Didn't see Ian's post there, but yes, that's what I intended when using the word "develop". Perhaps it was worded poorly. As for the sheep, they aren't really good indicators I think. Perhaps the Puya kills the odd sheep, but if it does I think it's more likely to be a case of the sheep si...

Hooked spines in any given species (or any other trait for that matter) have probably arisen from a chance mutation, but when the entire population of a species has adopted the trait, it is not a matter of said trait merely not being disadvantageous. When an entire population of a species has adopte...

Finally as for sheep-killing Puyas; I have to ask are there examples of the local camelids being killed ? Or the local rodents ? Or the native sheep ? Or is it just the bred for meat and wool essentially European sheep (also seemingly bred for lack of intelligence - or so some would claim) ? I have...

Puya chilensis (of Chile) traps and kills sheep by hooking onto their wool, thus gaining a nutrient boost from their decaying bodies. I've never considered this in terms of cacti, having always thought the hooked spines were there for protection. However, long and straight spines should serve just a...

This discussion reminds me a bit of the soil (or soil-less) debate. I don't really think there are any "correct" ways of watering, apart from not watering when the plants would rather stay dry. So long as the plants get a sufficient amount of water they will usually be happy about their lo...

If there is an effect from tea, it seems likely to be because of the acidity of the stuff. A buildup of salts over time in the soil from fertilisation or hard water will in the end significantly impair growth. Watering with more acidic water will solve things, so maybe that's what the tea is doing i...

Thanks for the link, Rod. Some interesting reading there!

Lovely photo (and plant), as usual! Is it black velvet you use as background, or something else?

I was having a challenge earlier in the summer with Leuchtenbergias aborting buds, and so far only one sucessfully flowered. Following the suggestion early in this thread, I have placed nearly all of them in standing water, and the two that were budding apparently will be flowering - they have been...

It will usually start clumping when older, although the very large and handsome clumps you can see in some photos are quite old. There is a lot of variability in hair length in this species, from really white and shaggy plants to almost hairless ones. I think if your plant gets a little bit more sun...