Hi Guys,
I hope you have all had a wonderful 2024 growing Season with your Cacti and Succulents this year, I can’t believe that we are already into Autumn now and the growing season is almost coming to an end, I say it every year BUT I really do feel that this Summer has definitely gone faster than any other years Summer, but I think that may also have something to do with this Summer being the wettest, cloudiest and coolest and windiest Summer in Ireland that I can ever remember.
Despite the awful Summer in Ireland this year I am very happy to say that my Cacti have continued to bloom their beautiful flowers and this Summer has been one of the best for my cacti with their flowering.
My Parodia werneri in beautiful pink flower 2024.
I always love to take photos of my blooming Cacti every Summer and I love to share their beautiful flowers with you all in my Blogs and on my You Tube Channel.
I am often being asked how to get Cacti to bloom and it can depend on many different things, in general Cacti do appreciate a cool and dry overwintering period from late September until late March/ early April, In the Spring I like to give them a fertilising with a tomato feed used at half the strength that they recommend for tomatoes, I fertilise them with every 3rd watering I give them from April until late August.
The reason I like to use Tomato feed is because it is high in potassium which can encourage more buds and blooms, plenty of sunshine is a bonus for producing buds and blooms especially for Cacti that need a sunny day for them to fully open their flowers such as many of the Gymnocalycium and Astrophytum. Cacti such as Echinopsis and Epiphyllum and Cleistocacti will often still bloom in overcast weather and of course the night bloomers such as ‘Queen of the Night’ Selenicereus grandiflorus and Epiphyllum oxypetalum and Echinocereus gentryi don’t need the sun to come out at night, they do however appreciate sun during the days to encourage the buds to fully develop.
My Echinocereus gentryi var. cucumis is a night bloomer and the flowers close again midday the next day, this Cactus does still need a sunny position during the day to still produce the buds though.
If you feel a bit sad at the thought of waiting until next Spring until you see your Cacti bloom again then why not try growing the winter blooming Cacti too ? Schlumbergera Cacti more commonly known as Thanksgiving Cacti and Christmas Cacti are wonderful bloomers during the Winter and have long lasting exotic blooms that come in many colours of red, white, orange, pink, lilac, purple and even yellow and they also make wonderful house plants and are pretty easy to care for, these beauties will even flower in a north facing window meaning you can enjoy the beauty of their flowers inside your house at a time when all the other Cacti are having their Winter snooze.
My Schlumbergera buckleyi ‘Christmas Cactus’ These Cacti always help to brighten up the dark Winter months with their stunning blooms.
Here are some photos of my Cacti that have been blooming gorgeous over this Summer, I hope you enjoy the blooms and if you want to see a slideshow of all the blooms on my Cacti this Spring and Summer then do watch my video I have made for my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on ‘My Cactus Blooms of Summer 2024‘
My Mammillaria hahniana in pretty pink flower 2024.
My Mammillaria bocasana in cream flower 2024
My Mammillaria ID Unknown in Pink Flower 2024.
My Parodia chrysacanthion in canary yellow flower 2024.
My Rebutia heliosa in Flower 2024.
My Stenocactus multicostatus in flower 2024.
My Aporocactus flagelliformis ‘Rats Tail Cactus’ in shocking pink flower 2024.
My Mammillaria ID Unknown in flower 2024.
My Rebutia ID unknown in beautiful bright orange flower 2024.
My Mammillaria ID unknown in flower 2024.
My Epiphyllum ID unknown in pink Flower 2024.
My Mammillaria longimamma in yellow flower 2024.
My 30 year old Lophophora williamsii in pale pink flower 2024.
My 30 year old Astrophytum ornatum in golden flower 2024.
My Echinocereus gentryi and Chamaelobivia ‘Wendy’ in flower 2024.
My Aporocactus mallisonii in Flower 2024.
My Thelocactus hexaendrophorus in twin flower 2024.
My Neoprteria paucicostata in pink flower 2024.
My Mammillaria camptotricha ‘dolichothele’ in flower 2024.
My Epiphyllum ID unknown in twin flower 2024.
My Mammillaria ‘Magic Baby’ in flower 2024.
My Gymnocalycium ‘baldianum’ in twin flower 2024.
My Neoporteria paucicostata re blooming again with multiple blooms 2024.
My Gymnocalycium ID Unknown in flower 2024.
My Gymnocalycium baldianum in flower 2024.
My Epiphyllum ‘Pegasus’ in shocking pink flower 2024.
My Epiphyllum ‘Ackermannii’ in red flower 2024.
My Copiapoa in golden yellow flower 2024.
My Epiphyllum ‘Mrs G Bheam’ in pastel pink flower 2024.
My Parodia ottonis in triple flower 2024.
My Pilosocereus pachyclaudus in Flower 2024.
My Echinopsis eyeresii in flower 2024.
My Epiphyllum ‘Madeline’ in twin flower 2024.
My Echinopsis oxygona in flower 2024.
My Rebutia ID unknown in canary yellow flower 2024.
My Parodia ID Unknown in golden flower 2024.
My Gymnocalycium ‘saglionis’ in quadruple flower 2024.
My Gymnocalycium saglionis in quadruple Flower 2024.
My Trichocereus scopulicola in flower 2024.
My Astrophytum capricorne x senilis in stunning flower 2024.
My Gymnocalycium ID Unknown in flower 2024.
My Gymnocalycium ID Unknown in Flower 2024.
My Chamaecereus ‘Rose Quartz’ in pink flower 2024.
My Echinopsis ID Unknown in big white flower 2024.
My Epiphyllum ‘Fantasy’ in deep pink Flower 2024.
My Gymnocalycium ID unknown in flower 2024.
My Parodia warasii in flower 2024.
My Astrophytum myriostigma ‘nudum’ in golden flower 2024.
My Astrophytum ornatum in flower 2024.
My Echinopsis ID unknown in twin flower 2024.
My Trichocereus grandiflorus ‘Red Star’ in STUNNING red bouquet of flowers 2024.
My Echinopsis sudenudata in quadruple flower 2024.
My 7ft tall Trichocereus pachanoi in flower 2024.
My Lophophora williamsii in twin flower 2024.
My Cleistocactus colademononsis ‘Monkey’s Tail’ in flower 2024.
My Parodia magnifica in twin flower 2024.
My Gymnocalycium ID Unknown in flower 2024.
My Gymnocalycium mihanovichii ‘variegata’ in pink flower 2024.
My Gymnocalycium ‘Root Beer’ in pale pink Flower 2024.
My Parodia/Notocactus lenighausii in flower 2024.
My Strombocactus disciformis flowering for the first time 2024.
My Gymnocalycium ‘root Beer’ in beautiful Flower 2024.
My Clesitocactus winterii ‘Golden Rat’s Tail’ in flower 2024.
I hope you enjoyed the beautiful blooms and if you want to know ‘How to get your Cacti to Flower’ then check out my video I have made for my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on ‘How to get Cacti to flower’ and you can watch this video below:
Thanks so much for reading Guys and wishing you all a fantastic Plant Powered Autumn/Fall.