Let's grow some Melocactus!

[jp29]

An old thread bumped -- I hope to be able to update some of the Information.

[CactusMad]

Ooo looking forward to it James

[apoplast]

Hello James - If you are lurking out there, this is a wonderful thread! Dave W just sent me to it when I posed several Melocactus questions. Very helpful, thanks for taking the time to put it together! Brazil has such wonderful species of cacti. I only wish they were more available.

[jp29]

Hello James - If you are lurking out there, this is a wonderful thread! Dave W just sent me to it when I posed several Melocactus questions. Very helpful, thanks for taking the time to put it together! Brazil has such wonderful species of cacti. I only wish they were more available.

Thank you so much for your kind comments apoplast, they are much appreciated.

[jp29]

I have found that my Uebelmannia pectinifera flourish under the same cultivational parameters that I employ for my Melocactus:

[oldcat61]

Hi JP - the two you sent me are doing fine. In my office for the winter with the melos. Thanks, Sue

[jp29]

Hi JP - the two you sent me are doing fine. In my office for the winter with the melos. Thanks, Sue

Oh, thanks for telling me that Sue! I am happy they growing well (under your skillful care of course).

[oldcat61]

Stupid cat knocked over the arrojadoa & the top section broke off. Rooted easily, so now I have two!

[jp29]

Stupid cat knocked over the arrojadoa & the top section broke off. Rooted easily, so now I have two!

My Augustus woke up long enough to say “Count your blessings Sue - instant and effortless propagation”!

BTW, Gus commands my very comfortable typing chair while I have to use a stiff, high back, one — you know how that goes?!

[Brockodale]

Dear James,

I am delighted to find your cactus information and pictures online again! In the '90s I used to love the wealth of information on your website about Melocactus and Discocactus. I was very sorry to find a few years ago it was no longer there, and when I googled 'James Pickering Tucson' I found an obituary, so I'm very glad to find now that it must have been for a different James Pickering in Tucson.

I have not been growing cacti and succulents for some years, apart from a small number I've managed to hold on to in a greenhouse on a different site. We have been fighting the planning authorities to replace our current house, which is an asbestos shack and a gloom pit incapable of being heated to 15 C in winter. This winter we got planning permission but have not started building yet. For some reason I have these past few months developed major cactus broodiness, and have ordered some Sulcorebutia seeds which I am going to try to grow in the porch as a compromise, as there is no way I'm going to be able to get Melocactus to survive. But the compost information is really helpful and I have ordered some pumice to try.

-Manda.

[jp29]

Dear James,

I am delighted to find your cactus information and pictures online again! In the '90s I used to love the wealth of information on your website about Melocactus and Discocactus. I was very sorry to find a few years ago it was no longer there, and when I googled 'James Pickering Tucson' I found an obituary, so I'm very glad to find now that it must have been for a different James Pickering in Tucson ..........

I am so sorry I missed this posting of yours Manda - let me assure you that I am still an active, although somewhat handicapped, enthusiast. I am now bearing down on my eighty ninth year and on this earth and eightieth year of growing cacti - and still enjoying every moment. As you can see, my website has undergone some changes but I still try to include as many plant illustrations as possible.

......... I have not been growing cacti and succulents for some years, apart from a small number I've managed to hold on to in a greenhouse on a different site. We have been fighting the planning authorities to replace our current house, which is an asbestos shack and a gloom pit incapable of being heated to 15 C in winter. This winter we got planning permission but have not started building yet. For some reason I have these past few months developed major cactus broodiness, and have ordered some Sulcorebutia seeds which I am going to try to grow in the porch as a compromise, as there is no way I'm going to be able to get Melocactus to survive. But the compost information is really helpful and I have ordered some pumice to try ..........

I am sorry to hear about your trials and tribulations, Manda - but pleased to hear that you are still a dedicated enthusiast.

[saboten]

I just finally got down to reading this whole thread, and it's been extremely informative and enlightening to me as I just acquired my first Melo. Thank you so much, James! By the way, I clicked the link to your websites in your signature, and I found you have several interesting hobbies, all up my alley! (although my father is more the numismatist than I, admittedly). Great stuff--take care and relax, of course, but we DO love hearing your wisdom

[WayneByerly]

Hi James
I hope this question finds you in good health, in good weather, and with healthy cacti!!!

I did a google search a moment ago on "melocactus cultivation" and found your posting here at the forum on "lets grow some melocactus". I also found a small set of instructions at
https://www.thespruce.com/grow-melocactus-cacti-1902965

In that set of "instructions", I found the following text ... "One popular species of Melocactus is M. azureus, so named because of its bluish body. Another is the M. ernestii, which has some of the longest spines in the entire genus, up to a few inches long..."

I have two Melocactus ... Melocactus azureus which I got in 2013 (or earlier ... i didn't always keep historical pictures of my cacti), and a Melocactus ernestii which I got (I think) in 2015 ... the very two species mentioned in The Spruce article. How coincidental can that be, eh?

Here are pictures of my two Melos in my very small, very cheap, very primitive greenhouse that I heat in the winter to a minimum of 45F and a maximum of 50F, and which I ventilate with a box fan that runs 24/7 during the hot months. Strictly for environmental information, I live in southeastern Tennessee which has high humidity, frequent rains, and hot (cloudy or sunny, depending) days during the summer:

My small, cheap, primitive greenhouse with my two Melos in the foreground on the right.

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The two Melos together

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The M. azureus which is in a plastic pot.

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and the M. ernestii which is currently in a concrete homemade bowl (which I plan to replace with a plastic pot as quickly as I can get out).

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Anyway, here is my question: obviously, neither of my two Melocactus have as yet to develop a cephalium. Can you tell me (generally) how old they get to be before developing a cephalium?

[oldcat61]

Just curious why you want to re pot in plastic. Weight? Ease of stepping up to a larger pot as the cactus grows? My azureus is about 8 inches high without a ceph. My ernesti is about 5inches and has a 1.5 inch ceph. You might also want a bit more heat for the melos. I have 2 greenhouses but the melos come into my office for winter. Remember in their native areas they don't really go dormant. Just my 2 cents of what works for me.

[WayneByerly]

Just curious why you want to re pot in plastic. Weight?

Hello oldcat61 ... how the heck are you? I hope this response finds you in good health, good cheer, and good weather for YOUR cacti ...

to answer your question, weight IS one reason. I'm 65, in poor health, a chronic pain patient, and every ounce I can save on something I have to pick up now and then is a benefit to me.

but MOSTLY, its because that the more I read, the more I discover that expert cacti growers think that the plastic pots help prevent the roots (the ones that flatten out against the inside edges of the pot) from drying out too fast. What I read is that more and more growers think that this is a good practice. And I've only been doing this (growing/collecting cacti) since 2009 ... that makes me what I think of as a newbie or a FING ... and the people talking about the plastic pots as the experts in the field. I just seems logical to me to listen to the "experts".

Oh ... ONE more thing ... considering the fact that YOU grow melocactus, perhaps YOU can tell me how old Melos might have to be in order to start to grow their cephaliums.

eh?