Working at the Greenhouses

Share info and Pictures about gardens, parks, nurseries, and other locations with cacti.
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coltonschultz
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:45 pm
Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Working at the Greenhouses

Post by coltonschultz »

Hello all,
My name is Colton and I'm an Environmental Management major at Cal Poly SLO with a concentration in Wildlife Biology. I work at the Cal Poly Plant Conservatory, and I tend to the Desert room as well as other propagation and tropical rooms. I also propagate plants from seed, mainly caudiciforms like Adenium and Pachypodium. I plan to post pictures of flowers in the desert room and propagation rooms when it applies to cacti and succulents. Enjoy!
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Delosperma sphalmanthoides, from Grow Nursery in Cambria, CA.
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Haworthia Retusa, from Flora Grubb Gardens in San Francisco.
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Antimima sp.
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Mammillaria sp.
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Fenestraria sp. (rhopalophylla?)
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Crassula sp. from Dry Garden Nursery in Berkeley, CA.
Deerhuntin
Posts: 9
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2016 5:38 am
Location: Alaska

Re: Working at the Greenhouses

Post by Deerhuntin »

Looks sweet!

What are you planning on being with Wildlife Bio? I didn't do that, I went for conservation law enforcement, but had a lot of classes about the wildlife I would protect. I wanted to be a game warden. Ended up deciding i currently like Alaska and now am in management of a salmon hatchery. Not quite how I expected it to go, but I may try to switch into wildlife research eventually. Once remote living has gotten its best of me.
Saguaro123
Posts: 2974
Joined: Wed Nov 26, 2008 6:17 am
Location: SF Bay Area (Zone 9b)

Re: Working at the Greenhouses

Post by Saguaro123 »

Thanks for sharing Colton! Being able to care for succulents is a nice job to have as a college student. It makes me wish the university I am at has a plant conservatory, at least one for C & S.

I noticed that some of the tags are from the Huntington. Are those plants yours, or were they purchased by Cal Poly for their collection?

I can't wait to see more!

Byron
coltonschultz
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:45 pm
Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Re: Working at the Greenhouses

Post by coltonschultz »

Deerhuntin-My major applies more to writing Environmental Impact Reports compliant with the California Environmental Quality act, but with my concentration, I will also know a lot about surveying sites for plants and other wildlife, and I get to take classes like Plant Taxonomy and Field Botany(With field trips, one to the Mojave desert!). My major is pretty interdisciplinary so I could even apply for jobs like being an urban forester, but most likely I will end up in environmental consulting.

Saguaro123- The plants from the Huntington are mostly donated by the Huntington, as the professor who manages the greenhouses has close ties with many of the curators and even the director, Jim Folsom. We received a large donation two years ago from the desert collection, which included Lithops, Haworthia, and some others like Crassula and Kalanchoe. Groups that volunteer at the conservatory have gone on field trips to the Huntington, and I've gone on two supplemental field biology course field trips with other undergrads and graduate students, which involved studying whole families of plants like the Palms and Aroids. Hoping for a Cactaceae class!
coltonschultz
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:45 pm
Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Re: Working at the Greenhouses

Post by coltonschultz »

It's been a warm weather week here in San Luis Obispo, and the plants are responding. More flowers to share!
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Delosperma sphalmanthoides again, this time putting on a large show. The flowers tend to look best on their first day opening, and continue to open daily with the amount of sun that the front porch of my apartment gets.
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Stenocactus coptonogonus. I was surprised to see this one in flower.
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Unidentified sp, but appears to be a member of the Cactaceae. Any help on this one?
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Mammillaria bombycina. Quite a large specimen; you can see the spent petals lingering on the fish-hook like spines. I'm sure we've all had our fair share of getting clothing snagged on these fish-hook spines.
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Rhipsalis sp. recovering nicely after being dropped flat on its face onto concrete a few months ago. A faulty hook on a hanging basket where it used to reside was to blame for this, but it's finally showing some signs of life.
That's all for now, until the weather warms up more consistently at least. Hope you all enjoyed.
esp_imaging
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Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2015 4:27 pm
Location: England
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Re: Working at the Greenhouses

Post by esp_imaging »

Re: "Unidentified sp, but appears to be a member of the Cactaceae. Any help on this one?"

Rhipsalis pilocarpa, I believe.
A bit more spiny/bristly than many Rhipsalis
A small diverse collection of Cacti & Succulents
Based in the UK
http://www.edwardshaw.co.uk/cacti
coltonschultz
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:45 pm
Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Re: Working at the Greenhouses

Post by coltonschultz »

Thanks so much esp_imaging! Another plant that will finally have a tag.
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7george
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Location: Calgary, Canada
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Re: Working at the Greenhouses

Post by 7george »

That "Mammillaria sp." is M. plumosa.
If your cacti mess in your job just forget about the job.
°C = (°F - 32)/1.8
coltonschultz
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:45 pm
Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Re: Working at the Greenhouses

Post by coltonschultz »

Thanks george! I'll be sure to put a label on it.
keith
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Joined: Wed Jun 12, 2013 3:50 am
Location: S. CA USA

Re: Working at the Greenhouses

Post by keith »

Cal poly SLO has a very nice botanical garden. Some nice big Proteas . Lots of succulents used in landscaping around that town very water thrifty
coltonschultz
Posts: 70
Joined: Sat Nov 16, 2013 11:45 pm
Location: San Luis Obispo, California

Re: Working at the Greenhouses

Post by coltonschultz »

Just talked with one of my professors and confirmed the next course at the Huntington will be on the Cactaceae! I'm stoked! Things are looking good in the greenhouses, Adeniums coming into flower as well as many of the euphorbs, pachypodiums coming back into leaf, including some I grew from seed! Photos to come soon.
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