My Other Passion

[BikerDoc5968]

Before I became captivated by orchids, cacti and succulents were my fave. Because of moving so many times, it became hard to find housing for so many plants.... While they haven't replaced the chids on the bench, they are growing in numbers and here are two that are just beginning to open....

This little guy is low growing and the tiny leaflets on the flower spikes drop off and root within a few days and in no time you have another..... lots of other ..... plants ...and they do drop everywhere...can't tell you how many I've had to uproot from the chids...





This plant, which is naturally varigated, grew two flower spikes. One is almost completely white while the other is more like the parent plant. I'm trying to root both...I know the white will be near impossible...we'll see

[smweaver]

Those are outstanding. I got my first echeveria last spring from a local nursery, and when I put it outside and it flowered, it got lots of attention from bumble bees and wasps. It was fascinating to sit there and watch how enamored the insects seemed to be of those little blooms. Thanks for sharing your photos. They're very cool.

Steve

[EdinAZ]

Howard,

I share your interest in these. Even before I lived in Arizona, I found cacti and succulents fascinating, and grew a very few.

Yours are terriffic! Thanks for sharing with us.

I don't make greenhouse space for any, but I have a nice selection (mostly cacti) in my yard. The climate here is pretty tough (too hot/dry or too cold) for most of the fleshy-leaved types, and I've given up on them. I do have various varieties of cacti, Aloe, Haworthia, Gasteria, Euphorbia. Sure wish I could do Echeveria, attractive plamts/blooms and many different varieties.

Since it freezes here every winter, I concentrate on the more frost-hardy types. For some of the slightly more sensitive, I just bring them up on the patio next to the house during the winter, and that suffices.

I would certainly like to see pictures of any others you have, as they bloom (or not).

Ed

[cb977]

Very cute, Doc

I seem to accumulate cacti and succulents too

[Ross]

Nice Howard. I still maintain a few of my older cacti (it's hard to just dump them!) I have found mine respond wonderfully to the same fertilizer I give the 'chids. In fact a couple of mine bloom continuously through the sun-season (summer) and still have big flower buds waiting for some sun to spring forth. Never got into the succulents much, but at one time (prior to moving to Michigan) had over 300 spp of cacti. Moved most of them here, but the climate just isn't condusive to cacti here (at least the ones I had).

[BikerDoc5968]

Agreed, Ross. The growing season just isn't long enough...or the sun just isn't strong enough...but I enjoy them just the same....

[stonedragonfarms]

Very nice Doc! I too grow quite a few succulents...though most tend to be of the cactus ilk rather than those spineless others... For me orchids came first, and then I happened upon all things cereus...trichocereus, oreocereus, selenicereus, haageocereus...lol...I could go on...

[BikerDoc5968]

Hey, Adam, aren't you and Ross buried under 10 feet of lake-effect snow, yet!!!!! How could anything survive up there....I think both of you should move to the warmer portion of the state....where I can be sure you guys are providing good health care for those plants.....down here in Foreclosurer City

[stonedragonfarms]

Hmm Doc...at least the snow is insulating...and I'm not too sure I'd want to move 60+ cymbidiums in mid winter...