Hello from Bournemouth, UK!

New to the forum? Use this section to introduce yourself!
Post Reply
UODestroy
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu May 07, 2020 2:02 pm

Hello from Bournemouth, UK!

Post by UODestroy »

Hi,

I am joining the forum as a complete novice and I hope to learn as much as I can from those that are happy to help.

I bought a cactus from my local gardening centre 6 years ago. Here is a picture of it then.
20140327_080853_copy_612x816.jpg
20140327_080853_copy_612x816.jpg (79.56 KiB) Viewed 2771 times
Here is what it looks like now.
IMG_20200512_184832_copy_750x1000.jpg
IMG_20200512_184832_copy_750x1000.jpg (94.58 KiB) Viewed 2771 times
2 years ago I picked up these 5.
IMG_20180815_193758_copy_1160x653.jpg
IMG_20180815_193758_copy_1160x653.jpg (72.75 KiB) Viewed 2771 times
And here they are today.
IMG_20200512_192249_copy_1000x750.jpg
IMG_20200512_192249_copy_1000x750.jpg (119.21 KiB) Viewed 2771 times
Although very much alive, I'm certain that I am doing a number of things wrong and I have several questions that I'm sure the forum will have no issue answering but I am unsure the best way to post. Should I create a post listing all my questions or should I post each question individually in the relevant thread?

Thanks in advance :D
User avatar
gemhunter178
Posts: 2762
Joined: Mon Oct 31, 2011 6:10 pm
Location: Massachusetts,USA. Zone 6A

Re: Hello from Bournemouth, UK!

Post by gemhunter178 »

Welcome!
I can see some small issues, but compared to some of the plants I've seen over the years on the forum, you seem to be doing pretty good!
Depending on what type of questions, I usually do/prefer one thread per relevant subject (with questions that pertain only to the topic), but that's just my personal opinion.
A cactus and succulent collector who especially likes Ariocarpus. …Though I have a bit of everything! Want some pictures? See my flickr! I also do art and such.
User avatar
hegar
Posts: 4596
Joined: Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:04 am
Location: El Paso, Texas

Re: Hello from Bournemouth, UK!

Post by hegar »

I too welcome you to the CactiGuide forum. Although I am not the most experienced grower of cacti, I do at times try to give advice in the pest and disease section of the blog. Also, I do not shy away from asking questions myself, especially about cultural practices and identification of the plants.

As gemhunter178 already stated, most blog members prefer to have one plant presented at a time. At the beginning, I did oftentimes place a large number of digital images of various cacti into a thread I started about cactus identification assistance. The reason was, that I needed to have the plants identified, in order to report them to the Fish & Wildlife Service, which would pick a plant rescue center for them. Those were plants arriving without any documentation from Mexico and some people showed up at the U.S.-Mexico border with a whole collection of cacti and succulents.
While some blog users were eager to help me with the ID task, others were reluctant, because of the substantial number of images entered.
I venture a guess, that if only one plant is shown at a time, you will most likely receive more responses from the forum members.

Harald
DaveW
Posts: 7376
Joined: Thu Dec 20, 2012 2:36 pm
Location: Nottingham, England/UK

Re: Hello from Bournemouth, UK!

Post by DaveW »

Hi from Nottingham UK. I've been cactus grower for 59 years. Main problem with numerous identities requested at once is that the reader has often forgotten what the first pictures were to answer the request. Best to just post two or three at a time and another two or three the following days and you stand more chance of people bothering identifying them.

Your red spined plant is Echinocereus rigidissimus ssp. rubispinus:-

http://www.llifle.com/Encyclopedia/CACT ... rubispinus

Unfortunately it has become a little etiolated through lack of strong enough light. The top and bottom should be as thick as the middle.
UODestroy
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu May 07, 2020 2:02 pm

Re: Hello from Bournemouth, UK!

Post by UODestroy »

Thank you for your replies.
DaveW wrote: Fri May 15, 2020 9:30 am Unfortunately it has become a little etiolated through lack of strong enough light. The top and bottom should be as thick as the middle.
I have been told this by a few members now, I had wondered why it grew this way!

Unfortunately it is getting as much sun as I can give it given our location and accommodation.

What will happen to it if it continues to live as it has been?

Is there anything I can do other than move to a more suitable country?

Thanks again
User avatar
greenknight
Posts: 4813
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:18 am
Location: SW Washington State zone 8b

Re: Hello from Bournemouth, UK!

Post by greenknight »

Have you been letting them go dormant in the Winter? The fact they have thinner and fatter sections suggests to me that you've kept them growing during the season when they should have been resting. Ideally you'd keep them dry and cool then, but you should at least cut back on watering to the point they stop growing. See: http://www.cactus-art.biz/note-book/Dic ... r_rest.htm

You could provide supplemental artificial light. It should be on only during the day, the plants need their dark time.
Spence :mrgreen:
UODestroy
Posts: 8
Joined: Thu May 07, 2020 2:02 pm

Re: Hello from Bournemouth, UK!

Post by UODestroy »

I reduce watering but I have never stopped it completely. I will make sure I do in the future.

I think what I'll do is take it to my grandparents house and leave it in their greenhouse over the summer.

Thank you for your reply
User avatar
greenknight
Posts: 4813
Joined: Tue Apr 30, 2013 4:18 am
Location: SW Washington State zone 8b

Re: Hello from Bournemouth, UK!

Post by greenknight »

If you can't keep them cool enough they may need a little bit of water to keep the roots alive, but avoid giving enough to induce growth.
Spence :mrgreen:
User avatar
Sun_Love
Posts: 33
Joined: Thu May 14, 2020 4:21 pm
Location: Sweden

Re: Hello from Bournemouth, UK!

Post by Sun_Love »

The last picture is adorable, they look like little men with arms :)
Post Reply