The Pot And Plant Matcher
By Linda Cooley (with graphics)
From the Bakersfield Cactus & Succulent Society
The Succulents of Disneyland
by Stephen Cooley (with photos)
From the Bakersfield Cactus & Succulent Society
The Succulents of South Wales and Cornwall
Text & Photo by Linda Cooley (with photo)
From The Bakersfield Cactus & Succulent Society
Caudiciform Asclepiads (with photo)
By Tom Glavich
San Gabriel Valley C&S
Hook Spined Mammillaria (with photo)
By Tom Glavich
San Gabriel Valley C&S
Contemplating Frailea
By Mark Fryer
from Espinas Y Flores, San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society
Leuchtenbergia
By Eric Driskill
Henry Shaw C&S St Louis
Watering in Winter
by Lou Kilbert, Ph.D.
Michigan Cactus & Succulent Society
Spider Mites
by Lou Kilbert, Ph.D.
Michigan Cactus & Succulent Society
Mealy Bugs
by Lou Kilbert, Ph.D.
Michigan Cactus & Succulent Society
Community Pots of Winter Hardy Cactus
by Lou Kilbert, Ph.D.
Michigan Cactus & Succulent Society
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The Pot And Plant Matcher
By Linda Cooley (with graphics)
From the Bakersfield Cactus & Succulent Society
[NOTE TO EDITORS: THE "POT AND PLANT MATCHER" CONSISTS OF BLACK-AND-WHITE DRAWINGS: TWO PAGES OF VARIOUS SUCCULENTS AND A PAGE OF VARIOUS POT SHAPES. THE OBJECT IS TO PLACE THE POT SHAPES UNDER THE PLANTS TO HELP GET A FEEL FOR HOW TO STAGE THE PLANT.]
Instructions for the Pot and Plant Matcher:
1. Remove the pages with the pots and plants from the newsletter.
2. Before doing any cutting, you might want to glue the pot strips onto lightweight cardboard.
3. Cut out the strips of pots on the dotted lines. Do not cut out the plants unless you really want lots of little plants all over. They have been aligned so you can use the pot strips without having to cut out the plants.
4. Place the pot you like under the plant of your choice and see how it looks!
5. Pots and plants may be colored with colored pencils to make it even more realistic!
6. Have fun practicing matching plants and pots. Challenge your friends!
Drawing of Plants 1
Drawing of Plants 2
Drawing of Pots
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The Succulents of Disneyland
by Stephen Cooley
From the Bakersfield Cactus & Succulent Society November 2002
If you should happen to be going to Disneyland in the future, you might want to check out the wonderful succulents they have put here and there in the landscape. First, I should mention that the Disneyland I went to in October 2002 was not the Disneyland of my youth. The park (more correctly, the "resort") is very much different than it was just three years ago. Disneyland itself is pretty much the same. However, across from the entrance, where there used to be a parking lot, is a new park, Disney's California Adventure. Between these parks is a walking mall called Downtown Disney that takes you all the way to the old Disneyland Hotel complex (which also has had an upgrade). All of this new remodeling has been accompanied by typically well-done lavish Disney landscaping -- including numerous succulents interspersed throughout, as well as in gardens dedicated entirely to desert-type plants.
In the original park, Disneyland, along with the dinosaur and Mickey
Mouse shaped shrubberies you can find various succulents including
Kalanchoe, Crassula, and Pachypodium. The Storyland boat ride (the one
where you begin by going inside Monstro - the whale that swallowed
Pinocchio's Father) has numerous small succulents, mainly Sedum,
Crassula, and Echeveria, as part of the miniature garden scenes. The
best place to look for succulents is in frontierland, especially around
Thunder Mountain. Here you will find garden spaces devoted to desert
plants. Large specimens of Agave, Ferocactus, Notocactus, Cereus,
Euphorbia and Opuntia can be seen in the area along with the less
succulent Yucca and Ocotillo (Fouquieria splendens). Don't forget to
look for the plastic Echinocactus grusonii while in "Its A Small World".
In Frontier Land
Disney's California Adventure is a new park and the landscape is not as
mature. Along the hillsides near the "Baker's Field Bakery" many cacti
can be seen - especially Opuntia. Agaves, and Echinocactus are around
as well.
Disneyland Bakery
The best Aloes are found near the Disneyland Hotel. Here, many large
tree aloes can be seen (perhaps Aloe pillansii and Aloe bainsii and
maybe some others as I soon became overwhelmed and confused as to which
were which). Aloe arborescens is used quite extensively near the road.
Among the tree aloes are young Dragon Trees (Dracaena draco), as well as
many young Chorisia speciosa. Chorisia is the tree with the large spines
on the trunk and big orchid-like flowers. When young they appear to be
progressing towards a fat pachycaul trunk but I am sorry to say that
they will loose this with age. A tree that has not lost it's fat base
is a wonderful specimen of the Bottle Tree, Brachychiton. This tree used
to be planted close to the main tower of the Disneyland Hotel and to my
dismay it had been replaced with walkways and different landscaping. I
'discovered' it again down by the Koi pond, where this 15 foot tree had
been successfully transplanted. It is mislabeled as Brachychiton
populneus (a common landscape tree in Bakersfield that survives the
frost but does not acquire such a conspicuous bottle-shaped base). My
guess is that it is actually Brachychiton rupestris.
Brachychiton
Downtown Disney, the newest addition to the resort, has several large
beds devoted to succulents. These are located near the Monorail
station. These new beds contain beautiful specimens of Kalanchoe
beharansis (with big felt-covered leaves), Euphorbia milii, Aloe
marlothii, Senecio (mandraliscae?) and Agave attenuata, along with many
others I was not prepared to identify. Notably, a Pachypodium lamerii
was in bloom here and a small Fouquieria columnaris, the Cirio (Boojum
tree) of Baja, resides in one of the beds and should be a great sight
when my great grandchildren go to see it.
Downtown Disneyland
All in all, Disney has some wonderful specimens of succulents throughout the resort. Be sure to visit and see them the next time your in Anaheim. And by the way, I understand there may be other things to do while you're there as well.
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The Succulents of South Wales and Cornwall
Text & Photo by Linda Cooley
From The Bakersfield Cactus & Succlent Society: August 2002
While exploring castles in south Wales, I was surprised to find a
succulent growing out of the walls of the castles. This succulent was a
charming plant, with thick, circular leaves and long spikes of white
flowers. Its name is Umbilicus rupestris, commonly called Wall
Pennywort. It belongs to the Crassula family. It was quite common
throughout south Wales and was also seen in Cornwall, which is farther
south and much warmer. The environment it seemed to prefer was rather
odd for a succulent. In Wales, it was cold (for July) and very rainy--In
the winter it would be quite a bit colder than Bakersfield and much,
much rainier. However, a little research revealed that this plant is
native to the Mediterranean! So it seems very adaptable. Maybe if I
built a castle, I could get some to grow here....
Umbilicus rupestris
In Cornwall (which is the south-west corner of England, and is considered the Banana Belt), I continued to see Umbilicus, but more often saw White Stonecrop, Sedum album . This mat-forming plant grows in many places, including on roofs! I saw it growing particularly well in the rocky regions along the Cornish Coastal Path. I kept my eyes open for Yellow Stonecrop, but never spotted any. There were beautiful natural rock gardens in many locations along the Path, filled with wild thyme and a variety of plants that I have seen advertised in catalogs for rock gardens. It is unfortunate that our climate is unfavorable for growing these kinds of plants...I think the only way to do it in Bakersfield would be to have a "cool" greenhouse in the summer!
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Caudiciform Asclepiads
By Tom Glavich
San Gabriel Valley C&S
The Asclepiadaceae or Milkweed Family is a large family of succulent and non succulent plants. The family has a wealth of growth forms, rivaling that found in the Cactaceae, Crassulaceae and Euphorbiaceae families. This month we are concentrating on the caudiciform species, popular plants in all of our shows.
The caudiciform genera, Fockea, Brachystelma, Matalaea Raphionacme and some of the Ceropegia, are all really vines. The caudex is generally below ground in habitat.
Fockea edulis is one of the most popular. Easily grown from seed, an
impressive caudex can be grown in just a few years, if it is left below
soil level in the pot. All of the Fockea are easy to grow, perfectly
happy outdoors, even with temperatures near freezing. Others commonly
seen include Fockea crispa, with a corrugated caudex and crinkly leaves,
and Fockea multiflora which has a more upright conical caudex.
Fockea crispa, 2001 CSSA Show, by
Jim Hanna
Raphionacme are a bit more temperamental, and are easier to rot. The most common species is Raphionacme flanaganii.
Another species seen with increasing frequency is Raphionacme africana, a species first introduced in London in 1822, and then lost for nearly 130 years.
Matalaea is a new world genus that is only recently coming into cultivation. Two species currently available are Matalaea condesiflora a native of Venezuela, and Matalaea cyclophyllus a native of Mexico. These are grown similarly to Raphionacme. They form very large caudexes relatively quickly, and like Raphionacme and all of the more tropical asclepiads, are sensitive to simultaneous cold and wet.
Ceropegia is a genus from the Canary Islands and South Africa stretching to East India. . The most common of all is Ceropegia woodii, often sold as a house plant. It has heart shaped leaves, and small tubers that form at the nodes of the vines.
Brachystelma generally have round potato like caudexes. They are the most difficult of all of the asclepiads to grow, preferring to rot at any opportunity. The flowers are notoriously smelly but also spectacular, and for the advanced and patient grower, these are plants well worth growing. They aren't seen as often as they should be.
References: G. Rowley, Caudiciform and Pachycaul Succulents, Sajeva and M. Costanzo, Succulents, The Illustrated Dictionary, Tom Glavich April 2003
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Hook Spined Mammillaria
By Tom Glavich
San Gabriel Valley C&S
Mammillaria is one of the larger genera in the Cactus family, and one of the most variable, with some members remaining as solitary columns for their entire lives, some remaining as fingernail size solitary globulars, some straight spined, and some clumped and heavily spined with hooks. Although the hooked spined species give the genus one of its common names, ``fishhook cactus'', they are not as often grown as the straight spined species. They are not as friendly either, with the hooks catching on skin and clothes, and pieces of stem coming off, when least expected.
Although most Mammillaria are native to Mexico, some species in the genus can be found from Columbia to Kansas and California. The species from the tropics and warmer areas are rarely tolerant of cold and damp. Those from the drier desert regions are also intolerant of continued damp, but can take considerable cold.
The secrets to good growth are a continued supply of fertilizer during the growing season, strong light, and maintenance of a clean and insect free growing environment.
Propagation of Hooked Spined Mammillaria is easy. Cuttings can be taken
at any time during the growing season (April to early November), left to
dry for a few days and replanted in a clean potting mix. Rooting is
rapid, with short white roots generally appearing after a couple of
weeks. Mammillaria are one of the easiest species to grow from seed.
The seeds are simply placed on top of a damp potting mix, covered with a
light coating of gravel, placed in a plastic bag in bright light, but
out of direct sun and allowed to germinate. Germination usually occurs
in a week or 10 days. The seedlings can stay in the plastic bag for
several weeks until they get large enough to survive unprotected, and
should then be removed to a still shaded, but brighter and drier
environment. Most will survive, and grow quickly.
Mammillaria bombycina in the 2001 Intercity Show by
Laverne Pitzer
References:
E. Anderson, The Cactus Family
J. Pilbeam, Cactus for the Connoisseur
R. Craig, The Mammillaria Handbook
Innes & C. Glass Cacti
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Contemplating Frailea
By Mark Fryer
from Espinas Y Flores, San Diego Cactus & Succulent Society
One of the most frequent contemplations I have about Frailea has been around its method of generating (or not) seeds. Frailea flowers are cleistogamous, possibly exhibiting some degree of apomixis (either obligate- impotent offspring- or facultive -possibly sexual offspring), but nearly always producing copious seed if the flower never opens. If the flower opens, no seeds will be produced. I have been unable to set seed on Frailea by cross-pollinating various species of Frailea in flower simultaneously, but Frailea flowers are usually shy to reach anthesis anyway.
Cacti are very sexual plants. For a specialized, semi-woody, perennial plant family to exhibit the entirety of sexual and asexual reproduction that the Cactaceae do, and do it all within the new world (for all practical purposes), one might assume the Family to be at least fairly uniform and concise. This would be a classic "false assumption" in terms of cacti, from their outward appearance (morphology), to their DNA. In getting familiar with the naked ovary, members of the family Cactaceae have two means of reproduction, sexually (self-fertilization, cross-fertilization, and cleistogamy), and asexually (floral-vegetatively via proliferation {vivipary - think of Opuntia prolifera or others that will offset from a fruit. The term 'vivipary' is also used to describe the germination of seeds within a fruit, a common occurrence in a number of cacti genera} or via Agamospermy {apomixis - the ability for the female to set fertile fruit without male assistance - or parthenogenesis where the embryo develops from the egg cell without fertilization}).
To the best of my knowledge no one has ever taken the cleistogamy question further, to determine whether the plants are actually self-pollinating or not. Cleistogamy is such an interesting behavior; I am surprised at the dearth of hypothesis regarding whether or not it presents a possible basal or derived character state. The only other genus that exhibits this behavior is Melocactus, which many consider to be a highly derived member of tribe Cereae. Would this indicate derivation for Frailea within Notocactinae, or is it more primitive?
Some suggest looking at another self-fertile miniature due west of Frailea's homeland: blossfeldia. Some have even suggested lumping the two together (which is asinine in my opinion), but the fruit, seed, and floral characteristics are too extreme from one another to warrant too much attention. It would be easier to make the case that the plants have seeds very close to Malacocarpus (Notocactus), and must be a close cousin. When the rare flower does open, a striking similarity to many of the canary-yellow Notocactus and Parodia flowers is seen.
With Frailea we have an opportunity for contemplating cactus floral reproduction from all sorts of perspectives, we have a genus that forces us to look at what constitutes a species from a form, and we have a charming, true-miniature ornamental cactus.
Frailea might be viewed by some as a jangled mess of nomenclutter. Originally named by Britton and Rose in honor of Manuel Fraile, a Spanish-born caretaker of the cactus collection at the USDA in Washington DC, the genus has seen more than it's fair share of revision, amplification, and lumping. Originally thought to contain 8 species (one of which wasn't even a Frailea- Gymnocalycium bruchii), they cited the type as Frailea (Echinocactus) cataphractus, which was described from greenhouse material. Bear in mind that the tide of enthusiasm for botanical treasures from South America had flooded the horticultural market with copious forms and varieties some 50 years prior.
Britton and Rose had never seen a flower, but saw fit to include it in their sub-tribe Echinocactinae based on it being a globular cactus with fuzzy-hairy fruit. By the time Backeberg attempted to define the genus some 30 years later, there were well over 100 species in circulation, and he actually reduced the number to 35, with provisional varietals adding 8, for a grand total of 43 forms of Frailea. Since 1966, there have been additions and subtractions to the extreme from all sides of the argument, resulting in a high-end figure of well over 200 species and forms, to 18 species with a couple of forms. A search on the IPNI website returns 302 entries.
As long as I've been growing cacti, the genus Frailea has been a source of fascination, contemplation, and frustration for me. Contrary to many growers' opinions about them, there's nothing "frail" about Frailea at all. I suppose the phonetic similarity to the word "failure" probably doesn't help these little plants take center stage in more cactus collections around the world. As with most tap-rooted cacti, the Frailea demand some special care in cultivation to avoid either failure, or a frail plant.
To add to the challenge of raising Frailea, they are relatively short-lived plants, only lasting a mere 15 or 20 years before simply dying of old age.
The vast majority of Frailea are propagated from seed, and if one wants to truly engage with the diversity of the genus, basic seed-germinating skills will be required to flesh out the genus in cultivation. This is probably the cause of the dearth of commercially available plants, where the ornamental horticulture industry balks and the collectors and specialists shine. I have raised Frailea from seed to flowering in 6 months under 24-hour light cycles with a constant temperature available for juvenile plants to mature very quickly, which from the longevity standpoint makes sense to me.
Culture of Frailea in captivity is essentially the same as for any tap-rooted species: don't let it dry out, and don't plant it in something that's going to stay soggy for more than ten minutes. Bruising the roots when it's attempting its subtle and brief fall/spring slow-downs (I won't say dormancy, because I don't believe these actually need a dormant period in the sense Echinocereus or Coryphantha do) can be catastrophic, but fortunately Frailea are usually quick to recover. My oldest plants occupy 2" pots that probably haven't had their soil changed in over 10 years. I encourage anyone with an interest in cacti to grow as many different forms of it as they can find!
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Leuchtenbergia
By Eric Driskill
Henry Shaw C&S St Louis
Subfamily: Cactoideae
Tribe: Cacteae
Genus: Leuchtenbergia
Species: principis
This monotypic (having only one species) genus is found in limestone soil throughout the Chihuahuan Desert of northern and central Mexico in Coahuila, San Luis Potosi, Guanajuato, Zacatecas and Hidalgo. Leuchtenbergia principis was listed in Appendix I of the first CITES list (CITES 1992) but was downlisted to Appendix II in the second (CITES 1996). Common names of Leuchtenbergia principis are Agave cactus, Cob cactus and Prism cactus.
Plants solitary, occasionally caespitose, low growing, 7 - 14 inches high. Roots large and fleshy. Stems globose to short cylindrical, distinctly tuberculate. Ribs absent. Tubercles long, somewhat leaflike, triangular in cross section, 4 - 5 inches long, with terminal areoles. Spines flattened, flexible, papery, often twisted, yellowish, to 6 inches long. Flowers open during the day, often lasting for several days, funnelform, fragrant, and yellow. Leuchtenbergia principis is popular in cultivation, for it flowers freely during the day throughout late spring and summer and is quite hardy. This has taken its toll on plants in the wild.
According to Wilhelm Barthlott (1979), the cactus was cultivated in Europe as early as 1846. William Hooker then described Leuchtenbergia in 1848, honoring Eugene Beauharnais, duke of Leuchtenberg and stepson of Napoleon Bonaparte. Leuchtenbergia probably is most closely related to Ferocactus, and hybrids between the two genera, called xFerobergia, have been made.
I have enjoyed two Leuchtenbergia principis in my collection for several years. The older and bigger of the two has bloomed each year. They do not require any unique attention in my experience. I use my regular soil mix that I use with most of my plants, with the addition of a little lime in the mix. In my opinion this is an odd plant and doesn't look much like a cactus to me. Many people that see it also find it hard to believe it a cactus.
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Watering in Winter
by Lou Kilbert, Ph.D.
Michigan Cactus & Succulent Society
Be very careful of watering at this time of year. From now until April, you can cause a lot of damage to your plants simply by watering them. This is especially true if they're in a cool greenhouse like mine or on cold windowsills in the home. The air temperature may be warm in your house but the soil temperature probably stays uniformly cold and rarely warms up. I noticed some soft, dark spots on the leaves of some plants from water drops that stayed on the leaves after watering last time. This is less likely to occur in a warm greenhouse or a warm house but drafty windowsills can still cause this type of damage if you get water on the leaves. Rooting cuttings can be difficult at this time of year unless you use some sort of bottom heat. If you try to start seeds now, be sure to supply bottom heat.
On the other hand, the air in our homes with central heating is drier than many deserts at this time of year. So, you must strike a balance. A little water to a very dry plant probably won't hurt, but be sure to check that the soil is dry inside and not just on the surface. Spider mites can become a problem on houseplants even in winter, especially in dry winter homes. The mites' natural enemy is a fungus that lives in their spiracles (``nasal'' passages). This fungus doesn't grow in dry air, therefore the mites really can go wild! Occasionally, spritz the plants with water early in the day, especially if the sun is shining, to prevent this type of damage.
Many cacti will not flower if you water them in winter. Water in winter causes the dormant flower buds to start to grow (you probably won't notice anything unusual) and then abort before they develop. If you notice abnormal elongated growths on any cactus, but especially the Opuntiads, you are definitely watering too much. True desert cacti do not grow during the winter months. Lithops that are over-watered will swell up to unnaturally huge proportions and even burst open. The affected leaf pair will surely die after that and can contribute nothing to the further growth of the plant.
Watering plants that are kept under lights is another topic entirely. Perhaps, one of our members who grows their plants under lights, even if it's only during the winter, would entertain us with an article on this important subject.
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Spider Mites
by Lou Kilbert, Ph.D.
Michigan Cactus & Succulent Society
I've noticed that spider mites have been having a party on several plants lately. This is especially true of any plants that have soft leaves, like impatiens and poinsettias, and that were brought indoors at the end of summer. The mites were already there when you brought them in; they thrive in hot dry indoor atmospheres. If you're noticing them, it's too late for preventative measures. I would once again recommend the use of Neem oil if you can find it; the one I'm using came from the Green Light Company of San Antonio, TX. There are some ``modified'' Neem oil products that are readily available, but true Neem oil seems to be hard to find for some reason. It's safe, relatively harmless to humans and smells good. This country doesn't produce any. It's an extraction product of a tropical tree. I guess since our chemical industry can't manufacture it and turn it into gold, it's going to remain hard to find. You can also try washing the underside of the leaves with a coarse sponge wetted with dilute dish detergent. But eventually, if the infestation is heavy, and it usually is if you've noticed it - they're very tiny and hard to see, you'll have to spray if you want to save the plant. I usually contemplate throwing the plant out if it's easily replaced in the spring. Why let the little pests get onto your rare stuff? The pitting they produce on the surface of a cactus is permanently ugly!
Other light oils can be used. Sunspray UltraFine by the Farnam Company of Phoenix, AZ, is an excellent product. Volck Oil is an old standby that is usually easy to find. Remember that one spraying will not work. You have to do at least one follow-up spraying about 5-7 days later to catch the young that hatch from eggs. I'd continue to do follow-ups once a month until the end of winter or late April. I've heard that dilute cow's milk works, but this is controversial and I doubt that skim milk would work.
Preventative measures include keeping the humidity high around your plants, especially spritzing the plants with clean water once a week. This would include cacti. I don't recommend watering desert cacti at this time of year, but spritzing the plants would be beneficial. Next year, remember to wash your plants off with a strong spray of water from the garden hose before you bring them in. When I see dusty plants, I usually assume that those plants are candidates for spider mites. House spiders are helpful little guys who don't damage plants. Some people can't distinguish between the webs regular spiders make and spider mites' webs. Although regular spiders sometimes attach their webs to a plant, they don't usually make leaves and stems a part of their web. Their webs are coarse and made of heavy strands of silk. Most regular spiders have a pattern that they follow when they make their webs, although it may be hard for you to see the pattern. Spider mites silk is very thin, the fibers are close together and tightly applied to the leaf or stem, with a magnifying glass you can often see the little buggers slowly running around on the webbing. However, they can remain very still for long periods of time and look dead or like a bit of dust. When I was a kid learning about them, I'd ``tickle'' them with a sharp point to see if they moved and to make sure that they were alive. Because they are so tiny, you can just imagine how very small their eggs are. The eggs are next to invisible even with a magnifying glass. By the way, regular spiders' eggs are usually laid in ``cases'' and are fairly large.
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Mealy Bugs
by Lou Kilbert, Ph.D.
Michigan Cactus & Succulent Society
Mealy bugs are one of the hobbyist's greatest enemies! They seem to come from nowhere and multiply so fast that one-minute you're clean the next minute they've taken over your whole collection.
One of the problems is that there is not one but a multitude of species of mealy bugs and all of them can attack your plants. When settled down to feed on your plants, they look like bits of cotton fluff that's gotten stuck to the plant. There are mealies that make almost none of this furry white stuff that live on the spines of cacti, the fat, green Spine Mealy Bug. If you can see them (they're camouflage experts), they're fairly easy to control because they're out in the open; I just pinch them to death. There are mealies that you rarely see because they live under the soil on the roots of your plant; these are hard to control because you can't see them and because spraying with insecticide has no effect unless you can get the stuff into the soil. There are mealies that live on the stems of your plants. There are mealies that stay more or less under the leaves.
Mealy bugs belong to the same plant sucking insect family as aphids, scale insects and white flies. They all can produce live babies from their bodies. Sometimes it seems like one female (and they're almost all females) can give birth to 100 young a day. They can also lay eggs. In the case of mealy bugs, these eggs last for a very long time! They can lay their eggs in a piece of rotten wood or on the outside of a pot. They hatch months or even years later. Male mealy bugs look like little white flies and don't live very long, just long enough to fertilize the female so that she can lay some eggs for the future of her race. Female mealies are mobile for a short period of time and once they've found a spot to feed they settle down and never move again; they emit a tight web of fluffy cotton as protection and begin to produce babies. They can get very fat inside their ``cocoons''.
The way that I often become aware of a problem from any of these related bugs is the appearance of honeydew on the plant or surrounding plants. This sticky honey-like substance attracts ants (another sign of a sucking insect problem) and will eventually start to grow fungus that looks like black bread mold.
Control of mealy bugs requires constant vigilance and repeated spraying. You can kill individual mealies with a dab of rubbing alcohol (straight from the bottle). But that has little effect on the eggs and you're sure to miss some or all of the tiny crawlers that may be anywhere on the plant. Safest in the house is the use of light oil sprays (Sun Oil, Sun Spray Ultrafine). These are especially pure and lightweight vegetable oils mixed with a wetting agent to spread the oil over the plant. You must wet the underside of leaves as well as the top of the plant. Avoid letting the plant sit in intense sunlight after spraying for a day or two; the plant will surely sunburn if you put it in the full sun immediately after spraying. Recently, some of our members have said that they had good results spraying with Murphy's Oil Soap. Use about one tablespoon to a quart of water. I've had some good success using Green Light Neem (oil) Concentrate. If you spray your plants, be sure to follow up with a spray three to four weeks later. Fresh eggs will have hatched and tiny babies will have become active enough to be killed by the spray.
I personally have not had good success with the use of ``insecticidal'' soaps like Safer's. They don't have any lasting effect and seem to miss many of the little devils. Use of stronger insecticides in the house means that you will breathe the stuff, which is not a good idea!
If you're trying to get rid of soil mealies in the winter and don't want to water the insecticide into the soil, lift the plant out of the pot and apply a granular insecticide to the outside of the root ball. Also, work some into the top layer of the soil. They often congregate on the outside of the root ball anyway.
Nicotine (nicotine sulfate) is a brown, oily liquid that used to be sold for getting rid of mealies and worked pretty good, but it's highly toxic to humans and pets and is a carcinogen as you should know from all the cigarette ads. If you want to try it, get some cheap pipe tobacco (not the flavored kind, no cherry flavored, etc.) soak a wad in warm water overnight and strain off the nasty stuff using cheesecloth or a paper towel (wear plastic gloves!) Throw away the leaves. Add a few drops of dish detergent to a quart of the liquid to use as a spray. For root mealies, you can work the dry tobacco leaves into the top layer of the soil. Some of the active ingredients are volatile and will work their way into the soil. This is good in the winter when you may not want to water your cacti. In the summer, tobacco juice is safer to use and can be used as a soil drench for soil mealies.
If you try any of the techniques in this article, would you please let me know about your experiences? You don't have to write it up, I can do that for you. Just let us know what works for you. Also, remember when working with these poisonous substances, it would be wise to wear rubber gloves. Some people have an allergic reaction to ``natural'' oil preparations, another reason to wear gloves.
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Community Pots of Winter Hardy Cactus
by Lou Kilbert, Ph.D.
Michigan Cactus & Succulent Society
QUESTION, the following question was put to me recently: Are winter hardy cactus plants better off in individual pots or would it be ok to plant them in a large community pot?
I'd say that the large community pot is better. The plants will not compete with each other and will probably cooperate in some ways. So long as they do not crowd each other for space, they will not try to harm each other the way some other plants are known to do with toxins and poisons.
The competition that cacti face is mainly from grasses and ``weeds'' that grow lushly in our usually wet climate. Cacti would be able to populate many areas in Michigan, but they can't compete against the other plants. That's why you find them on sandy / rocky outcroppings where nothing else will grow.
In nature, you will find dense thickets of cacti where they thrive. You also will find natural ``community pot'' associations. Where you find one cactus, there will often be similar cacti nearby.
