Forgot to include a little something in Part 2...
When October heat keeps going into the following month, Astrophytum myriostigma will favor us by ending its long blooming period with a flower in November. Case in point -- not one, but a "twofer" on 11/8:
The cactus with the papery spines you see on the lower left will begin Part 3. But first, let's investigate those big beautiful blooms:
More from the California Cactus Center (June 2011)
If you've been around Tephros for awhile, you'll know that they like to drop segments as their preferred method of propagation. Don't know about other members of the genus, but it seems papyracanthus (more commonly known as the "paper-spine" cactus) is rather generous about spreading the "cactus wealth" in that regard. Mine certainly is, so here are a few examples of what I get to see every year.
2 new segments in spring followed by a good summer of growth -- 5/19 and 10/21/18:
That's 7 segments in total, rather impressive for my paper-spine. Now we'll move forward to 2019, as the plant got the drop on me (literally) that March. Lose a segment, gain a new segment (4/13):
A segment detaching itself when it got pushed out by another new one (6/23):
The view on 7/4:
Okay, we're back to the paper-spine's high point of 7 segments. T. papyracanthus needs 8 in order to flower -- haven't seen mine bloom yet, but we're
sooooo close. We'll use this pic as a "before" and match it up with an "after" on 8/31:
Nerts! Here's what we have left in the the paper-spine's most recent shot on 10/6:
Gravity being what it is, I have a feeling that the 2 segments on the left will drop. If the plant can configure itself to grow up, not shooting off to the side, it may be able to gain the 8 segments it needs to stay intact long enough for a bloom. While I'm not holding my breath for that one, witnessing my very first paper-spine flower would be awfully nice.
- Turbinicarpus schmiedickeanus var. polaskii and pseudomacrochele ssp. krainzianus -- link from 2018 review Part 13
Turbs are slow growers in general, and I think polaskii might be the slowest. A year of growth may not even be enough to show up on camera, so let's give it 5 -- 4/3/15 and 10/13/19:
Not exactly a prolific bloomer either, although the polaskii didn't flower as much this season as it has in previous years. At least I can give you a pretty little bloom on 9/20:
Big news about the krainzianus last year can be found in the above link. Let's see how those new pups are doing -- 10/20/18 and 10/12/19:
The new pups aren't quite mature enough to flower yet, but the oldest pup bloomed for the first time on 8/2/18. The cheeky little devil at it again on 8/10/19:
First photo on 9/27/11:
Hard to believe how much it's grown over the years -- spanning 2 of them on 9/17/17, 10/21/18, and 10/13/19:
What's that little one on the base? I thought it was a pup, but no -- it's a seedling:
If you think that's a baby E. senilis, think again. Yep, we actually have a hybrid, and the cactus that "knocked boots" with E. senilis Sr. might surprise you. The seedling should go into its own pot, although not something I'll do since we just started winter. This is a project I'll leave for March, at which point I'll give you the full story. By the way -- I'm not normally a fan of hybrid cacti, but the one growing from seed on my watch is something I'll definitely hold onto.
It's not the first time Sr. got busy with another cactus, as I came to discover when the plant issued a new seedling that sprouted in the summer of 2012. Here it is on 9/15/12, and no doubt about it -- that's a "purebred" (9/21/13):
E. senilis Jr. growing up nicely on 9/20/15 and 10/13/19:
The view from above -- same "after" date, and the "before" on 3/10/17 shows Jr.'s growth point wide open for early spring business:
Jr. isn't quite mature enough to flower yet, but this winter may be the time. Sr. starts setting buds in February, so you know what I'll be on the lookout for. E. senilis flowers are drop-dead gorgeous, and it'd be marvelous if both of them bloom at the same time.
First photo on 9/27/11:
Another "hard to believe" moment when I saw the rauschii go from looking like it was on death's door that winter to growing pup after pup after pup starting in July 2012. Moving the plant from terracotta to glazed ceramic in March 2015, then "potted up" 2 years later -- the growth has continued to be amazing (9/20/15 and 10/6/19):
My rauschii is good for 2 or 3 new pups per year -- the latest additions to its brood front-and-center on 10/6:
First photo on 9/27/11:
The Old Man started out as a young man standing at barely 4" (10 cm.) tall. He sure has grown up well -- the view on 9/17/16, 10/8/17, 10/21/18, and 10/12/19:
I'm a metrologist by trade, and it's my nature to measure all kinds of things with a good amount of precision. If you won't mind indulging "Mr. OCD's" penchant for measuring the plant's growth rate, I'll add numbers with a trend line and put them onto those pics:
Ever since major improvements in my growing practice began to "bear fruit" in 2012, the vast majority of surprises have been pleasant ones, but occasionally they're not pleasant at all. In the Old Man's case, I assumed that acclimating him from 8 years of being under 40% shade cloth on the plant bench to full sun on the table this summer shouldn't be a problem. Turns out I was wrong, so I'm dealing with a situation I didn't expect. Rather than go into the details here, you can see them
here. That story is by no means over, so you may want to check in from time to time for the latest developments. Probably not much of that during winter, but hopefully some good ones after the next growing season begins.
We'll end today's installment with this...
Red and green -- the colors of Christmas being exhibited by my red-headed Irishman on the official first day of Winter 2019:
With buds setting (and more on the way), the Irishman should be flowering in earnest next month, so I may have a little New Year's cactus party for you soon. In the meantime, my very best wishes to all of you for a merry Christmas!
