Disease of Cactus and Succulent

Rotting

The main diseases of cacti and succulent plants are due to various fungal and bacterial rots.

In general healthy, growing plants are quite able to resist infections with these. However they commonly occur as a secondary effect of other problems such as attack by insects pests, physical damage leaving exposed plant tissue or incorrect growing conditions. The single biggest cause is probably fungal rots entering via dead roots caused by poor root aeration.

The best way of avoiding these problems is to provide conditions which prevent their development, i.e., a healthy pest free environment. If they occur and are spotted early it may be possible to save the plant by cutting away all the diseased tissue with a clean knife.

In particular look for discoloured vascular tissue which may be red or brown and penetrate some way into otherwise healthy tissue. The knife should be cleaned with alcohol to prevent spreading fungal spores. It may be beneficial to dust the cut surfaces with flowers of sulphur.

Fungicidal chemicals can be used to give some protection but this should only be tried as a last result since they are not effective against the whole range of different rot producing fungi. Young cactus and succulent seedlings are particularly prone to 'damping off' which is a fungal attack. This can be partially controlled by copper fungicides. The other frequently mentioned chemical for this purpose, "chinosol", is suspected of causing some damage to the seedlings and is not recommended.

Deficiency diseases

The other group of diseases affecting succulent plants are caused by soil deficiencies of various minerals. This may not simply be that the soil does not contain the required elements but that they are not available due to the soil become too alkaline from build-up of salts from minerals contained in the water which is used for the plants. It is useful to know how alkaline your local water is, and if necessary take steps to correct this by adding suitable acid.

Unless you are a chemist and have the necessary knowledge it is inadvisable to use strong mineral acids for this purpose. It is possible to use citric acid or acetic acid (vinegar) but the favourite remedy is potassium dihydrogen phosphate which also supplies useful elements. If your local rainwater is sufficiently clean then this is the best way to avoid this problem.

It is more likely that deficiency diseases will shown up in peat based rather than soil based composts. If a plants looks chlorotic or refuses to grow properly it is worth trying fresh compost to see if this solves the problem. If locally available soils are know to have particular deficiency problems it may be worth adding appropriate supplements.

source: www.cactus-mall.com

Gymnocalycium Cacti

Gymnocalycium cacti are native to the Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia and a few other South American countries where they grow in quite arid areas. These cactus have cylindrical stems which rarely get taller than around 8 inches with a diameter of 5 inches. All of the Gymnocalycium cactus have fairly large and showy flowers which are are white, yellow, orange and pink. The flowers are borne at the growing point of the cactus on short stems.

Temperature

From September though May you will need to keep these desert cactus in a warm and sunny position avoiding only strong direct sunlight. From May onwards they benefit from being kept out of doors in a sheltered position where they will get full sun, some species will require light shade.

Pot Type

Gymnocalycium cactus are best grown in a terracotta type pot which should have at least one drainage hole in the base and it should be unglazed. This type of pot allows good drainage and allows the compost (therefor roots) to breath.

Watering

These plants should be kept moist at all times during the growing season which is April/May through September, water these plants every few days or every day in hot weather.

Lighting

Grow Gymnocalycium cacti in full sun during the summer and winter, if kept too dark they may become overly lush and could be prone to rotting due to over watering, they will also be shy to produce flowers. Some of the species such as G. calochlorum, G. mihanovichii & G. oenanthemum will need some form of shading during the hottest hours of the summer.

Feeding

If the compost is fresh then feeding may not be necessary at all, if the plant hasn't been repotted recently then half strength general purpose fertilizer can be used at watering time from May onwards once a month. Do not feed the plants from September onwards as this can cause lush growth which can be fatal during the darker cold months.

Repotting

Repotting should be done every other year or every three years, annual potting is not necessary. Remove the plant from its put by wrapping newspaper around the stem if it is very spiny. Carefully tap it out of the pot and remove the old compost to examine the roots, if any are damaged or showing signs of rotting they should be removed as close to the plant as possible.Re plant the cactus using the same mix of compost as it was originally in (fresh) and use a pot just slightly wider then the width of the cactus. Do not be tempted to over pot as this will cause the unused compost to go stagnant and you may loose the plant.

From www.easycactus.co.uk

The Sun Burned Cacti

Sun light is one of the most important factors for Cactus to grow up. I have found the interesting article about the sun burned cacti. The author is Andy Cook. He lives in California and plants cacti as his hobby for many years. Wish you enjoy and get some advises from the article.

The problem many of us have is that we collect cacti that are genetically designed the live in these varied climates with a wide range of light, water, and temperature needs and expect them to live and thrive in locales that are not always ideal.

The ideal environment for a cactus is not of course solely dependant on its genetic predispositions. There are several factors that contribute to how well or not well a particular cactus will do under certain conditions. The first factor is how it was raised before you acquired it. Most of the cacti we purchase where probably grown in a greenhouse where conditions are more or less kept within a particular range of light, heat, moisture. Seedlings are kept cooler and in higher humidity conditions with a more limited amount of light than your standard commercial greenhouse. As the plants grow larger they will be moved into a greenhouse where they receive light through opaque plastic and depending on the location of the nursery probably a much hotter and drier climate.

So now you've bought your new little pride and joy from your local nursery, cactus farm, or for some of you mail order nursery. You take it home and immediately place it outside in the hot July sun; probably not a good idea. I have made this mistake a number of times now. On occasion I have traveled to Tucson and purchased cacti at any of the number of world class nurseries in the area. I brought them home to Southern California and put them out on my shelf or deck in direct sunlight. My thinking was originally that these plants were raised in the hot and dry desert of Tucson and should do just fine outside in a slightly cooler climate outside. How wrong I was on a number of occasions. The problem was that even though these plants had been living a greenhouse that in the middle of summer probably reached 115 degrees Fahrenheit they still did not receive any direct sunlight through the opaque plastic of the greenhouse walls. My newly found selections were burning up in the direct sun at home when it was only 90 degrees. Their skins where burning and turning white and soft. They were literally cooking in the direct sunlight. To the lack of shade their chlorophyll was breaking down under the intense sunlight. (Ex. 1, Ex. 2)

I have also had the same experience with cacti that were raised outdoors or in a greenhouse, but lived for a year or more indoors on a windowsill in an air conditioned room. In that year of climate controlled bliss they quickly lost their ability to deal with the stresses of heat and direct sunlight and they too seemed to become susceptible to sun burn when placed outside.

Some cacti have different ways to deal with strong sunlight and heat. For example I have noticed that the Ferocacti of the Southwestern Deserts of the United States develop much more abundant radial spines than the same types of cacti raised in a covered greenhouse. The also will usually have developed better protection and a general hardiness on the south facing side of the plant. Another example of protection from sun would be a cactus increasing the amount of fur it produces. (Ex. 3) Some cacti have fur and or an excess of spines in the area where sensitive new growth occurs which helps shield the tender new growth form the effects of the sun. (Ex. 4) Another style of sun and heat protection would be that of a cactus retreating into the ground to get away from the sun.

A classic example of this would be the Ariocarpus Fissuratus of the Big Bend area in Texas and Mexico whose appearance looks remarkably different in the wild than those grown in a greenhouse. Example 5 shows an Ariocarpus in habitat, example 6 is an Ariocarpus raised in much more favorable conditions. (Ex. 5*, Ex. 6*) Personally I have seen these changes in two particular cacti that I have in my collection. First one is a Mammillaria plumosa that looked fluffier and fuller when I brought it home. (Ex. 7) Then after being placed in the direct sun for several months it became much more withdrawn and the tubercles seems to tighten in on the body making it very hard to see any of the green of the body. (Ex. 8) The second example is a Mammillaria haageana that looked quite normal and vibrant when I bought it. (Ex. 9) After more than a year in the sun it shrank down in size and developed a much denser amount of spines. (Ex. 10)

So the problem is not that some cacti do not have defensive features for extreme heat and sunlight it is that the slow growing nature of cacti makes them susceptible to being placed suddenly in unfamiliar conditions. Your average house plant or tree is able to produce more shade leaves when there is an increase in sun intensity or in if placed in an area with a lack of sunlight shed excess leaves rather easily. A cactus on the other hand is just not able to produce more spines, fur, or toughen its epidermis fast enough to deal with a sudden changes in climate.

In conclusion my advice is to know and pay attention to the conditions your cacti have been in and are in. If you are bringing your cacti out from inside after the winter care should be taken to introduce them to the direct sun gradually. The easiest thing to do would be to use a shade cloth, though I feel in most climates this isn't necessary early on in the spring. It would be better to physically move your plants around alternating them in and out of sun from day to day. For some of us this may be easier than others. In my case I have most all of my cacti on a large shelving unit. (Ex. 11) Certain parts of the shelf receive more or less sun during particular times of day. So what I am able to do is alternately move them around on the shelves depending on what I feel their light requirements are. Also in the middle of summer when the sun is at its most intense I almost always at least in part cover my plants with shade cloth. Cacti aren't able to move or put on sun screen so they may need our help when dealing with the elements. So don't let the sun be an enemy of your cacti.

From http://cactiguide.com/

Greenhouse Maintainance

What to do

It's important to keep your greenhouse clean and tidy to prevent pests and diseases spreading rapidly in the humid and heated conditions. Below are some general maintenance tips.

• Put canes around plants that need support; such as cordon tomatoes and melons, and tie in emerging shoots.

• Prick out, pot on and pinch out plants as needed. Summer pruning and fruit thinning may be required with some plants, such as grape vines.

• Water regularly, making sure that the composts and soils don't dry out.

• Weed around plants and in the beds.

• Make sure that plants are fed as required.

• Put up shade nets in early summer to protect plants from scorching by direct overhead sunlight. Shading washes can also be sprayed onto the outside of the greenhouse and washed off in autumn.

• Avoid watering plants in the middle of the day during summer as this can scorch the leaves.

• Some plants prefer high humidity, so splash the floor with water (called 'damping down') each day in the summer or use a hand-held mist sprayer.

• Look out for pests and diseases and treat appropriately. Common pests in warm, humid conditions include aphids, red spider mite and mealy bug. Diseases include mildew and botrytis.
  

Watering and humidity

Cold water straight from the tap can shock plant roots in summer. Therefore keep a watering can full of water inside the greenhouse during summer to ensure you have a supply of warmer water.

Another way of raising humidity is to place a tray of water on the floor which will slowly evaporate into the air. To lower humidity, keep vents and windows open in the summer. You may want to invest in automatic vents which open and close according to the temperature. Extractor fans are also useful.

The annual clean

A regular clean will help maintain the structure of your greenhouse, particularly if the frame is made from wood and therefore prone to rotting. Dirty windows affect sunlight levels - less light can lead to seedlings becoming straggly.

The ideal time for cleaning is just before spring sowing as this will remove over-wintering pests and diseases. Early autumn is another good time for a cleanout, just before tender plants are returned to the greenhouse. Avoid tackling your greenhouse during the winter months, as doors, windows and vents will be wide open and plants will need to be moved outside.

Rose - Symbolism and Color

Color is definitely a personal preference. And while the red rose may be the first to come to mind, a rainbow of colors exists. The chart below matches some of the most popular rose colors with the sentiments they express

Color	Symbolism
Red	Love, respect
Deep Pink	Gratitude, appreciation
Light Pink	Admiration, sympathy
White	Reverence, humility
Yellow	Joy, gladness
Orange	Enthusiasm, desire
Red and Yellow	Gaiety, joviality
Yellow	Sociability, friendship

Peyote Lophophora diffusa var. koehresii

Family: Cactaceae (kak-TAY-see-ay)

Genus: Lophophora (lof-OH-for-uh)

Species: diffusa var. koehresii

Synonym:Lophophora williamsii var. koehresii, Lophophora diffusa subsp. koehresii

Category:Cactus and Succulents

Height:under 6 in. (15 cm)

Spacing:3-6 in. (7-15 cm)6-9 in. (15-22 cm)

Hardiness:USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F)

USDA Zone 10a: to -1.1 °C (30 °F)

USDA Zone 10b: to 1.7 °C (35 °F)

USDA Zone 11: above 4.5 °C (40 °F)

Sun Exposure:Full SunSun to Partial ShadeLight Shade

Danger:Parts of plant are poisonous if ingested

Bloom Color:Pale PinkWhite/Near White

Bloom Time:Late Spring/Early SummerMid SummerLate Summer/Early Fall

Other details:Drought-tolerant; suitable for xeriscapingAverage Water Needs; Water regularly; do not overwater, suitable for growing in containers

Soil pH requirements:6.6 to 7.5 (neutral)7.6 to 7.8 (mildly alkaline)

Propagation Methods:By dividing rhizomes, tubers, corms or bulbs (including offsets) From woody stem cuttings. Allow cut surface to callous over before plantingFrom seed; direct sow after last frost

Seed Collecting:Allow unblemished fruit to ripen; clean and dry seedsUnblemished fruit must be significantly overripe before harvesting seed; clean and dry seedsProperly cleaned, seed can be successfully stored

From:www.davesgarden.com

Lophophora

Lophophora is a genus of spineless, button-like cacti native to the southwestern United States (Texas and New Mexico) through Northeast Mexico and South to Querétaro.

Literally, Lophophora means "crest-bearing", referring to the tufts of trichomes that adorn each tubercle. The name is derived from the two Greek words λοφος (lophos, the crest of a hill or helmet) and φορεω (phoreo, to carry).

The species are extremely slow growing, sometimes taking up to thirty years to reach flowering age (at the size of about a golf ball, not including the root) in the wild. So the planter should be very patient. However, cultivated specimens grow considerably faster, usually taking between three to ten years to reach from seedling to mature flowering adult. Due to this slow growth and over-harvesting by collectors, the species are considered to be in danger of extinction in the wild.

Lophophora has been reported to be comprised of everything from one species, L. williamsii with varieties, to the four species L. diffusa, L. fricii, L. viridescens, and L. williamsii. Most modern authorities consider Lophophora to be a genus of two species, L. diffusa and L. williamsii. Recent DNA sequencing studies have shown that L. diffusa and L. williamsii indeed are distinct species. DNA evidence from the alleged species L. fricii and L. viridescens would allow for more accurate classification.

Pest

Lophophora suffer from mealy bugs and worse of all red spider mites. Red spider mite can disfigure a soft skinned plant like a Lophophora in a matter of days, it is then disfigured for a few years until you can grow out the marked skin. The red spider mites are tiny and almost invisible to the naked eye but you will see the fine webs across the surface of the plants.

There is no doubt that prevention is better than cure and our plants are sprayed routinely with Spider Mite Control and Buzz Off. These are organic products and are not absorbed into the plants epidermis. Another pesticide

Lophophora can take a lot of watering growing in this soil mix, rainwater is best but tap water is also fine. According to the experience of writer who lives in UK, his plants were out with no protection from April until October 2005 with the soil wet almost every day of the season. The result: healthy fat plants with a much better colouring than those grown in the glasshouses and with no pests.The plants were fed with a 12.5-25-25 fertilizer, every two - three weeks.

Source: wikipedia and www.divinecactus.com