Beginning the cactus move     5/20/19
All my plants spend the summer outside. The greenhouse is way too hot for cacti in the summer. Temperatures are usually north of 100 F (38 C) during the day in the greenhouse. I've been taking care of these plants for more than 40 years. All are seed grown. The thickest plant is a Pachycereus pringlei, the Mexican "cardon." It spent all but the last 2 years of life in a one gallon pot. It's now in a 3 gallon pot so I hope to see the plant grow like crazy very soon. Actually, I have the impression that all the large cacti are called "cardon" in the various countries of Latin America. The small ones seem to be called "biznaga." These countries have not yet developed a leisure class of intellectuals that have the time to study plants generally, succulents specifically. The English, Germans, and Czechs come to mind. The not P. pringlei plants are variations on Oreocereus celsianus. Unfortunately the taller plants are getting to be too much for me to handle with a hand truck. I'm faced with cutting them down, something that is just horrible to me after out 40-plus year relationship.    (24/88)   

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