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Nash's hard knock life
Some random days described
Cacti in Flower =^-^= in my collection 2019
Echinopsis : Dark Melody

Was the first plant in my collection to flower this season . It's a more upright plant in it's growth habit . And it would be nice to see if it got a bit taller , chunkier and produce a lot more blooms next season 2020

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Stenocactus species

Stenocacti are normally among the first to flower in the year , so I was surprised the cactus above beat it to it .

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Mammilaria Giselae

You'd never believe this started as a Single headed plant originally . At some time in the past the Growing point ( apex, crown ) was damaged , and suddenly it went overboard with new heads .

Look at it now

Tightly clumping with pretty little pink flowers =^-^=

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Notocactus Fuscus

Newly aquaired this year and Blooming for the first time .

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Opuntia Bulbispina

Planted in a Porcelain ( French ) dolls head . This was dug up at my Local 1932 Bottle Dump . Red Robin Bottle Tip

Red Robin Bottle Diggers on the You Tuber .

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Mammilaria Prolifera Haitensis

This is my favourite form of Mammilaria Prolifera or Multiceps . The Spines are golden and more free flowering than Mammilaria Prolifera Texana .

M. Prolifera Haitensis likes to be baked in the afternoon sun and the small cream flowers open wider. The plant self seeds freely and holds both fruits and blooms , that look amazing again the tight Golden clumping heads .

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Not saying M. Prolifera Texana is not as good plant . But it tends to be less vigorous , the flowers are slightly muddier cream in color and less profuse . Older plants of M . Prolifera Texana tend to push the older central part of the clump up from the soil , or it just dies out from age .

M. Prolifera Haitensis doesn't appear to do this .

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Echinopsis Schick Hybrid ( Galaxy )

Back in the 2000's when I was a member of the BCSS Croydon Branch ( British Cactus and Succulent Society . I used to get quarterly Journals with Colour photo , habitat case studies , branch news and adverts for Growers .

In one Journal there was a spread of pictures for Echinopsis Shick Hybrids . Galaxy was one of them . Even back then I wanted this plant so badly . About three years ago I was overjoyed to see a larger plant of Echinopsis Galaxy & Kent Cacti , while at the Bromly BCSS branch Fish and Chip Supper .

For a while the plant was on my Living Room south facing windowsill . Where oddly it still became etiolated . So I moved it back to the Allotment Greenhouse . Where it managed to sort out it's abnormal growth .

It has Bloomed for the past couple of years .

You can see why I was so desperate to get a hold of this plant . The flowers are truly amazing . I've even taken pups off this plant to grow on separately .

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Echinopsis ( Shick Hybrid ) Tuffet

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Rebutia Heliosa & Rebutia Kieslingii

The R. Kieslingii plants were all grown from seed back in 2010 , as this is a profusely self fertile plant

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Echinopsis ( Shick Hybrid ) Infinity

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Red Octopus like blooms .

Sadly the growing point was damaged by slugs , an old Pre 1930's Strawberry and Cream marble sits in the top . But this plant has decided to produce a Pup which is nice .

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Echinopsis Hybrid

This plant was said to be a hybrid by the BCSS Croydon Branch . I bought it already as a big plant . Each year I struggle to control the Mealy bugs on it and am forever spraying SB Plant Invigourator on it .

But I can't be sure it's not just a V large plant of Echinopsis Oxygen ?

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Notocactus/Parodia Herteri Roeoluteus

Originally a plant from IKEA several years or so back . It just show's if you look careful enough in the Larger cactus section . You can pick up a Gem . It has got to a big size now , and last year produced seed of which I grew , this year it appears it may be seeding itself again .

I also have a plant of Notocactus/Parodia Herteri species . Hasn't really flowered properly as yet , needs more time . But that one had a Deeper purple flower that are slightly smaller .

Side View

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Top View

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Copiapoa Montana

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Two plants of Mammilaria Hahniana

Doing their best to bloom in a complete ring

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Acanthocalycium Violoaceum

This again was a plant from the Big Cactus selection at IKEA

I knew instatantly what it was , so I had to to grab it !

Warning ! !

Some plants from the Big cactus plant selection are often misnamed completely . So if you do get larger plants from there . Try to contact your local cactus Growers Society . I've been growing Cacti since 1993 , so I know a thing or two xd

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Mammilaria Supertexta with pretty much a complete ring of flowers.

Thats what them Mamm's do !

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Chamaelobivia Lollipop

I have been getting a few more Chamaelobivia's in recently . This is one of the newcomers in bloom .

The SB Plant Invigourator appears to be keeping the Main collection in the Greenhouse healthier . Just wish I had more time and medium mixtures to repot all these different plants in the collection .

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Mammilaria Bocasana

This along with Echinopsis Oxygona and Chamaecereus Sylvestrii is one of Grandma's favourite cacti . Plants like these have been sold at Church Bazaar's for decades lol Along with Opuntia Subulata .

Beware of the Hooked spines !

Once they gotcha rolleyes

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Echinopsis : Lochinvar

This plant had a bud on it last year . Echinopsis are renowned for dropping their buds annoyingly . Which means you have to wait another year for another chance to see the blooms .

Luckily this season 2019 he bud stuck and I finally saw that Violet flower biggrin

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Mammilaria Wrightii Wilcoxii

This little spud is probably one of my most recent plants in .

John Pilbeam the most influential man in the world of Cacti and Succulents , immediately disagreed with the original label that was with it . Saying that it was an Invalid name . And gave me the above name . He even sent me an e.mail confirmation .

sweatdrop

Oh to know the most important man in the cactus world !

Such a big flower for such a small plant . You can see why I just had to grab it !

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Echinopsis Schick Hyb : Daydream

Easily one of my favourite Echinopsis hybrid plants . I just wish it would have more than 1 to three blooms a year . It could be such a more impressive plant . Starting to get a bit bigger now , so maybe next season ?

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Allegedly a plant called Echinopsis Gin and Lemon . I bought it from the cactus nursery two or three years ago . The main plant was so old , I took all the side plants off and grew them individually . This season several had a bud each , but Echinopsis are know for dropping buds .

Only one managed to go all that way to flowering . The plant has great spination . But the flower colour seemed a bit intense for a plant that would be called Gin and Lemon ?

And I cant seem to find many other plants online . The only other example seems to be paler on the Lemony side in colour . The cutting that this flower come from seemed to be partially variegated , even the Flower bud seems to be . maybe that effected the flower colour confused

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Grandma's favourite returns !

Echinopsis Oxygona . And this is undoubtable that variety !

It is a plant that has been in the Conservatory of Nash's Garden for many years , and has always been reliable in blooming . Yes that is Nash as in Nash-eoke . The house at Nash's Garden is where my late Rabbit's nash-eoke and Toky- Ohki once lived .

I got the name Nash-eoke from Nash House at Coney Hall , where I once studied on a Gardening course back in 1997 / 98 . This was about the time the Anime Tenchi Muyo was on Toonami . And of corse Tenchi Muyo feature's the original rabbit Ryo-Ohki .

This plant has responded incredibly well over the last several years after being treated my SB Plant invigorator . It's got to the point now that it's so happy , it's likely to just humm along and get bigger and bigger .

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Aug 7th 2019

Notocactus / Parodia var magnifica

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It was hard to predict exactly when this older specimen would bloom . I bout this cactus slightly smaller several years ago at an Auction at the Kent Cacti nursery .

The plant had been in the pot for so long , that when I too it out of the last pot , the plant was in it's own natural made pot !

In other words the Decades of root growth and become so solid , it looked like the plant was in a Cardboard pot . I literally had to cut the tough layer off with a Knife . At parts it was up to 4mm thick .

I then repotted it into a bigger pot with better soil . As you can see , it has already filled that bigger pot .

But I have been rewarded .

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A close up of the Tightly packed Butter yellow flowers . Quite lucky to have the hole top of the plant covered with 7 blooms , but also a few more on the smaller stems .

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Echinopsis Oxygona ( grandma's favourite )

Produces yet two more flowers . And if anything they are bigger than the last two . The plant looks happy almost . This time captured during the day =^-^=

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User Comments: [1] [add]
Wa-onderer_1
Community Member
avatar
commentCommented on: Sun Sep 01, 2019 @ 06:17am
BEAUTIFUL! They can really enhance the Phrase of, "You can look but do not touch!". xD
=^_^=


User Comments: [1] [add]
 
 
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