Mammillaria luethyi

Description: M. luethyi is a very tiny plant, but by far one of the most spectacular members of its genus, distinctive when not in flower because of the 'spination' (if it can be called that!) at the tips of the tubercles, and even more magnificent in flower.
Growth Habits: Solitary or clustering.
Stem: 1.5 cm in diameter.
Spines: Short, soft and white, not prickly.
Origin: Mexico (Northern Coahuila: limestone slabs in Chihuahuan Desert)
Flowers: Large, rich magenta with a white throat.
Lighting: The luethyi needs full sun!!! Poorer luminosity levels produce a green anaesthetic plant with open, far and wide spaced areoles
Watering Needs: Water sparingly, needs good drainage
Cultivation: The plant is often seen grafted, as most of the available stock has so far been propagated this way. Grafted plants grow fast and are very floriferous.
But it is relatively easy to cultivate plants on their own roots and no special care required.
.
Cuttings root very well but plants on their own roots are quite slow.

Mammillaria pectinifera

Mammillaria pectinifera (Syn: Solisia pectinata)

The species is classified as endangered because of habitat destruction, grazing of livestock, mining rock for construction, and dumping of rubbish. Actually the illegal extraction and trade of the plant doesn't seem to be a real threat, because artificial propagation is not a problem today, and many nurseries produce the species.

Origin : Mexico

Frost Tolerance: 20°F (-7°C)

Minimum Avg. Temperature: 50°F (10°C)

Sun Exposure: Light shade

Watering Needs: Rot prone, use shallow pot

Propagation: Seeds, or graft

Habitat: Grows in the Tehuacan Valley Matorral, Mexico, a desert/xeric tropical shrub basin, under bushes and other vegetation, on deep alkaline soils with relatively high surface stoniness and high water retention capacity.

The climate is semi-dry, hot, with summer rains and slight temperature oscillations.

Cultivation: Slow growing, this plant is very rot prone and temperamental when cultivated on its own roots, but it is easy to grow if grafted. Mammillaria pectinifera has a fairly large tap root, and should be kept in a deep pot with a very draining mineral substrate.

Watering during the active growing season (spring and summer), this will encourage steady growth. But be careful with watering, which all thick rooted species require (rot sensitive). Keep dry during the winter rest.

Fertilize every 2 weeks with diluted high potassium fertilizer when the plant is in bud. Light shade or full sun exposures.

Propagation: Direct sow after last frost. (seldom produces offsets)

Source: catus-art.biz, www.lithops.net

New Year Party at Cactus Farm

Yesterday, I joined the New Year party with my friends who love cacti & succulent like me. There were about 60 people.

The party was 2 cactus farms near Bangkok. Both of them stayed very close and 3rd-generation owner. They got the farm as heritage from their family.

Here is the link to his website : http://www.uncle-chorn.com/ I can confirm you will get beautiful, healthy and rare cactus.


In the party, people took their top cacti collection to sell and auction for the charity such ariocarpus imported from Japan, colorful haworthia or A. 3 ribs variegata.

Meanwhile, there was the charity lotto. The prizes were great cactus. Many people spent a lot of money to get the prizes. I got a yellow aloevara


Anyway, I bought the sharp knife from the old man in the party. He made it himself. The knife is made of stainless and its hilt is made from the local timber. So the knife is really sharp and strong for grafting or cutting plants according to my friend who ever used it before. Its price is really cheap : $8.

If anyone wants it, please feel free to contact me. I want to support him because he is retiree and good handicraft man.
















You can see more photos of the party, cactus collection and nursery on the left side.

I hate you - Pests on my cacti!

The pest and disease always visit your cacti & succulent without the invitation. In this year, I lost about 5-8 cactus for pests. I hate them so much and they inspired me to write this article. I think most people should feel like me, too when you look the pests damage your fat, green cacti.

It is said by experts that Healthy Soil can prevent about 80 percent of insect damage. Healthy soil breeds healthy plants that are better able to resist pests. If your plant pot has ant nest, get rid of it. It may look cruel but it's good for your plants because ants always bring pests to your plants according my experience.

I use the nim/neem oil mixed with plain water to spray once a week to prevent any pests. It's biological and safe to any animal or human.

The pesticide or insecticides are always my last choice to kill pests. Many pesticides are harmful to people, and though they do kill pests, they also kill soil nutrients and beneficial insects. If you must spray something on your plants, start with plain water—it will kill some insects and force off many others.

Here are the common pests for cacti & succulent:

Mealy Bugs:

These are white/gray insects about 0.1 inches in length. These bugs consume the cactus sap and reproduce rapidly by laying their eggs underneath a cotton-like covering. Mealy bugs are covered with these white spots and sticky texture. You will find these pests on the stem or spines of the plant. If left untreated, the cactus will stop growing, take on a sticky appearance, and begin to shrivel.

Non-chemical treatment:

• Physically remove these bugs by using external objects such as fingernails, scrub brushes, tweezers, and/or water pressure.

• Apply rubbing alcohol onto the insects by using a cotton swab. Rubbing alcohol will dissolve the waxy coat and kill the mealy bugs.
• Mixing the dish washing liquid with water in the ratio of 1: 50. Best time to spray the mixed water on mealy bugs is the evening. If you do in another time, the solution will burn leaves

Pesticides:

• Use systemic or contact insecticides such as malathion and dimethodate to control widespread mealy bugs. Weekly applications of malathion or dimethodate are recommended to prevent recurring mealy bug attacks.

• For root mealy bugs, remove the cactus from the pot, rinse off all white spots and soil with lukewarm water. Then, allow the plant to dry. After the plant has dried, you can repot the cactus in a well-drained, fresh cactus mix.

Red Spider Mite:

Mites are small, reddish insects less than 0.2 mm long. Red spider mites may also appear as brown dots or red pepper on young growth.Found on the top of the plant, these mites begin as pale yellowish spots and later turn rusty brown. Without treatment, these red spider miters lead to scarring and sometimes webbing on the plants

Non-Chemical Treatment:

The reddish-brown mites thrive in hot dry conditions, yet dislike humid conditions. Acting as a preventive measure and cure, overhead watering and spraying plants may reduce mite attacks. In addition, increase the humidity to prevent further attacks of mites.


Aphids:

Aphids are small, soft-bodied, slow-moving insects that suck fluids from plants. Aphids come in many colors, ranging from green to brown to black, and they may have wings. They attack a wide range of plant species causing stunting, deformed leaves and buds. They can transmit harmful plant viruses with their piercing/sucking mouthparts. Aphids, generally, are merely a nuisance, since it takes many of them to cause serious plant damage. However aphids do produce a sweet substance called honeydew (coveted by ants) which can lead to an unattractive black surface growth called sooty mold.

Aphids can increase quickly in numbers and each female can produce up to 250 live nymphs in the course of a month without mating. Aphids often appear when the environment changes - spring & fall. They're often massed at the tips of branches feeding on succulent tissue. Aphids are attracted to the color yellow and will often hitchhike on yellow clothing.

Treatment:

Spraying with most insecticides is usually effective. A repeat treatment may be applied after a few days.

Pesticides:

Apply miticide for widespread red spider mite problems. You can also use an all-purpose bug killer called “Rose and Flower Insect Killer,” which can help eliminate mite problems.

Smiling Moon

Tonight, there was an astronomy event in my country: Smiling Moon.

It happened when Venus and Jupiter stayed near each another under the moon. They were like this for several hours.

Many people think it's a good sign from the moon (as there is the political conflict in Thiland now) In their thought, the moon and the stars gave the support to them.

For me, it looked beautiful and happened rarely.

Care for Cactus in Winter

Now, the winter is coming. Somewhere, the temperature can be below 34F so what will we do to keep the cactus survive the tough winter? There are the good advices:

1. To survive winters, cacti need loose soil and excellent drainage. Unlike other Garden plants, the challenge in growing cacti is the elimination of excess moisture. Sun exposure and drainage requirements can be met by placing cacti on a sunny hill or raised bed, and using ample gravel or sand mixed with a small amount of organic matter. A thin mulch of stone chips or gravel reduces the risk of crown rot.

2. Cacti naturally reduce their moisture content and shrivel with the onset of winter. This dehydration prevents cactus cells from bursting when they freeze. Excess moisture during autumn months can cause cacti to hold too much water and suffer freeze damage. Don't mulch cacti for winter protection, as you do with other plants.

3. Most cacti change color in the winter. This natural occurrence doesn't mean plants are sick. As plants become less active and the amount of green chlorophyll decreases, red, orange, and other color pigments show through the pads or stems.

4. Please check that your cactus are winter-hardy type. If they are not and you don't have a greenhouse or can't move them into your house, you should purchase a large amount of frost cloth from your local nursery to cover all frost sensitive cacti and succulents. If you are not sure what to cover, it is best to be safe by covering all of your succulents and thin skinned cacti such as cerus monstrauss, cerus puruvians, etc. Listen to the weather forecast at night and cover your cacti anytime temperatures will be under 40? F

Though it is true that most desert cacti aren’t winter hardy, a number of different species will survive in cooler areas. They include species of ball cactus, barrel cactus, prickly pear, and other kinds of Opuntias.

5. In winter, water plants very infrequently - about once every 3 to 5 weeks. It's the cacti nature to rest and stop growing in winter: dormancy So it doesn't need water much, otherwise, it'll be rot.

6. Although the cacti will have dormancy in the winter, it need still the proper light. Cacti should be kept cool and dry to stop them turning a funny shape.

You don't have to worry about exactly when they stop growing, just make sure the pots have dried out before it gets too cold and dark for them to ever dry out. You absolutely don't want a plant to be sitting in wet soil for 4 months because it doesn't need the water and the pot won't dry out by evaporation.

In spring, watch out for plants which have lost their roots, they may be loose in the pots and will have to be given time just like a cutting. Many more will have lost all their fine feeder roots, which is a natural reaction to drought, and they should be watered cautiously once or twice before completely drenching the pot.

You can find more information from www.cactiguide.com It's the good source about cactus & succulent.

Ariocarpus fissuratus

Ariocarpus fissuratus is a species of extremely slow growing cacti aound in rare numbers in Mexico and the southern. Commonly called "living rocks," these cacti usually blend in well with the terrain around them. They are greyish-green in color, sometimes taking on a yellowish tint with age.

These cac

ti consist of many small tubercles growing from a large tap root. They are usually solitary, rarely giving rise to side shoots from old areoles. These cacti are difficult to spot in their natural

 habitat. When they are found, it is usually due to their pinkish flowers

In cultivation, Ariocarpus fissuratus is often grafted to a faster growing columnar cactus to speed growth, as they would generally take at least a decade to reach maturity on their own. They require very little water and fertilizer, a good amount of light, and a loose sandy soil with good drainage.

Growth Habits: Solitary, grows extremely slowly to 8 inches in diameter (20 cm)

Watering Needs: Little to no water in winter, little in summer, needs good drainage

Cultural Practices:

The Ariocarpus are rare slow growing cacti, a 6 inches in diameter mature specimen might be 20 years old. For 

many years the large mature specimens were collected in the wild, practice that has been severely limited by the new regulations, either in Mexico or in international trade. They are not adapted as house plants as they need a lot of sun and careful watering. The large taproot needs enough room to grow, which complicates the good 

drainage requirement, since the deeper the pot, the slower it drains.

The center growing part is sensitive to mealybugs attacks. Since this part is woolly, mealy bugs can be difficult to notice. The plant should be treated as 

soon as mealybugs are noticed.

Blooming Habits:

The Ariocarpus fissuratus has large, diurnal, 1.5 inches in diameter (4 cm), pale to deep pink satin flowers in mid summer, followed by fruit buried in the wool.

Source:Wikepedia, http://www.desert-tropicals.com