"Fat Plants" : cacti,succulents, caudiciforms, whatever..

[cohan]

So our winter minimums are  close, but your summers are much hotter-- our maximum summer temp is 35C, although I'm not sure if I remember seeing that warm! Usually we get some days 30-32C, last year maybe twice only! And summer is not always dry here- most of our rain comes in June/early July, but can be throughout summer...
In Alberta (not here though) we have native Opuntia fragilis and polyacantha, and Escobaria vivipara, so those are not too hard here; I will try some Echinocereus also, but I will need to make special beds to hold heat for them in summer!

[cohan]

Meanwhile, indoors, Gymnocactus ysabelae (for those of you who believe Gymnocactus belong in Turbinicarpus, its T. somethingorother subsp ysabelae).
Usually it flowers late Jan for me, late this year, flowering last week; 4"/10cm pot

[hochu]

Surprisingly, Escobaria vivipara many times I have planted. But she is always dying in the winter (without protection from moisture). I want to know - what my conditions are different from those in Alberta.

[kelaidis]

We find Escobaria vivipara to be almost indestructible anywhere we put it. I am amazed you have not had better luck. Try it in a rock garden situation south facing? I do well in big troughs. It grows quite a ways into Kansas where it gets lots of rain summer and winter, so it should be one of the easiest!

[Darren]

My experience echos that of Alex.  Even in our relatively mild, but admittedly wet, winters E.vivipara turns to mush. I don't know the origin of the seed I grew mine from but some cactus books say that its resilience is dependant upon the wild population it originates from. Perhaps we need to get seed from plants originating in Kansas!

By the way Alex - nice to see Pediocactus knowltonii, there was a great article on this in the BCSS magazine last year. It is a species I would like to grow.

[hochu]

Panayoti, I have twice left Escobaria vivipara winter in rock garden. But they died in the spring. Now I'm seeding from several populations. I will try again. Maybe I can get the seeds from the most northern population.
 Darren, thank you! Pediocactus knowltonii I grow a winter shelter from the rain. He is very susceptible to decay. This year I will try to keep several copies Pediocactus simpsonii in rock garden. I think that it is more resistant to winter moisture.

[kelaidis]

Just wondering: have you tested soil alkalinity? Many Escobaria grow only on limestone: E. vivipara almost always grows in very alkaline conditions. I think that would help hardiness, along with providing lots of grit and sun.

[hochu]

Thank you, Panayoti, I understand. Grit and sun I have enough I will add lime. I do not know. I hope that Pediocactus not need lime?

[cohan]

So far I only have babies of Escobaria vivipara, so I really can't comment on culture, and I have seen exactly one plant in the wild-- I just didn't get far enough (it's in Alberta, but still far from here, many hours driving)! That one plant was in short grassland, on top of a hill.. quite a dry area (otherwise it would not be grassland!), main precipitation there is most likely in early summer, and thunderstorms during summer-- though heavy rain might largely run off without wetting the hill as much... I guess there could be wet times in spring or fall, when its chilly, on occasion, though mid-winter is too cold to be really wet.. this year, there would not have been much snow cover in that region, and a lot of wind, so plants are very exposed... Probably doesn't help that much!

[ruweiss]

Today we suffered from a cold and rainy day, a good reason to visit the Uhlig Cactus and Succulent
Nursery, which had an open day. Sorry, no names for the plants, but I hope, that you like the photos
anyway.

[ruweiss]

More pictures:

[Maggi Young]

Today we suffered from a cold and rainy day, a good reason to visit the Uhlig Cactus and Succulent
Nursery, which had an open day. Sorry, no names for the plants, but I hope, that you like the photos
anyway.

A very good reason indeed, Rudi.... but, you know, I think you might have gone even if the sun was shining to see these beauties!
The colours of the flowers are so very charming.

[ranunculus]

Lovely images, Rudi ... many thanks for posting.

[cohan]

Great stuff! A lot of Rebutias in there- they put on a great show!

[ruweiss]

Thank you for the friendly comments. Cohan, you are right, the Rebutias are real eyecatchers, especially
in bigger numbers.