Any cactus lovers?

SW-EDC

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Here is my small but growing collection. I'm in So. Cal so the climate is perfect for cacti.
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Very rare Ariocarpus Bravoanus
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When it flowers:
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What soil do you choose for your cactus SW-EDC SW-EDC That is always a quandary of mine when I plant a cactus. I don't like to re-pot them. Do you keep your pot sizes small and let the cactus grow into the size or keep them smaller?
 
What soil do you choose for your cactus SW-EDC SW-EDC That is always a quandary of mine when I plant a cactus. I don't like to re-pot them. Do you keep your pot sizes small and let the cactus grow into the size or keep them smaller?
I want to start making my own but right now, for the majority of them, E.B. Stone cactus mix. It has too much peat IMO so I compensate with some natural gravel to promote drainage.
With pot size, you want to replicate their natural habitat as much as possible. In nature, they have area as their drainage medium so the chance of root rot is low (which is a cactus killer).
I don't like large pots for small cacti unless your planting multiples in one large area shallow pot.
Good drainage is a must so compensate your cactus mix with perlite or small rocks. Home Depot sells a bag of crushed volcanic rock. That would be good too.
 
I've been thinking about a barrel cactus (like the one in the middle of your first picture), maybe 6" tall. I've had them in the past and had them grow to touch the ceiling and at that point, I have no idea what to do with them. Some people might ask why somebody would want to plant prickly things like this. :D When I moved from my last house, I trashed a really big one because I simply had no practical way to move it in a vehicle without breaking it.
 
Well I don't know if I would call myself a cactus lover but we love this cactus.
We call it "Mr Big Spines".
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Several years ago when it was little it was covered with some noxious weeds that had this poisonous white milk sap stuff that we read would be pretty bad to get on one's skin. The Chef battled them and battled them and finally we had them abated by some dedicated folks. The Chef still has to get out there and pull the tiny ones out all the time.
We asked the weed wranglers to leave the cactus alone and it is now thriving these many years later. I like to think it grew it's spines on the early "paddles" extra long to fend off the nasty invaders. That's probably not true but you can see how long the spines are on the older parts of the plant.
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The above photos are now over a year old. I missed photographing it in it's full glory this year by a few hours. It was blooming early in the day when I left for work and by the time I got home and could have got some pics it was all over and had closed up.
Maybe you can imagine about twenty flowers all like this one. IT WAS REALLY SOMETHING !
This photo was a bit earlier when it only had a couple of flowers.
We are in the high desert of Colorado at the foot of Pikes Peak. We regularly have eight point deer in the yard and have had about five black bears visit in about fifteen years.
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I spent a fair amount of time in Texas. One of the wonders I observed were the various cactus in bloom in the spring. Being from the East, I had never seen anything like that to that point in my life (early 20's). I had just gotten into 35mm photography (SLR) and you can probably imagine my excitement. I'm a wild flower person by the way.
 
SW-EDC SW-EDC Is that the volcanic rock you were speaking of? Pot looks pretty big, but the angle may exaggerate the height. I need to get at least one of those and get back into the Cactus saddle. I presently grow lots of Christmas Cactus.... all the colors that I am aware of. You're right about root rot being the cactus killer. I get a kick out of some of the advertising saying yellow christmas cactus are rare. I have quite a few. The difficult to get ones border on orange rather than yellow.

In the past I have added sand to the soil mix, but I was always pretty dissatisfied with that approach. I think something with a larger grain size would be better.
 
I love cactus, living in the Southwest we get our share! My wife has some she's bought and some that have just showed up. Their ability to survive is amazing! We have one Christmas Cactus that always pleases. A couple of years a go we were staying at a B&B and they had a large version of CC, it was flowering beautifully, planted in an old ringer washing machine. We got a clipping, it's doing OK but hasn't bloomed in 5 years!

Claret Cup in the yard:
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Prickly Pear, my wife broke a piece off a wild one and it's been in this pot for over 10 years:
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Fish Hook and not sure what:
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We have Agave all over the yard, we had one flower a few years ago, I'll do another post on it. Here one is being visited by our local turkeys:
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I love cactus, living in the Southwest we get our share! My wife has some she's bought and some that have just showed up. Their ability to survive is amazing! We have one Christmas Cactus that always pleases. A couple of years a go we were staying at a B&B and they had a large version of CC, it was flowering beautifully, planted in an old ringer washing machine. We got a clipping, it's doing OK but hasn't bloomed in 5 years!
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We have Agave all over the yard, we had one flower a few years ago, I'll do another post on it. Here one is being visited by our local turkeys:
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I love this picture!! Christmas cactus aren't really cactus in the classic sense. I like them quite a bit. On the larger ones, when one of the brachs break or fall off, I often try to start a new plant. I have about a 50-50 success ratio rooting them. I have not found them "easy" to root as some people say.
 
SW-EDC SW-EDC Is that the volcanic rock you were speaking of? Pot looks pretty big, but the angle may exaggerate the height. I need to get at least one of those and get back into the Cactus saddle. I presently grow lots of Christmas Cactus.... all the colors that I am aware of. You're right about root rot being the cactus killer. I get a kick out of some of the advertising saying yellow christmas cactus are rare. I have quite a few. The difficult to get ones border on orange rather than yellow.

In the past I have added sand to the soil mix, but I was always pretty dissatisfied with that approach. I think something with a larger grain size would be better.
No, that's red granite. Volcanic rock is porous. Here is some.
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Basically. Same stuff!
HD has a bag for about $8
Either all black or a combo of red/black.
I just bought a bag for a couple of pots.
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I've tried, and failed, to take care of a cactus 5 times. 1 drowned, 1 just one day fell in on itself, and the rest apparently got too little water :rolleyes:

But I like them. Great pictures.
 
Where you are, there are certain species that will do well either indoors or in a greenhouse.
Very little water is key as well as well draining cactus soil and sunlight.
 
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