Tuesday, July 29, 2008

The Rest of the Cactus Flowers

Gymnocalycium baldianum

This is my oldest cactus and the most reliable bloomer. It flowers from April to September. During its flowering season, this cactus has consistently produced over 120 flowers each year.

Rebutia pulvinosa
Once this cactus started producing flowers in May, it has bloomed once a month since. As summer moves on, the flowers become smaller, but stay the intense orange that you see here. Each round of flowers produces at least a dozen at a time.


x Echinopsis 'Rose Quartz'
'Rose Quartz' flowers several times starting in late spring. The flowers get lighter and lighter with each flowering. I think I like the color of this current flower more than the darker rose of earlier months.

The x before the name signifies that this is a hybrid Echinopsis. This cactus is a cross between the Chamaecereus and Lobivia genera, which are now classified as Echinopsis. Or something like that.
Echinopsis x 'Los Angeles'

This cactus not only has beautiful flowers, but I think the cactus itself is an especially attractive one. It always produces several flowers at once. Last month it bloomed in May, June, August and October. This year, it flowered in June and July. We'll see what happens later!

The x after the name Echinopsis signifies that this is an Echinopsis hybrid. No crosses with other genera, just crosses with other Echinopis. Or something like that.

21 comments:

Claude said...

The pics are, as always, wonderful... ever thought of throwing in a bad pic so the rest of us don't look so bad? LOL

The Gymno is beautiful, But I think the Echinopsis 'los angeles' is my favorite.

Gail said...

wow, beautiful flowers on your cactus!
I never knew that they could flower for so long! You're the lucky gardener! Thanks for stopping by and commenting at Clay and limestone. Gail

WiseAcre said...

All are beautiful but I have to go for the Echinopsis x 'Los Angeles'.

Rose said...

I didn't realize how beautiful cactus blooms are--the echinopsis Los Angeles is my favorite here. Like you say, the plant itself is more attractive than others.

Teri said...

Oh Aiyana, that first flower is just gorgeous. But they are all beautiful!

kesslerdee said...

I adore the pink ones and I am amazed at how abundant the blooms are! Your yard must be incredibly beautiful with so many flowers throughout the season! Wonderful post!
The Echinopsis looks similar to my night blooming cactus, at least the blooms do- were they night blooms?

Anonymous said...

Wonderful blooms on your Cacti this week Aiyana. I especially love the bloom on Echinopsis x 'Los Angeles'. That gorgeous lilac color is wonderful.

Suzanne said...

I have become such a fan of cacti since Bloomin' Tuesdays. These are especially beautiful. I love the vibrant, intense colors of the flowers. I think my favorite this week is the Echinopsis x Los Angeles.The flowers on it look heaven sent. I also love the pearl dots going up the sides of the plant!

Deborah said...

Beautiful! Such fragile looking flowers!

Jean said...

It's amazing that they bloom over and over. One small cactus pruducing 120 blooms is unreal! I love the bright orange and the last pink is absolutly gorgeous. Great post! Jean

Anne Fannie said...

I love looking at all your cactus blooms on blooming tuesday. Who would think that a cactus plant would have such beautiful flowers and your photos captures their stunning beauty!

Anonymous said...

I saw in a previous post that you had a mini pet cactus that was thriving.

I have one too, and I left it outside today to enjoy the sunshine. While I was gone, there was a huge storm, and I came home to find the poor thing practically flooded :(. I removed the top of the dome, but I'm not very experienced with taking care of plants and was wondering if you could possibly give me some advice regarding how to replant it and get it in a better situation. I don't even really know how to take the poor thing out without damaging it. Help me please!

beckie said...

I, too, didn't know cacti had such a long bloom life. The Gymnocalycium is wonderful(of course being pink it would be!) and I even like the orange. They are so delicate looking. But I'm with the others on the Los Angeles! What a beautiful color and plant.

Aiyana said...

Anonymous,
If you have the dome off, then you'll see that the cactus is sitting in the bottom portion held in place by a plastic top (ring.) This is what kept the cactus' soil in place. You must carefully pry the ring from the bottom cup portion. Once that is done, You'll see the cactus body started out as a seed and grew up through the small hole in the ring center, and the roots are under the hole. The ring can't be removed, so the only thing you can do is very gently pull the root portion through the hole if possible. Then, wash off all the soil and trim the roots. Let dry for a couple of days. The cactus seedling should be planted in a very shallow pot (you can cut a plastic cup down to about 2 inches deep, punch 2 large holes (size of pencil) and then cover the holes with a coffee filter cut the size of the cup's bottom. Fill with a mixture of course sand or very fine pumice. Do not use ground soil or heavy potting mix. If you want you can make your own mix but it has to be screened for the seedling. Use 1/3 potting mix, 1/3 course sand and 1/3 fine pumice, mix thoroughly. Screen it with a course screener. To save yourself the work, just stick with course sand!

When soil mix or sand is ready, then place the seedling in an indentation in the soil medium and move sand to fill indentation. Soil line should be no higher than the start of the cactus stem. Wait a couple more days, then water. From that point on water when dry. The cactus must form new roots since part, or even most, of the roots have been pulled off or cut.

The worst thing you can do is over water. Only water when dry. I don't know where you live, but if it's in high humidity, less frequent water is better. It will take a couple of years of growth before you'll have to be concerned about a new pot.

If this all seems overwelming, you can dry out the dome, let the cactus sit and dry for a few days, and then put the dome back on if the cactus will fit back in the dome. Don't water again until its next scheduled watering a month from when it was flooded. Hope this helps!
Aiyana

Julie said...

I LOVE the Echinopsis x 'Los Angeles' the best! Thanks for your info about the x and the hybrid info...it all gets confusing! Do you say "Esch-in-opsis", or "Eck-in-opsis"???

Aiyana said...

Julie,
E-kyn-opsis. Kyn sounds like kind without the d. Some people pronounce it as Ecc-in-opsis.

Sweetie said...

All of your cacti are beautiful. I have never seen so many bloom. Each picture is a work of art. Last year I transplanted some from my daughter's garden to mine. I actually used tongs so I would not have to touch them. How do you handle them?

The Succulent Dish said...

what a beautiful bunch. they obviously love you very much. thanks so much for lending me your ideas on my plant identities. i never guessed that starting a succulent collection would turn out to be such a terribly fun game.

Jordan said...

Hello Aiyana,

Your cactus flowers are so beautiful! I wish I could grow such beautiful cacti here in Minnesota!

On an unrelated note, I enjoy looking through your google ads to see what's available! I check them out often.

Cindy Garber Iverson said...

What gorgeous blooms. I particularly like the pink ones. It always amazes me how lovely and delicate cactus blooms are in comparison to the "parent" that bore them.

Cindy at Rosehaven Cottage

Tracy said...

Wow!! Stunning.....I might have to give up hoya's and go for cacti. They seem a bit more reliable than any hoya I have....lol.