January Collection Updates - The Not So Good
I mutilated three of my cacti this past Fall when I thought they’d been beset with scale (it was more than likely just mechanical damage or a sign of healing from prior edema). It turns out that when you actually have scale, it’s pretty easy to determine as the little critters come right off, and move quite a bit when you try to get them off with tweezers or you squeeze them! Anyway, after skipping my weekly anti-critter spaying because of the rain, I found scale on my Astrophytum yesterday, right where the flower has bloomed then died, which must have attracted the little critters. I sprung right into action to remedy the issue and forgot to take a photo, but here’s the aftermath:
- Slaughtered Bugs on Table
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- Astrophytum Post-treatment
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After I sprayed the plant with rubbing alcohol, and used a soft toothbrush dipped in alcohol to scrub the top of the cactus where I found the bugs, I sprayed it with Sierra Natural Science’s pesticide; once that dried, I then sprayed it with their fungus control spray, and did the same (minus the alcohol) with everything else in my collection, just in case (hence why some of the plants look wet in these photos).
I also have several cacti, both rooted and otherwise, that are not doing so great with the sun + winter rest, or are just discoloring/corking for reasons I can’t figure out. I just hope they’ll all recover once I install shade cloth and resume normal watering in the spring.
- Myrtillocactus - Side Directly Facing Southern Sun Exposure
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- Myrtillocactus - Side Facing the Patio
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- Gasteria - The Side Closest to the Sun is Not Looking So Great
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- Discoloration on Spiralis Cutting 2
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- Discoloration on Spiralis Cutting 1
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- Corking on Dehydrated Unicorn Cactus 1
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- Corking on Dehydrated Unicorn Cactus 2
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- Corking on Aereole of Montrose Peruvian Apple Cactus Cutting
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- New Growth is Red on 1 of 2 Boobie Cacti
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- New Growth is Red on 2 of 2 Boobie Cacti
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- Reddening Epiphyllum
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Here’s another one that seems to whither away more and more each day. I got it for free when I purchased a cactus at a yard sale, and the seller told me to treat it like a cactus, and water sparingly. Well, that does not seem to be working…
- Dying Unknown Succulent
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Here are pictures from the day I got it:
- Unknown Succulent 1
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- Unknown Succulent 2
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If anyone reading this happens to know what it is and/or how to take care of it, I’m all ears!
I have no idea what’s going on with this Mexican Fence Post I purchased in September. When it first started discoloring, I moved it out of the sun and under the awning where I keep cuttings of the same type of cactus (pictures in post directly above), but it may look worse now than before I moved it. The first photo shows what it looked like the day I received it.
- Mexican Fence Post Day 1
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- Mexican Fence Post Present Day
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When I bought these Crested Euphorbias, the nursery gave me the one on the right for free because of the sun damage, plus the roots were virtually nonexistent. I’ve been keeping it on the second shelf of a plant stand that’s out of direct Sun and all seemed well, till yesterday when I noticed that the previously all green/healthy one was also starting to redden. Nothing else has changed since I purchased these, so I may need to start giving it sips in case the roots are dying off and causing the discoloration.
- Crested Euphorbia Discoloration
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I noticed a small orange colored spot on one of the stems of my Christmas Cactus about two weeks ago before it started raining. I thought I was paranoid and it was probably sun damage, and so I did not treat it. Well, when I checked yesterday, it not only appears to be definitely rust, but it’s also spreading to adjacent stems. I used both an anti-fungal systemic as a root drench, and also sprayed it liberally with the Sienna Naturals Disease and Fungicide spray, but I’m not sure if I should cut off the impacted leaves. I’m not the biggest fan of this type of cactus, so I’m willing to take a gamble for now, but I’m also open to suggestions.
- Christmas Cactus Rust 1
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- Christmas Cactus Rust 2
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- Christmas Cactus Rust 3
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Finally, after giving up on these seedling containers and putting them on a shelf to dry out, they developed all types of molds / fungi. I wonder if the heat of the seedling mats was suppressing the growth of these nasties, or if it’s just happenstance now that they’re only covered by netting (though I’m running an industrial air purifier right next to the grow space).
- Contaminated Seedling Container 1
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- Contaminated Seedling Container 2
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- Contaminated Seedling Container 3
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I’ll post a seedling update soon (Summary: Not Doing So Well
), but the photos directly above can definitely be classified as some ‘Not So Good’ happenings from this month.