Windowsill and patio growing

[Minime8484]

Love it! Those Arrojadoa are simply amazing plants - so cool. Incredible that yours are flowering for you now...something about the difference between Tucson and Phoenix sets mine on a completely different schedule. Right now almost all of my Arrojadoa (and other Brazilian genera) are putting on new growth; not a single Arrojadoa is looking to bloom. Mine usually start in late Winter/early Spring, so it's nice to see their flowers now!

Have to make it down to hang out with you soon!

[jp29]

.......... Incredible that yours are flowering for you now...something about the difference between Tucson and Phoenix ..........

I think you are right, Tristan.

.......... Have to make it down to hang out with you soon!

I am looking forward to that.

James

[jp29]

Of course, I have my weaknesses. I also dearly love Discocactus so I couldn't resist including a tray of Discocactus buenekeri growing in 2"(5cm) square plastic pots. I like to grow this species in small containers where the plants flourish for me.


Discocactus buenekeri growing in 2"(5cm) square plastic pots


Flowering Discocactus buenekeri growing in 2¾"(7cm) square plastic pots

James

[george76904]

Looks great! I read last night and wondered where the discos went. Glad to see you still have them!
Hope all is well,
Will

[jp29]

Looks great! I read last night and wondered where the discos went. Glad to see you still have them!
Hope all is well,
Will

Thanks Will. I do still have most of my Discocactus collection at Dan Bach's Cactus Nursery:


D. griseus


D. subviridigriseus


D. latispinus


D. crystallophilus


D. crystallophilus


D. latispinus


D. tricornis


D. catingicola


D. bahiensis


D. araneispina


D. boomianus


D. buenekeri


D. buenekeri


D. horstii


D. buenekeri x horstii


D. placentiformis


D. alteolens


James

[BarryRice]

Jim, did I ask you what winter temps do you let the D. crystallophilus etc. get to at night in the winter?

[george76904]

Very nice! I have a few discos, but I am still missing many, and I recently found out the hard way that D. Buenekeri will got to mush at anything below 45 F, I did manage to save lots of pups though so it wasn't a total loss.
Thanks for sharing,
Will

[Minime8484]

Great shot of some amazing Discocactus. Really love that D. horstii!

[jp29]

Jim, did I ask you what winter temps do you let the D. crystallophilus etc. get to at night in the winter?

Barry, I let the winter temperature go no lower than 40°F (4.4°C) for all of my "lowland" Discocactus -- D. horstii, D. araneispinus, D. crystallophilus, D. bahiensis et al.

James

[jp29]

Very nice! I have a few discos, but I am still missing many, and I recently found out the hard way that D. Buenekeri will got to mush at anything below 45 F, I did manage to save lots of pups though so it wasn't a total loss.
Thanks for sharing, Will

Thanks Will. My D. buenekeri etc. survive minimum temperatures of 40°F (4.4°C) in my growing environment.

Just FYI here is a pic of two plants : Discocactus placentiformis top, and Discocactus alteolens, bottom, taken during the summer of 2012 -- they were growing outside on the ground at my town home and survived two successive low temperature nights of 18°F (-7°C) during the winter of 2011. They have both survived a few frosty winter nights since and flourish today exhibiting only the stem rib scars shown in the pics. (there is a lengthy story relating to all this that I will omit here in the interest of brevity).





These species have been reported found growing on high plateaus in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, where winter frosts sometimes do occur.

And here is a picture taken this morning of those two plants ..........



.......... they continue to flourish bearing flowers and fruit every summer. They are true tough survivors and coincidentally two of my favorite cacti. I do not let them experience winter temperatures below 40°F (4.4°C) now though -- for safety sake!

BTW very low temperatures during the winter of 2011 decimated my Discocactus & Melocactus collections staged in unheated greenhouses at Dan's.

James

[jp29]

Great shot of some amazing Discocactus. Really love that D. horstii!

Thanks Tristan.

James

[K.W.]

Dear James,

very interesting - and great plants.
Thank You!!!

Best wishes

K.W.

[jp29]

Dear James,

very interesting - and great plants.
Thank You!!!

Best wishes

K.W.

Thank you K.W.

James

[george76904]

Very nice! I have a few discos, but I am still missing many, and I recently found out the hard way that D. Buenekeri will got to mush at anything below 45 F, I did manage to save lots of pups though so it wasn't a total loss.
Thanks for sharing, Will

Thanks Will. My D. buenekeri etc. survive minimum temperatures of 40°F (4.4°C) in my growing environment.

James

I know that it should have been more hardy, but it was totally my fault. There was a cold snap coming through but I watered because it looked like the weather was going to hold off, however it did not. So my disco was wet at 45 degrees, or maybe I did something else to it, I am not positive. However I will keep them warmer and drier from now on and all will be good.

[jp29]

.......... I know that it should have been more hardy, but it was totally my fault. There was a cold snap coming through but I watered because it looked like the weather was going to hold off, however it did not. So my disco was wet at 45 degrees, or maybe I did something else to it, I am not positive. However I will keep them warmer and drier from now on and all will be good.

I know what you mean George - I have done the same thing - you have the right remedy!

James