Visit the Cactus Farm & House

On last Sunday (March 29th), I joined the trip to visit the Cactus Farm and house. The first place is Deaw cactus farm which is very famous in Thailand. The owner, Mr. Deaw, has collected a lot of the hi-end rare cactus in his farm. So he has both local and Asian customers. Besides, he has the closed greenhouses, his plants are also very green and beautiful. However, visitors like us couldn't not stay in his greenhouses for long as the inside temperature was about 45-50 C or 113-122 Fahrenheit. In this chance, we had time to talk and discuss about the technique to plant the charming cactus like him.

Then we went to the house of cactus collector, Pae. All members in his family love cacti so planting the cacti is the family activity. The most favorite cacti of his father and himself is Ariocarpus. Pae's mother is retired and her favorite is Harworthia and succulent. So we can see the different plants in the same house. Luckily, Pae has the open greenhouse, so we could feel more comfortable.

As the area here is limited, you can see more pictures of this trip on the right side of my blog.

Pseudolithos migiurtinu

In last year, I got 3 Pseudolithos migiurtinu from my friend. I was told that they can be rotten easily. I kept them under another plant so they got the shade light. Besides, I watered them about 2-3 times/week. (I live in the tropical country so it's summer now) They wre fine until yesterday. One of them was rotten. So poor! I also find the information about Pseudolithos migiurtinu and hope that everyone will not make the mistake same as me.

Pseudolithos is one of succulent species and its origin is in Yemen and Somalia. It likes the warm and dry climate. If you live in the cold area, you may need to have the warm green house for Pseudolithos.

The soil in the pot should be light: water can go through easily and quickly.

Sun Exposure: Sun to Partial Shade, Light Shade (4-6 hours/day)

Bloom Color: Maroon (Purple-Brown)

Watering : 2 to 3 times a week during the hot summer, under very strong light (not full sun) and once a week during sunny winter days..

Pseudolithos migiurtinus is named from the Greek 'pseudo', false or fake

and 'lithos', stone, for the appearance of the stems. The genus has a restricted distribution of Somalia, Oman and Yemen. These plants constitute some of the most succulent species among the stapeliads. They are difficult in cultivation and are often grown on grafts with the stock usually beingCeropegia linearis.

Pseudolithos migiurtinus is one of the rarest of the succulent milkweeds (Asclepiadaceae). These plants, like most of the succulent milkweeds (stapeliads) are generally fly pollinated and conveniently smell like rotten meat or some type of manure. This species is usually single stemmed, so propagating them by cuttings is not a winning situation.

Flowers other than roses gifted on Valentines Day

The Valentine’s day is coming and the most common flower that everyone think of is Rose. However, there are other flowers that can be gifted on Valentine's Day. There is a reason why each of these flowers is given on Valentine's Day.

The giver is expected to have associated with each flower a particular meaning and the recipient is supposed to have got that meaning.

These meanings are not accepted by everyone. Yet there seems to be a consensus on this matter, which enables people to communicate using flowers.

The meaning associated with tulip is “love and passion”. This is, in some ways, similar to red rose, which means love, respect, and courage.

Yellow tulip, on the other hand, conveys the sense “hopeless love”.

Hibiscus indicates delicate beauty and heather suggests admiration and beauty.

If rose meant mere love, ivy means a more specific type of love, namely wedded love.

Lotus flower means “separated love” and lily of the valley means “let us make up” or “return of happiness”.

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.
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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.