Tag: succulents

Aztekium, Aztekium hintonii, Aztekium cactus,

How To Care for Aztekium Cactus

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Hi Guys 😀 

In this Blog I share my tips and tricks on How to care for the Aztekium Cactus.

Aztekium, Aztekium hintonii, Aztekium cactus,
My 23 year old Aztekium hintonii grown from seed ( not by me ) 

I have made a video on my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants Of Avalon on How To Care for Aztekium, and you can watch this video HERE:

ABOUT AZTEKIUM:

There are just three species of Aztekium, 1, Aztekium ritteri, 2, Aztekium hintonii, and 3, Aztekium valdezii.

Aztekium valdezii has only recently been discovered from 2011.

The Aztekium Cactus grows in its natural habitat in Mexico growing on steep cliff faces that consist of mostly gypsum and some limestone gravel.

Aztekium is extremely slow growing and forms into little clumps over many years, it is one of the slowest growing cacti both in natural habitat and in cultivation. 

I have grown my Aztekium hintonii for over 23 years, I got it as a young seedling that was grown from seed from a Cactus Grower in the U.K called David Quail, it was the just size of my thumbnail and in all of that time it has grown only about 2 inches in height and width.

Because of their extremely slow growth and difficulty to grow when young on their own roots, these cacti are often seen for sale grafted onto other more hardier cactus stock, but once established on their on roots they can survive long term as long as a very careful watering is maintained and a very gritty well draining soil is used.

Aztekium, Aztekium hintonii, Aztekium cactus,
My 23 year old Aztekium hintonii

HOW TO CARE FOR:

LIGHT:

Aztekium like most cacti need bright light with some sunshine to grow healthy, however these cacti prefer to be protected from very strong midday sunshine and prefer more shade than a lot of the other types of Desert Cacti, and Aztekium would be best positioned where they can get either early morning or very late afternoon sunshine.

WATERING:

Aztekium prefer soft water that is not alkaline and clean rainwater is best to water these cacti with. Its best to avoid watering these cacti with water than has a pH higher than PH 7, as hard alkaline water can cause damage to the roots. If you use tap water check that the PH is not higher than PH 7 and allow the water to sit for 24 hours to allow the chlorine and other gases to dissipate.

If you are growing Aztekium that have been grafted, then the pH of the water is not as much a concern as most cactus stock used for grafting Aztekium are mostly Trichocereus or Pereskioposis, and these cacti are not so sensitive to water PH, however careful watering should still be given with all Aztekium cacti.

Water Aztekium from Spring through Summer ALWAYS allowing the soil in their pots to fully dry out before watering again.

Keep Aztekium totally dry throughout the Winter rest period with no water from Fall / Autumn and Winter, introduce water again from Spring when their active growing period returns.

SOIL:

The soil used for Aztekium must be extremely well draining, this is very important especially for Aztekium cacti that are growing on their own roots, especially when they are young as they can be very prone to rot, which is why they are often seen grafted.  If grafted onto hardier root stock such as Pereskioposis and Trichocereus they are far less prone to rot and grow faster, but as with all cacti except the epiphytes, the more well draining the soil the better.

Some growers of Aztekium like to add lie to the soil, but I have had success over 23 years of growing this cactus with my well draining soil mix that I use for most of my arid loving cacti.

Avoid using peat and houseplant soils for these cacti as they need a VERY well draining and gritty soil.

I like to use a soil mix of 3 equal parts of loam, horticultural sand and grit for my Aztekium hintonii, For more information on How I make my own Cactus soil click HERE:

FEEDING:

Feed Aztekium once a month in Spring until mid Summer with a good quality cactus fertiliser. Because these cacti are extremely slow growing its best to use the fertiliser at half the strength they recommend for normal cacti.

FLOWERING:

The flowers on Aztekium are very tiny and white or pink or lilac coloured, they grow from the top of the cactus when the plant is mature often after many years. 

Aztekium forms a woolly tuft and fine spines from the crown of the cactus when the plant is mature enough to flower.

I have not had my Aztekium flower for me in 23 years, but I hope one day to see flowers, patience is definitely the key when growing cacti haha, but I have heard of many growers who have had their Aztekiums flower after 10 years or less.

Grafted Aztekiums will flower much sooner than if grown on their own roots.

TEMPERATURE:

In Spring and Summer Aztekium can take high temperatures but they must be protected from extreme heat and strong midday sunshine, especially if they are grown behind glass in glasshouses or windowsills, and they like to have plenty of ventilation.

In Winter its best to overwinter Aztekium cool and dry above 5 Celsius / 41 Fahrenheit

PROPAGATION:

Propagation of Aztekium is done by seed that are very dust like, but it is extremely difficult and slow to grow from seeds, although germination rate can be high at first lots of seedlings will often die within the first few months of germination. 

I have never tried to grow these from seed myself but when my Aztekium flowers for e in the future and I get seed I will definitely have a go at trying to grow this amazing and unique little cactus from seed.

If you want to grow Aztkium from seed or any other type of cactus from seed read my page on this website Growing Cactus from seed  by clicking HERE

Here is a video I have made for my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants Of Avalon on How To Care For Aztekium Cacti and you can watch this video below:

 

Thanks so much for reading Guys and Happy Growing to you all <3 

 

 

Top 5 Cactus Plants to Grow for Beginners

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Hi Guys 😀 

In this Blog I am going to be talking about the Top 5 Cactus Plants that are great for beginners.

There are many amazing cactus plants that are available to buy and grow but if you are new to the hobby and passion of growing these incredible plants it can be a bit difficult to know what types of Cacti to begin with as some are much easier to grow and get to flower than others.

I have a lot of favourite Cacti that I can recommend that are easy growing for newbies to the hobby, but not all of them are easily available to purchase in the garden shops or online and if I was to pick just 5 of the easiest Cacti to find and to grow these are the Top 5 that I recommend. 

1, REBUTIA

This Cactus Genus is often overlooked and yet it is one of the most beautiful and easy growing of cacti to grow especially for beginners. Rebutia are often nice and compact small clump forming growing plants that are ideal for windowsills and apartments, they are low maintenance and as long as you give them a cool and dry winter rest period they will often flower abundantly from spring and Summer with a multiple of beautiful small blooms. 

Rebutia like a sunny position in Spring and Summer and like to be grown in a well draining Cactus soil with a monthly fertilising once a month from Spring until late Summer.

Here is a video below I have made for my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants Of Avalon of my Rebutia albipilosa Cactus with a beautiful abundance of bright orange blooms: 

Here is a video below I have made for my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants Of Avalon of my Rebutia Perplexa with a bright pink bouquet of flowers: 

2, MAMMILLARIA

 

Mammillaria Cacti are fantastic plants for beginners and they are very commonly seen for sale in Garden centres and online cactus nurseries.

Mammillaria are very easy flowering as long as you give them plenty of sunshine and they love a cool Winter dry rest period. Some Mammillarias can grow large over time and some can stay small and compact too depending on the variety of Mammillaria.

 Here is a video below I have made for my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants Of Avalon of my Mammillaria carmenae Cactus Plant with a Garland of white flowers :

3, ECHINOPSIS

 

Echinopsis Cacti are often known as ‘The Sea Urchin Cacti’ or ‘The Domino Cacti’ due to many of the globular type of Echinopsis resembling a sea urchin in their appearance. Echinopsis cacti are also very readily available for purchase in many Garden centres and online nurseries and can be found in many forms and in a huge variety of differnt flowering colours, they are very highly hybridised and because of this almost any colour of flower can be seen with this Genus from white to yellow to red and pink and orange.

Echinopsis is also an easy one to get to flower and as long as you can give them a cool and dry winter rest they will flower often multiple times from spring and Summer often with highly scented blooms.

Here is a video below I have made for my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants Of Avalon of my Echinopsis subdenudata Cactus with a fountain of beautiful blooms:

4, GYMNOCALYCIUM

Gymnocalycium Cacti are wonderful globular Cacti that are also very easy flowering plants. Most Gymnocalyciums prefer a bit more shade than others but they will often let you know if they need less sun by taking on a slight yellow appearance but most commonly available for sale Gymnocalycium can take plenty of sunshine if protected from very intense full sun desert conditions.

Gymnocalyciums like most of the Cacti like a cool and dry winter rest period and can take plenty of after during their active growing and flowering season from spring and summer as long as the soil is a well draining cactus mix and the soil is allowed to dry out in between waterings as these Cacti have a tendency to lose their roots if kept too wet for too long but as long as these conditions are met then they are very easy cacti to grow and flower.

Here is a video below I have made for my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants Of Avalon of my Gymnocalycium pflanzii cactus in beautiful bloom. :

5, OPUNTIA

 

Opuntia Cacti commonly known as ‘The Prickly Pear’ are very often seen for sale in Garden Shops and Florist Shops the Opuntia microdasys being the most common one.

Opuntia Cacti are like the ‘Marmite’ of the cactus world haha you either LOVE them or HATE them.

Personally I LOVE them, they have such character and have a wonderful almost comical look about them.

The Opuntia Genus is MASSIVE as there are so many different types of Opuntias some are small and compact and some are HUGE, also the Tephrocactus, Cylindropunta also fit under the whole Opuntia group of Cacti and this Genus is so varied that some Cactus collectors specialise in this whole genus by itself.

Although Opuntias them selves are easy to grow and many can take very low Winter temperatures making them ideal for greenhouses and even outdoor gardens in Summer and can even be grown outdoors in Northern Hemispheres if given a very sheltered position and protected from rain and frost. Many Opuntias can certainly take more humidity than many of the other cacti can too.

Most of the Opuntias are very fast growing and can grow large though so if you are short on space it may be best to concentrate on the many smaller growing Opuntias that are available such as the Opuntia microdasys ‘minima’ or the Tephrocacti. 

If you are into flowers though Opuntia are not the easiest to get to flower in cultivation so bear that in mind if you are more into flowers, but personally I just LOVE the appearance of Opuntia even if they are hard to get to flower in cultivation.

Given plenty of sunshine and a cool and dry winter rest period they can still flower in cultivation and here is a video below that I have made for my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants Of Avalon of my Opuntia Stricta Cactus with a beautiful bright yellow bloom. :

I hope that you found this Blog on The Top 5 Cactus Plants To Grow For Beginners useful and if you want to watch a video I have made for my You Tube Channel Called Desert Plants Of Avalon on The Top 5 Cactus Plants To Grow For Beginners Here is the Video : 

Thank you all for reading and lets all have a fantastic time growing these AMAZING plants.

 

How to Care for and Grow Aloe Succulent Plants

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In this Blog I will be writing about how you can care for and grow Aloe plants.

What are Aloe Plants ? 

Aloe plants are Succulent plants that belong to the plant Family Asphodelaceae, Liliaceae and Xanthorrhoeaceae .

Aloe’s come from Africa, India and the Indian Ocean Islands and there are Over 500 species of aloes plants, with the most common Aloe plant that is readily available being the much loved Aloe Vera plant that is a very popular houseplant and has been used medicinally for many years. Aloes form thick fleshy succulent leaves in a rosette shape and each succulent leaf is are filled with a sticky gel.

In this Blog I will also be sharing videos on Aloe plants that I have made for my Cactus and Succulent You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon including a special video on How to Care for Aloe Plants.

HOW TO CARE FOR ALOE PLANTS

Light:

Aloe plants are often grouped alongside their related genera cousins Gasteria and Haworthia and Sanseveria, but Aloes do like more sunshine than their cousins and although they can be grown in shade they do prefer more bright strong light such as a South or west facing window that receives some sunshine or a sunny position outside that is protected from very strong sunshine and winds. Some of the tougher varieties can tolerate full all day sun.

In Winter its important that Aloe plants are placed in a very bright position and if growing indoors its important these plants can receive some sunshine for at least part of the day as Aloe plant leaves can grow lanky and floppy if not enough light can be given especially in the Winter months when Aloe plants will often still continue to grow. 

Temperature:

 Aloe plants can take very high temperatures in Summer as long as plenty of ventilation can be given. If you are growing these plants behind glass such as a window or greenhouse its important that plenty of fresh air can be provided on very warm days as these plants can cook at temperatures 100 F or more on a hot sunny day.

In Winter its very important that the temperature never drops below 5 Celsius / 41 Fahrenheit and although these plants can survive a bit lower than this if they are kept totally dry, they can not take any frost at all and its much safer to keep these plants above the temperature of 5c / 41F especially in damper climates where humidity in Winter is a problem. Here in UK and Ireland where I live as the damp and cold can cause fungus and rots to appear on these plants.

personally I would recommend keeping these plants at a minimum temperature of 7-10 C / 45-50 F if possible and I keep all my Aloe plants at around the 7 Celcius / 45 Fahrenheit in my Polytunnel over the Winter months. 

Water: 

In Spring and Summer Aloe plants like to be given a good water preferably with clean rainwater if it is available and the soil must be allowed to fully dry out before watering again.

In Winter its best to keep Aloe plants on the dry side and I only water mine lightly about once a month because I overwinter mine in a cool Polytunnel where the average Winter temperature is around 7-12 C / 45 – 55F, but if you are growing your Aloe plants indoors in a centrally heated home or outdoors in a tropical climate that has warmer temperatures you may need to water your Aloe plants more often, but its better to under rather than over water in the Winter.

unlike some of the Desert Cacti and some of the other Desert Succulents that have a complete winter dormancy, Aloe plants will often still continue to grow slowly in Winter and although Aloe plants will slow down their foliage growth in Winter, this is the time they will often send out their very beautiful colourful flowers in late Winter to early Spring. 

My Aloe variegata in beautiful bloom in my polytunnel January 2019

Soil: 

Its important to use a well draining soil mix when potting up Aloe plants and I like to make my own of 1 part loam based soil and 1 part horticultural sharp sand and 1 part grit or perlite. 

I have made a video for my You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to make your own Cactus and Succulent Cactus soil and you can watch this video below:

The most important thing is that you use a well draining soil so the soil in the pot dries out easily in between waterings. You can use any good quality commercial cactus and Succulent plant soil with Aloe plants.

Re Potting:

Its best to re pot Aloe plants in the spring and Summer when these plants are actively growing. Aloe plants have fleshy water storing root systems and because of their fleshy root systems its best to cut away any dead and decaying roots when you repot your Aloe plants.

Here is a video below that I have made for my You Tube channel called Desert plants of Avalon On How to repot Aloe plants and also including the Aloe cousins  Haworthia  plants and Gasteria plants where I show you the best way to cut away the dead fleshy roots and you can watch this video below :  

Fertilizing: 

I fertilise my Aloe plants once a month from Spring until late late /Autumn using a tomato based fertiliser by Maxicrop, ( see photo below ) The reason why I like to use a Tomato fertiliser with my Succulents and cacti is that I truly believe it helps them to flower because of the high potassium in the tomato feed and I have never had tomatoes on my succulents yet haha 😀 but any good quality houseplant fertiliser or a good quality fertiliser especially for Cacti and Succulents should work well. I stop fertilising all of my Aloe plants and all my Succulents and Cacti from late fall / Autumn until Spring when the cooler temperatures and short days come and their growth slows down.

Pruning: 

Aloe’s can be fast growing plants and need to be given plenty of space to grow and thrive. Aloe plants do not need be pruned if the growth is healthy and green but its normal for the lower bottom leaves of these plants to go brown and dry up as the new growth emerges from the rosette, and these dead brown leaves can easily be removed and pruned back to make the plants look healthier and tidier. 

If you want to know How to prune back the dead brown leaves from your Aloe Plants then Here is a video below that I have made for my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to Prune dead leaves from Aloe Plants:

Flowering : 

Aloe plants will usually flower late Winter to early Spring but I have had my Aloe plants in my Polytunnel flower in Spring and Summer and Winter haha 😀 but I do have crazy Cacti and Succulent plants that have a mind of their own haha but because Aloe plants are from South Africa in the Northern Hemisphere where I live in in N. Ireland they will normally flower in late Winter ( Jan /Feb ) to early Spring ( Feb -March ) the flowers are gorgeous and are usually red, orange, yellow bell shaped flowers 😀 

Here is a couple of videos that I have made for my Cactus and Succulent You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on Aloe plants in flower both my own and also Aloe’s here in the Botanical garden of Ireland and you can watch these videos below: 

Propagation: 

From Plantlets :

The wonderful thing about Aloe plants is that they produce lots of plantlets from around their base. The best time to divide these aloe plantlet pups from the parent plant is when you are re potting in the Spring and Summer months.

You can then pot up the individual plantlets from the base of the Mother plant into individual pots to give away to friends and family.

From Seed:

These plants will occasionally produce seed pods too if the flowers have been pollinated by other Aloe Plants also in flower 😀  and if your Aloe plants have been pollinated then once the seed pods have ripen and the pods have turned brown then you can harvest the seeds to sow them and get more Aloe babies haha. Most Aloe Plants are not self pollinating though and you would need more than one Aloe plant in flower to get seeds.

If you are lucky enough to find seed pods on your Aloe plants and you want to know How you can harvest the seeds from the pods and also when the seed pods are ready to be harvested, then watch this video below that I have made for my Cactus & Succulent You Tube Channel called Desert Plants of Avalon.

If you want to know How to Grow Aloe plants from seed then you can watch the video below I have made for my cacti and succulent You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to grow Aloe plants from Seed : 

Pests & Problems:

The Biggest problem with Cacti and Succulents including Aloe is Mealy bug they are the pain of any succulent plant lovers life haha and the best way to treat them is with using a solution of Isopropyl alcohol /rubbing alcohol and also Horticultural neem oil for treatment of prevention long term. The Isopropyl alcohol is best to treat the bugs that you can visually see and the Neem oil helps to keep the bugs away long term. 

Here is a video below that I have made for my You Tube channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to remove Mealy bug from Succulent Plants including Aloe’s using Rubbing alcohol / isopropyl alcohol:

Here is a video below I have made for my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to use Horticultural Neem oil to prevent and treat insect pests on Houseplants including Aloe’s:

 Here is a video below that I have made for my You Tube Channel called Desert Plants of Avalon on How to Care and Grow Aloe Plants.

Thanks so much for reading guys and wishing you all lots of Happy Growing and Plant Power from across the Emerald Isle 

Lyn XXXXXX