulents and avoiding nasty surprises

After an almost non-existent, anomalous and ugly spring (at least here in Italy), the temperatures have risen considerably and we are heading towards summer. In some respects, the most delicate period for cacti and succulents, i.e. the transition between the end of winter and the vegetative restart, is now behind us and the next few months will be rather “quiet” for those who cultivate these plants. In fact,  the main commitments will concern watering and fertilization, since repotting should by now be completed and treatments against pests and parasites can be given when necessary and not systematically. Even in the period of full vegetation of cacti and succulents, however, there are pitfalls and there are some elements and factors of cultivation to be taken into due consideration.

We see them in detail in the following article (…).

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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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Johnstonianus, the most beautiful and sought after species of the entire Ferocactus genus

Living tangles of incredibly intricate spines, “globes” wrapped in beautiful, deep yellow spines. This is how Ferocactus johnstonianus could be defined, perhaps hastily but at the same time realistically. We are talking about one of the most appreciated and sought after species among enthusiasts of the Ferocactus genus throughout the world. These are relatively uncommon and poorly propagated plants, not easily available on the market. They also do not grow quickly, and perhaps these are some of the factors that contribute to fueling the charm of johnstonianus. In these days of repotting I have had the opportunity to focus on some specimens of this species that I received a few years ago from my friend Francesco Soldi, a highly experienced italian grower especially with regards to the Ferocactus genus, although today he is concentrating on the Echinocactus genus and in particular on the horizonthalonius species. Well, the plants I got from him a few years ago initially grew very slowly – mostly my fault, because I put off repotting for a long time and used an excessively poor substrate – but in the last two years, also thanks to a slightly richer substrate, have recovered and today they are well characterized and proportioned and are starting to show their full potential.

In this article here is an in-depth look at this splendid species. (…)

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Identical cacti in different substrates: extraordinary results of my test and the surprise of natural gypsum

To those wondering to what extent the substrate affects the growth of cacti; for those wondering if natural gypsum (also called agricultural gypsum) can be useful in the formation of robust thorns, this article will certainly be useful. Article which is nothing but the update of a small experiment – one of the many I do with my plants – which I started in July 2020 and which gave surprising results, amazing me first. Yes, because although the test sample is limited (six plants in all) and the results are therefore to be considered indicative and far from absolute, I must confess that I did not expect such a response just over two and a half years after the start of this test. It is known that substrates can literally make the difference in the growth of cacti and that natural gypsum (at least with some species of cacti) is an exceptional element, but it is with direct evidence, with the experimental method that we can really appreciate the impact of the soil in the growth of our succulents.

In this article, therefore, we go into the details of the experiment and see, after more than two and a half years, the results I obtained, which in my opinion are remarkable. (…)

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