Cacti of Eastern Brazil - cultivation notes & photos

[Astro]

Beautiful plants, and I'd love to have more in my collection. Unfortunately my current setup (open air in NoCal) isn't entirely compatible with providing them with the right care. I'm trying some Micranthocereus now and will see if they thrive or even survive long term.

[James Pickering]

Great James,

If only my greenhouse was heated I could grow them as well as you do! No wonder you moved to the USA from cold old UK.

Thanks Dave. I know, I know! Dan Bach’s greenhouses (where I house many of my plants) are not heated - but the winter nighttime temperature inside them rarely dips below 40 deg F (4.44 deg C) and the winter daytime (almost always sunny and dry) temperatures usually climb into the eighties or nineties F (27-32 deg C) in the greenhouses = a lot different from Burnley winter growing conditions - that’s for sure!

[James Pickering]

Beautiful plants, and I'd love to have more in my collection. Unfortunately my current setup (open air in NoCal) isn't entirely compatible with providing them with the right care. I'm trying some Micranthocereus now and will see if they thrive or even survive long term.

I do hope you are successful Astro. I believe your enthusiasm will produce good results.

[James Pickering]

I have updated the Cultivation Notes web page at ..........

http://jp29.org/brcultx.htm

.......... In particular to reflect the updated soil mix that I use for these cacti.

[James Pickering]

Arrojadoa dinae in bud, flower and fruit:

[James Pickering]

Discocactus horstii

This dwarf cactus is one of the real gems of the cactus world with its symmetrical form, dark brown epidermis, clustered white appressed spines and white woolly areoles.

[Terry S.]

Are the green ones at the back hybrids with something like Discocactus zehntneri?

[James Pickering]

Are the green ones at the back hybrids with something like Discocactus zehntneri?

The clustered ones are Discocactus zehntneri subsp. buenekeri (syn. Discocactus buenekeri) and the two singular ones below them are Discocactus buenekeri x horstii hybrids which I neglected to explain, sorry.

[James Pickering]

A failed experiment .......

Discocactus buenekeri x Discocactus horstii



..... the goal was to produce a cultivar that would have the body form, spination and coloration of D. horstii yet produce a proliferation of basal offsets like D. buenekeri. It didn’t work!

[Tony R]

Fantastic discocactus, James, you certainly live in the right climate.
Many of us here in the UK don't have the best conditions or climate for growing these plants to their best. I don't really mean climate for, as you know James, we don't have a climate in the UK, just WEATHER, like we have been experiencing yet again this weekend!
Please keep up the great posts.