My Bill W cutting has gone a bit wild itself hahaha.
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Yay! The Bill W plant is doing so great! You had a little scare with it, didn’t you?
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Yes!!!
She’s a strong one though. 
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Are all your plants “she” 
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Hahah hmm…
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My sister got me a cute little succulent earlier this year. I don’t do well with succulents. I did not have anywhere to put her that gets proper sun so she ended up etiolated. Fingers crossed for successful propagation and I’ll have to do some shifting of the other plants in search for better light.
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Big photo dump.
Wanted to share these two dope books I got. I don’t know why it didn’t dawn on me years ago to seek these things out. Sure I’ve learned most of it online over the years (and trial/error), but I like physical books. I am also trying to learn the different varieties and Latin names better, so these help.
They aren’t all-encompassing, so still on the hunt for a comprehensive scientific cactus encyclopedia. These were the closest I could find and I have really been enjoying them. I love that it goes beyond species and delves into the history of growing cacti as a hobby, display ideas, anatomy, care, tips for improved plant health, how big a specific species will get over 5 and 10 years, etc.
The field guide is great for when I’m out and about and see something I can’t identify in the outdoors here. I’ll probably keep it in my car.
And now, the plant pics.
My big momma aloe brevifolia died the day after I posted. I watered it Saturday morning, normal amount/schedule, and 3 hours later it had started bruising and rotting. Never seen it happen so quickly. I reckon it might’ve disagreed with something in the new soil I got, rot just doesn’t happen that fast in my experience. First time in a long time I’ve had a plant death.
So unfortunately she’s no longer with us. Found a new, much younger brevifolia to fill the aloe-sized hole in my heart. She’ll be a beaut.
La Gordita (echinopsis subdenudata AKA Domino Cactus) going strong.
Echevarias
Very young Organ Pipe Cactus I got last year. Burned her almost immediately, but she’s recovered very well and has grown quite a bit this growing season. These grow into absolute behemoths over the decades.
Still don’t know what this guy is. Thought it was a melocactus for a while but I’m not convinced as it’s missing some distinguishing melocactus features. Randome buy from Home Depot. You just can’t turn away a blue.
Yucca Palm
Also no clue what this is. Not even a remote idea. It was a gift. I just call it La Araña (The Spider).
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Might as well update…she did in fact blow up! Super happy. I just hope all goes well when it’s time to bring her inside again. I don’t even have a big enough spot now…
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Gorgeous collection! 
I love that you’ve kept the theme with terracotta and the gravel so the cacti/succulents really pop.
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Thanks!
This is about 2/3 of my collection. This time of year, because of the sun positioning, I have to move my plants from one balcony to the other around 3pm. Then move them back to the other one in the morning by 8am. I can only fit so many on the back balcony (pictured), so my favorites get the royal treatment - taxi’d back and forth.
I love the look of terracotta, but I also love that it’s the cheapest way to pot that isn’t plastic! Also available in so many sizes and shapes.
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Terracotta is absolutely cost effective. I used to love pretty glazed pots but they can be super pricey and don’t work as well for me. Plus I’ve broken my share of beloved pots over the years, so I’d like to avoid that in the future!
Your plants are keeping you busy!
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I got a really fancy teal one for that tephrocactus…bougie cactus needs a bougie pot/gravel. It’s the rules.
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As it should be. Some plants deserve a pedestal, whether metaphorical or actual (or both!)
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Hello, I cant believe I’ve just found this thread. 90mins read time. That’s my saturday night sorted either reading in the garden or in the greenhouse tomorrow. Anyone not like home grown tomatoes 
?
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Welcome! It’s one of my favorites 
Thank you ever so much. That’s Sunday taken care of. 
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Sorry, last one - only because I’m VERY proud of this one.
You might remember my lithops (the ones that look like butts). They just got monsoon’d on. Bad news. A soaking like that will kill them, so I had to repot in dry soil ASAP to try and save them.
Before:
Lo and behold, the roots were covered in mealy bug webbing. I fucking hate mealy bugs. Explains why 1 lithop died last week.
Treated the roots with alcohol. Never done it before. Never dealt with mealies until I moved to AZ and grew outdoors. Tedious repotting process, so small and hard to work with in the dirt. I didn’t really have a plan, either.
I am SO happy with how it turned out, especially just winging it. I can only hope the little guys survive the stress of the alcohol soak and repotting. 
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Went to a plant show at a botanical garden today. Some absolutely gorgeous stuff. I got 2 new friends. There was some awesome deals that I’m kicking myself for not taking advantage of - but realistically I’m so tight on space for new plants.
Ran into Brad who works at my favorite plant store in town. I’m on friendly terms with everyone at that shop now, it’s neat to have people to geek out over cactus with. I also get to peek at inventory, sometimes, before it hits the floor - first dibs!
In the botanical garden portion, I took photos of some amazing cactus that I’ll post in the nature thread or somewhere.
“Bishop’s Cap” Astrophytum
And just as I am really falling in love with the stenocactus I already have, I spied this magnificent beauty - look at that pattern!! Damn nature, you wild.
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