Welwitschia mirabilis - one of "most bizarre plants on earth."

Welwitschias are extraordinary plants and certainly rank among the top ten list of "most bizarre plants on earth." 

Welwitschia is a monotypic genus of gymnosperm plant, composed solely of the very distinct Welwitschia mirabilis. The plant, which is considered a living fossil is named after the Austrian botanist Friedrich Welwitsch who discovered it in 1859. The geographic distribution of Welwitschia mirabilis is limited to the Namib desert within Namibia and Angola.

Welwitschia grows from a short, thick, woody trunk, with only two leaves that continuously grow from their base, and a long, thick taproot. After germination, the cotyledons  grow to 25–35 mm in length, and are followed shortly afterward by the appearance of two permanent leaves.
These leaves are produced opposite of the cotyledons, and continue to grow throughout the entire life of the plant. They eventually grow to a length of 2–4 m and usually become split into several strap-shaped sections.  The species is dioecious, with separate male and female plants. Fertilization, that is, the transfer of the pollen from the male to the female strobili, is carried out by insects that are attracted by "nectar" produced on both male and female strobili

Watering: The plant absorbs water through structures on its leaves, harvesting moisture originating from dew that forms during the night.

Light: Welwitschia mirabilis needs full sun but it should be under roof when it rains.  So it will be great if Welwitschia mirabilis locates in the greenhouse.

Soil: normal soil for cactus and it should be well-drained.  If its leave becomes yellow, it means that you water too little.

Propagation: Welwitschia mirabilis is propagated from seed. Fresh seed will germinate in 45-60 days at 85°F (30°C).

Pelecyphora aselliformis

P. aselliformis is a well known medicinal peyote sold in the markets of San Luís Potosí, Mexico, and is used as a remedy for fevers and rheumatic pains. Extracts have also been shown to have antibiotic activity.  As this plan grows very slowly, therefore, it is usually grafted and rare.   So P. aselliformis may be a challenge for cactus collectors to grow it successfully.

Scientific Name: Pelecyphora aselliformis Ehrenberg
Family: Cactaceae 

Synonym: Mammillaria aselliformis, Anhalonium aselliforme, Ariocarpus aselliformis
Common name: Peyotillo, hatchet cactus, woodlouse cactus.

Origin: Mexico (San Luis Potosí - around the city of San Luis Potosí, above 6000 feet (1800 m))

Minimum Avg. Temperature: 50°F (10°C)

Sun Exposure: P. aselliformis needs a very well drained soil and requires strong sun to part sun to develop good spinal growth. You can grow this plant in the shade of bushes and don’t get direct sun at midday.  

Watering Needs: Watering should be rather infrequent, to keep the plant compact and not become excessively elongated and unnatural in appearance. Keep dry in winter, or when night temperatures remain below 10° C (but some people give this plant a light monthly watering to prevent the drying and shedding of the lower tubercles.) it is hardy to -4°C for a short period.  

Flowers: Pink to violet flowers with lighter outside petals, 2 - 3.5 cm in diameter. The floral buds are acuminate and appear on the apex. 

Blooming season: It normally flowers from February till October, but only if the sunlight is strong enough.

Propagation: It can be reproduced both by seeds and cuttings, but it is often grafted because difficult and slow to grow on its own roots. Older specimens shoot tillers from under tubercles, so they can be grafted, which is a much easier way of propagation than sowing. Young seedlings are tiny and they need several years to reach adult size, and require  close care.

Source:

http://www.desert-tropicals.com

http://www.cactus-art.biz/

http://www.entheology.org

Idea for Green House in Apartment

Here is the good idea of small Green house for people who don't have many spaces and budget for cactus green house.  You can adapt the idea with your home.

Cardón cactus - World's Largest Cactus

Cardón cactus or Pachycereus pringlei (official name) is the tallest cactus species in the world, with a maximum recorded height of 21 meters (70 feet) high and weigh up to 25 tons.  Cardón  grows very slowly and is long-live. Many specimens live well over 300 years. Therefore, Cardón is not the popular cactus and usually founded in the dessert more than in the green house.

Cardón is a species of cactus, native to northwestern Mexico in the states of Baja California,Baja California Sur, and Sonora. You can also find a similar species in the Canary Islands (Spain), Euphorbia canariensis also known as Cardón.  Don't be confused with the Saguaro  (Carnegiea gigantea).  Although Cardón and Saguaro look similar, they are different: most Saguaro are found in the Sonoran Desert and they have fewer ribs on the stems, in being more heavily branched from near to the base of the stem, and in the location of the blossoms. 

The cardón are especially spiny when they are smaller, protecting them from predators. As they grow older, many of the spines fall off and are not replaced. The lower trunks of older plants turn gray, and a cracked, woody bark makes them look like the thick legs of an elephant. Woody vertical ribs allow the columnar cactus to expand and contract like an accordion, storing the water it needs to survive in the arid conditions. These cacti have developed extensive, shallow root systems which quickly capture the brief, but torrential rains of the region. In order to support this great weight, the large cactus has an interior framework of hardwood vertical rods, lightweight, yet extremely strong, which act to stiffen the ribs. This amazingly tough hardwood skeleton has allowed the cardón to become the largest cactus species, able to thrive in the very harsh climate of the Baja California's Sonoran Desert.

Cactus Farm in the industrial style

Let see the industrial cactus farm with automatic machine in Netherlands.

JJ market - biggest outdoor plant market

Now, Bangkok is not the safe & peaceful place to visit.  As a Bangkok person, I’d like to say that it’s the temporary aspect.  Bangkok still has another interesting place to go and today I want to introduce the biggest outdoor plant market in Bangkok.  It is called Jatujuk market (JJ market) which is the plant marketplace from midnight Tuesday to afternoon Thursday.   And on the weekend, it becomes the weekend market where you can find everything you’re looking for.

At the JJ market on the mentioned weekday, major group of visitor are plant wholesaler, garden designer, company officer (go to the market at the lunch) and general people looking for new plants & decoration for their gardens.

In the JJ market, people can find everything for gardening decoration, garden accessories & equipment, fertilizer and, importantly, almost every kind of plants such as herb, vegetable, orchid, cactus, flower, bonsai.  Most of plants are sold by the farm owner and importer.  Some beautiful and rare cacti are imported from Japan and USA.  So the hard-core, rich Thai collectors love to visit JJ market to see the new imported cactus in each week as well as talk about the cactus things.

 As JJ market is in the centre of Bangkok, you also can go to there conveniently with BTS Sky train, MRT subway, public buses and private cars.  Many people like to go by cars because it is more comfortable to take plants back home.  However, some people go with the public transportation and bring the plants back by Tuk Tuk (3-wheels local vehicle)

By the way, now it’s summer in Thailand and the weather is so hot and sunny.  People need to have an umbrella/hat or wear the long-sleeves shirt if they don’t to get burn or a fever.  Fortunately before the day I went to JJ market, it rained.  So it’s cooler.

Wish you guy will love JJ market and visit here in some days.

EM for green garden

What is EM?

EM is is an acronym for Effective Microorganisms™. It is a brand name referring to a line of microbial-based products using a technology developed by Japanese scientist Dr. Teruo Higa who was a Japanese professor of horticulture at the College of Agriculture, University of the Ryukyus.

"EM Technology" uses a laboratory cultured mixture of microorganisms consisting mainly of lactic acid bacteria, purple bacteria, and yeast which co-exist for the benefit of whichever environment they are introduced, as has been claimed by the various em-like culture purveyors.

Dr. Higa claimed that 3 groups of microorganisms exist: ‘positive microorganisms’ (regeneration), ‘negative microorganisms’ (decomposition, degeneration), ‘opportunist microorganisms’.

Benefit of EM

EM has the benenfits in the various fields: agriculture, wasted water managment, household.

EM is the great and useful technology and it is the helpful choice for the organic farm/garden. I write about the EM, not for trade or commercial but I just want to share my experience about EM which is good for my plants and can save my money for ferlitizer.

Usage of EM

There are many ways to use EM. The simplest way is mix a cap of EM with 1 liter water and water to your tree.

Weekly, I mix the EM with water and water that solution to my plants. I got the recipe from my friend:
mix EM with an egg (including its finely broken shell), sugar mollass or yogurt and 1 litre water into the bottle.

Shake the bottle and leave it for 1 week.

Then you'll get the growing hormone solution. Combine the 1 cap of solution with 1 litre water and water to your plants. I do it once a week and I think it's good for my garden because the rose, orchid and cactus grow so well.   

Or you can make the organic pesticide from EM:

Mixing Warm water 300 ml
Molasses 50 ml
Natural vinegar 50 ml
Whiskey or ethyl alcohol 50 ml
EM liquid concentrate 50 ml

Select a suitable sized container for mixing, some plastic bottles with caps for storage and a funnel. Add the molasses to the warm water and stir till thoroughly mixed.

Add the vinegar, whiskey and EM concentrate. Pour the mix into the plastic
bottles and add small quantities of chopped garlic etc.

Seal as tightly as possible and leave in a warm dark place (20-30 C). Release any gas produced at least twice daily by releasing the cap.

The EM is ready for use when the production of gas has stopped and the product has a sweet fruity smell. The mix can be stored in a dark cool place which has a uniform temperature for up to 3 months. If garlic etc. has been used, filter this out before storage. Do not store in the refrigerator.

In my opinion, EM is a part of organic fertilizer.  It can add the microorganisms into the soil and help the plants to grow well.  However, EM can't not be replaced with the fertilizer perfectly.  You still need to give the necessary nutrient (Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium) to your plants.