CHM garden project 2

[cactushobbyman]

Five days without rain so I went to work on part 1 of the project. First was to clean out the spent flowers, zinnias. Years ago bought a six pack of zinnias and every year since; they come up wild. Same with the Black Eye Susan's. The garden bed is 6 feet wide and 45 feet long. I took about 1 to 2 inches of the native soil out, clay, and replaced it with construction sand, 1 ton to be exact. Part 2 will be adding Napa stuff, and part 3 will be adding some type of rock. Most of this is for decoration, however I will be planting more cactus this spring. All I have to do is pull back the sand and expose the native soil and dig it out and replace with it with non-organic material. I have been doing this in my other garden area and it works very well. After 16 years it needed work. Project 3 in the future, is twice as big as project 2, and project 1 was finished about 4 years ago, about 20 feet by 20 feet.

When the sand dries, it will look like the sand to the left

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Big space for more cactus, took out some that were stressed, lost 13 columns this spring, it was huge

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Cleistocactus strausil and Myrtillocactus geometrizans are over 10 feet tall

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The white PVC pipe is my drip system, pulled it out, needs work too.

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I put in a edging to keep the sand and rock in, easier to clean

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[Peterthecactusguy]

We have been having rain/snow here. It was actually feeling like snow today and tonite it's below freezing, I think. Good luck with your project, looking good so far You sure have a lot of space, I wish I had more space

[hoteidoc]

Sweet, CHM! Couldn't help but notice what is probably horse-fencing in background. So while you're putting in C & S -- reducing H20 consumption, as much as I love horses, AZ has introduced millions of acres of irrigation-requiring mixed alfalfa/grasses to feed (mostly) SoCal/AZ track horses! And I'm currently making my living @ a thoroughbred racetrack, while growing C & S! Ah, the paradox of Life!

[cactushobbyman]

Sweet, CHM! Couldn't help but notice what is probably horse-fencing in background. So while you're putting in C & S -- reducing H20 consumption, as much as I love horses, AZ has introduced millions of acres of irrigation-requiring mixed alfalfa/grasses to feed (mostly) SoCal/AZ track horses! And I'm currently making my living @ a thoroughbred racetrack, while growing C & S! Ah, the paradox of Life!

That fence is a woven wire fence, but on the other side of my property is non-climbing horse fence. When my Dad was alive, we had a couple of quarter horses on the track. Cost more than we made.

[Peterthecactusguy]

In AZ they do stupid things to make lots of money, without worrying about the cost to the environment, nor to the native plants, which by state law the state owns. A strange paradox for sure, they took ownership to protect the plants originally, but it seems now they bow down to ranchers, agribusiness etc. Dunno why we do things that way in our state. As for horse, well I got bitten by one when I was young so I am scared of them now.. And btw I grow C+S to have a more natural landscape that I don't have to waste water on.. MY chinaberry trees on the other hand? LoL I wasted a lot of water on them this past year, oh well. I got an irrigation system for X-mas, it's got two valves on it and is run by batteries. It's got a 6 year warranty so.. I'll see how it goes. And yeah, btw horses are expensive, esp in states like AZ, and Cali where it gets dry and crops fail, unless they have irrigation water, which mostly around here comes from the Agua Fria aquifer, but in other places comes from Colorado River water.
Good luck with your project, it still seems like a big one.

[cactushobbyman]

Project 3, no rain in the last 10 days so it's time for Project 3 part 1. Project 1 is about 30 x 25 feet, Project 2 is about 30 x 6, Project 3 is 50 x 6 feet and some additional area. Project 3 area has some shade trees that cover a good part of the garden. I wanted to use the best material for easy cleaning when the leaves fall. I had a soil mix made and delivered and got it in just before some light showers. Next, top dressing, edging and walkways.

After several rakings

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Lots of cleaning up of plants, removal of dead stems and some embedded acorns from the neighbors trees across the street

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Several cactus removed, some rot, stress and will replant is spring, time to take shaded area in consideration

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Project 4 35 x 55 feet, I don't think so

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[Peterthecactusguy]

Looking good. Those Agaves in the background are HUGE My A. americana seem to get to right about blooming age, and BOOM Agave borers eat them. I need to spray for those this year. (btw the one that got eaten this year was about 2' x 2' so it was very big. Oh well.

[cactushobbyman]

3 of the 4 main plants have had flower spikes. They have tons of offsets and are about 15' in dia.

[Peterthecactusguy]

lol they are huge! And yeah I saw a few of the spikes. If they bloom they die obviously but when you have clumps like that, they can just kinda grow into the space that is given by the dead plants.. I have seen patches like that and that is usually what happens. Do you ever get any seed from the flower stocks? or do you get the bubs?

[SnowFella]

I've got to ask here, third photo down where's the M. geometrizans? I can see a tall C. strausii and a tall C. peruvians but no M. geometrizans

[Peterthecactusguy]

BTW I am not Dennis, but is the M. geometrizans the plant on the right?

[hoteidoc]

Those Agaves are staggering! I like the chair -- indicates you either comtemplate, or actually do, sitting to appreciate your Family. Looks like the trees are a little too far apart to put up a nice rope hammock for siesta!

[cactushobbyman]

I've got to ask here, third photo down where's the M. geometrizans? I can see a tall C. strausii and a tall C. peruvians but no M. geometrizans

I'm not the best when it comes to IDing plants. This is what I come up with. Picture one, on the right M. geometrizan, to the left Echinopsis pachanio crested, then C strausii, and another E. pachanio crested.

E. pachanio crested, sun burned from 21 straight days of 100 + degrees

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E. pachanio crested with shoots of non-crested growth

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M. geometrizan, information I got off of cactus-art

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M. geometrizan

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[cactushobbyman]

Those Agaves are staggering! I like the chair -- indicates you either comtemplate, or actually do, sitting to appreciate your Family. Looks like the trees are a little too far apart to put up a nice rope hammock for siesta!

The trees are Raywood ash, and are about 25 feet apart on a equilateral triangle layout. These trees give dense shade and in summer when its 100+, you can sit under the trees comfortably until 1pm. And yes I do sit in that chair while working in the garden and taking breaks.

[SnowFella]

That looks very C. Peruvians to me! Ever had flowers on it? Should be a dead giveaway to what it is.